Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized Sunday for taking a family vacation in Hawaii as deadly bushfires raged across several states, destroying homes and claiming the lives of two volunteer firefighters. Morrison cut short a vacation amid public anger at his absence during a national crisis and arrived home Saturday night. He spoke to reporters Sunday morning while visiting the headquarters of the Rural Fire Service in Sydney.
"If you had your time over again and you had the benefit of hindsight, we would have made different decisions," Morrison said. “I am sure Australians are fair-minded and understand that when you make a promise to your kids, you try and keep it.”
"But as prime minister, you have other responsibilities, and I accept the criticism," he added.
Morrison also answered critics who say his government has not done enough to fight climate change, which has been cited as a significant factor in the spate of fires burning across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. He said there were also "many other factors" responsible for the unprecedented number of fires during a record-breaking heatwave.
"There is no argument about the links between broader issues of global climate change and weather events around the world," he said. "But I'm sure people equally would acknowledge that the direct connection to any single fire event - it's not a credible suggestion to make that link."
