NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was slammed in an awkward interview after struggling to deflect questions about the spread of coronavirus misinformation.

She spoke to ABC Breakfast on Wednesday, where she tried to avoid criticising those in her party who have been accused of undermining the public’s trust in the Australian coronavirus measures and impending vaccine rollout.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also come under pressure after he’s refused to condemn government backbencher Craig Kelly who posts coronavirus conspiracies and debunked coronavirus treatments on social media.

This wasn’t ignored by ABC journalist Michael Rowland.

“Speaking of those people, Craig Kelly has spent months questioning if a vaccine is needed, he’s been promoting all these weird and wacky unproven medical treatments, he described mask-wearing as child abuse,” the ABC Breakfast host said.

“Is it time for the Prime Minister to pull him into line?”

The NSW Premier refused to bite.

“Oh, look, I just focus on what I need to focus on,” she replied.

“My view is all of us should always follow the health advice. We have experts appointed and serving in positions which have kept all of us and Australia safe to this point in time,” she said.

Rowland wasn’t having a bar of it and pressed on.

 

“OK, but he’s not following the advice. What should the consequences be?” he pointedly asked.

“Aah, he’s not in my team,” Berejiklian responded.

The presenter continued his questioning: “He’s a fellow member of the New South Wales Liberal party. You’re a Premier, he’s a backbencher. You have more stripes than him. What do you say to him?”

The NSW Premier outright asked for other questions, saying: “I’m not going to add anything further to what I said. Please ask me other questions”.

“You don’t have a view on the misinformation he’s spreading?” Rowland asked.

“I think I have answered the question twice already,” she said.

“OK, I’ll take that as a no,” Rowland said.

The reaction to the interview was disgust on social media, with one Twitter user calling the Premier “gutless” and others saying “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept”.

NSW opposition leader Jodi McKay also slammed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

“This is a dereliction of responsibility by the Premier. Craig Kelly is a NSW MP spreading dangerous misinformation about the health crisis and no one with the power to shut him down is doing so,” she Tweeted.