A friend of a man who died in the NSW bushfires has said some in his community are "proper pissed" at Barnaby Joyce for his controversial bushfire comments.
On Tuesday, .
His stance prompted a barrage of criticism, including from some in the areas hit by the fires.
Northern Rivers local Aaron Hargreaves, who knew 85-year-old bushfire victim George Nole said Mr Joyce's words were "salt in the wounds".
Tuntable Falls resident Amanda Collien and two-year-old daughter Etienne make their position known on the government's climate policies. Source: AAP
"I don't know what the hell Barnaby is going on about, what people vote for at a time like this," he told Nine Newspapers.
"We're pretty cranky with Barnaby right now, I must say," he said, adding that several locals were "pissed, they're proper pissed".
Remembering Mr Nole, Mr Hargreaves told the outlets, "I think you'd struggle to find anyone with a bad memory of him".
Further discussing the matter on Facebook, he said "I think the point I was trying to get across is we need to stop being so divided and just get the job done. I don't give a s*** who's in power, just do your job properly".
We need to stop being so divided and just get the job done Aaron Hargreaves
My Joyce stirred controversy on Tuesday while blaming the minor party for increasing the threat of bushfires.
"I acknowledge that the two people who died were most likely people who voted for the Green party, so I am not going to start attacking them," he told Sky News.
"That's the last thing I want to do. What I wanted to concentrate on is the policies that we can mitigate these tragedies happening again in the future."
He later clarified the remarks.
"No matter which party an individual votes for, they do not deserve the tragedy that fell upon the Wytaliba bushfire victims," Mr Joyce said in a statement on Tuesday night.
"Any suggestion that I said otherwise is a deliberate misinterpretation. Tragedies such as this transcend party politics."
A Gloucester firefighter battles flames at Koorainghat, near Taree on NSW's mid-north coast. Source: AAP
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged all politicians to stop bickering over policies while bushfires continue to burn.
He said provocative comments made on all sides of the debate were ultimately meaningless to people losing their homes.
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Mr Morrison said there would be time later to debate controversial issues, but stressed he was focused on assisting those on the ground.
The Prime Minister said people didn't need to hear politicians shouting at each other.
"I think it's important that at moments like this, everybody take it down a few notches," Mr Morrison said on Tuesday evening.
"What matters is people who are in need and ensuring the operational support is there for the services they need to ensure that we can address this crisis."
With AAP.
