There’s a moment, in the 24 hours after the volcano eruption, that tells the story of Jacinda Ardern’s leadership. She goes straight to where the need is, straight to where the pain is. She doesn’t think about her own convenience. She hugs those who need it, stands shoulder to shoulder with others. Calm, competent and radiating warmth. Of course, she has had practice. At the murder of Muslims in Christchurch, she responded instantly. There can’t be too many people who were unmoved by her swift embrace of those affected. She puts the needs of others, of her community, first. She doesn’t trot out any attendant political agendas. Ardern is doing her best to soothe her wounded people. Australia’s tragedy can’t be blamed on a volcano or on a deranged white supremacist. Six Australians have died because of the bushfires. Hundreds and hundreds of homes are razed. Forests disappeared. Koalas are gone from the fireground and may never return. All we may have left are those videos of the koala being wrapped in a shirt or the koala holding the hand of the rescuer who provides drinking water. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Scott Morrison is not without empathy. As soon as he was elected, he flew to Queensland’s northwest to meet graziers from Cloncurry and Julia Creek, whose properties had been flooded. About half a million head of livestock were killed. And his opening words to them? "I've got one simple question, which is really a statement: how good is Cloncurry?" He’s just thrown an extra $11 million at aerial firefighting efforts because people across Australia were shocked at his lack of action. How good is funding aerial firefighting? Australia’s tragedy can’t be blamed on a volcano or on a deranged white supremacist.

It’s also true that on December 8, months after fires began their devastation of NSW, he visited the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Wilberforce to thank the firefighters and to get the latest updates. Photos emerged of Morrison at the NSWRFS with hands in pockets gazing at a map. He is often seen at emergency headquarters, in discussions with firefighters and police, with others who have institutionalised power. I’m glad he managed to squeeze in Wilberforce and also had time to drop into Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s Christmas drinks a few days before. Not sure whether he wore chinos and a blue open-necked shirt that night. Publicity videos of koalas being swaddled don't solve Australia's climate emergency. Credit:Getty Images We also see him in a touching photo visiting Wauchope and Taree in early November. On Facebook, he described it as an “incredibly emotional day as I visited Wauchope and Taree, two areas in NSW hit hard by these devastating bushfires to offer my support to those who have been through what can only be described as a harrowing trauma." He goes but he doesn’t go often. He doesn’t go instantly. And as Australia burns and chokes, he’s busy campaigning for an imaginary religious discrimination emergency instead of a climate emergency. There is one other major difference between Ardern and Morrison. Ardern campaigned with relentless positivity and a raft of policies. Morrison used fear and uncertainty and a scrappy handful of ideas around destroying unions; perceived threats to religious freedom; and borders secure from a handful of asylum seekers held in offshore detention. Ardern has delivered on much of her reform agenda. Extra funding for health includes $2 billion for capital works. The government banned all new permits for oil and gas exploration and has launched a $100-million green investment fund. It’s committed both money and resources to tackling the overrepresentation of Maori people in prisons. Those on low incomes have had their payments increased by about $75 a week on average. Morrison doesn’t have a reform agenda as far as I can see, or not one that will assist those who are sick, those who are vulnerable, nor Aboriginal people. He is, however, trying to reform how his government pretends empathy.