Aimee Walker
Australian politician Mark McGowan has been slammed for making a ‘tone deaf’ joke about Cleo Smith.
The four-year-old was found ‘safe and well’ in a locked house, reportedly a seven-minute drive away from her mother’s home, 18 days after she vanished from a campsite.
At a press conference to celebrate the news, he told reporters: “I was speaking to the analysts saying that there would be movies made about this.
Cleo Smith’s Mother Breaks Silence As Four-Year-Old Daughter Is Found Following 18-Day Search
“We were talking about who would play who.”
He went on to say he had a ‘few ideas,’ however, his comments were slammed on Twitter.
One person wrote: “Seems incredibly tone-deaf when there is a little girl who has suffered trauma. We should not forget there is a very traumatised family at the centre of this story.”
Another added: “What a horrible response from ‘our leader’. The girl was taken, Australia was in shock and he’s thinking about movie scores.”
“His response was not trauma-informed at all.” said a third. “It [was] forgotten that this family will need extensive therapy to process and recover from such a situation. That sweet girl may be dealing with this in her teens and adulthood.”
However, others defended the comments, suggesting they were made out of excitement and with high emotions.
One person said: “Nah. I think it’s fine. It’s just wild emotions and excitement and happiness playing out.”
“Nah, the emotion would be hard to contain. I cried when I heard the news,” wrote another.
In agreement, a third penned: “Same, I was in a café eating breakfast and the place erupted in cheers. I had tears running down my face.”
McGowan then went on to praise detectives for their efforts in finding the young girl.
He said: “They put their heart and soul into it.
“They used the best of technology and all of their instincts and they didn’t leave any stone unturned.
“I just want to acknowledge the analysts because they often don’t get acknowledged, but also the police team on the ground.”
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