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Scott Morrison dismissed criticism of a secret side trip to explore his family’s history during a recent visit to the UK.
The Prime Minister visited three local pubs and traced his Cornish roots while publicly saying Britain was too risky a destination for Australian travelers.
He also visited a former prison and laid flowers there for an ancestor born in 1755.
The personal trip south of the G7 summit was not disclosed to the media and angered Australians stranded abroad, who described him as callous and deaf.
Mr Morrison defended the search for his family roots and insisted Australians would not view travel as a double standard.
“It was pretty innocent… it’s massively exaggerated,” he told 2GB radio on Monday.
The Prime Minister said his plane had landed north of London rather than Cornwall because of the fog and the delegation had stopped en route.
“We had lunch and stopped at another place on the way,” said Mr. Morrison.
“And after the G7 on our way to the airport, we stopped at another spot, which just happens to be where my fifth great-grandfather came from.”
The Prime Minister said he certainly hopes Australians can travel abroad by next Christmas.
Mr Morrison said what happened overseas over the summer would determine if and when Australia reopens its borders.
“We’re going to learn a lot from this,” he said.
“If this doesn’t lead to serious illnesses and increasing hospitalizations, then this will be important information that our medical experts will need to review and give us good advice on what it means for travel.”
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