WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Scott Morrison met with TV presenter Piers Morgan while Brisbane was under water due to flooding.
THE AAP FACTCHECK VERDICT
False. The prime minister met Piers Morgan on February 24, before Brisbane had suffered major flooding.
Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones has sparked a political spat by suggesting Prime Minister Scott Morrison had a 45-minute meeting with TV personality Piers Morgan while Brisbane was “under water” during Queensland’s .
However, the claim is false. While Morgan shared a photo of the meeting on February 28 – when much of the city was already inundated – the event in fact took place four days earlier. While some parts of Queensland were already flooded before the meeting, Brisbane was on ‘flood watch’ alert at the time and had not yet suffered major flooding.
The row about the meeting began when the British TV host, who is preparing to front a new show , of himself with Mr Morrison, thanking the prime minister for “a fascinating 45-min chat” about Ukraine and other topics. The tweet was posted on the morning of February 28.
Mr Jones, who is Labor’s shadow assistant treasurer, : “Brisbane is under water, Lismore is about to be. SE NSW is bracing for a deluge, Ukraine is under siege …. but sure …. Spend 45 minutes with a talk show host.”
Mr Jones’s office did not respond when contacted by AAP FactCheck about the basis of his claim.
Similar criticisms about the meeting taking place during a flooding emergency were shared on Twitter by other Labor figures, including and , the mayor of Sydney’s Inner West Council.
But Morgan that his meeting with Mr Morrison had actually taken place “four days ago”, dating the meeting to February 24. The broadcaster also posted , which he said was taken “the night before” his meeting with the prime minister.
The photo with Mr Albanese , which took place .
The prime minister’s office also told AAP FactCheck via email the photo of Mr Morrison and Mr Morgan was taken on the morning of February 24.
The date is corroborated by photos of the prime minister at other events on the same date in which he can be seen wearing a matching dark blue suit and dark-spotted tie. For example, photos taken at press conferences on February 24 – available to view online – show Mr Morrison in the same attire. AAP FactCheck did not find any images of the prime minister wearing a matching tie on other days in the same month.
While , the Bureau of Meteorology had only , which as “a developing situation that may lead to flooding”.
By February 25, the bureau – meaning “flooding is occurring or expected to occur”. The following day, parts of Brisbane with mayor Adrian Schrinner warning that water . On February 27, to “major” for the lower Brisbane River.
While Mr Jones posted his tweet before Morgan clarified the timing of his meeting with the prime minister, his post remained live at the time of writing.
His tweet also refers to Ukraine being “under siege” when the meeting took place, however it was not until the afternoon of February 24, Australian eastern time, . Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin had already on February 22 as part of what Russia described as a “peacekeeping” mission to the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after weeks of military build-up on Ukraine’s borders.
THE AAP FACTCHECK VERDICT
While an image of the prime minister meeting with Piers Morgan was shared on February 28, the meeting took place four days earlier, on February 24. At this time, parts of southeast Queensland were already flooded, but contrary to the claim Brisbane was not yet inundated.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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