Celeste Barber has asked Jacinda Ardern to rename Australia as "West New Zealand". Photo / Lewis Gardner
Celeste Barber has asked Jacinda Ardern to rename Australia as "West New Zealand". Photo / Lewis Gardner
Celeste Barber has shared a plea on social media for Australia to be renamed as "West New Zealand".
The 37-year-old Australian comedian, who has helped raised A$50 million for the bushfire crisis, tagged New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in her Instagram story writing: "Can you please make us West New Zealand? Can you be our leader and look after us? We need you."
A photo of Ardern speaking to young people about climate change in New Zealand also featured in her post.
Comedian and influencer Celeste Barber.
Barber, who became famous for mocking celebrities on Instagram, has not been impressed with the way Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has handled the bushfire crisis.
Morrison has taken a serious knock in the polls and conceded he was in the wrong when he took a flight to Hawaii with his family in the midst of Australia's bushfire crisis as more lives continue to be lost.
He fronted the media after weeks of criticism over his family holiday, telling the ABC's Insiders programme on Sunday that he could have "handled things on the ground much better".
The Australian Prime Minister also announced on Sunday he would "continue to evolve" his government's climate change policy while also flagging a Royal Commission into this summer's tragic and ongoing events.
Celeste Barber has been a critic of the way Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has handled the bushfire crisis. Photo / AP
Last week, Australians flooded social media with pleas for Ardern to take over as Prime Minister of their country after she was spotted dining with Clarke Gayford at a New South Wales restaurant.
Ardern's role after the Christchurch mosque shootings and the Whakaari/White Island eruption has been widely compared to Scott Morrison's ham-fisted media appearances during Australia's deadly bushfires, with many citing the Kiwi PM as an exemplar of good leadership.
Australian commentator Sam Clench said that her response to the March 15 shootings was "firm and decisive" and compared her "clear-minded and efficient leadership" to what he described as Scott Morrison's "jarring" references to cricket amidst a national crisis.
Jacinda Ardern's role after the Whakaari/White Island eruption and the Christchurch mosque shootings has been widely compared to Scott Morrison's ham-fisted media appearances. Photo / Getty Images
Meanwhile, Barber set up the Facebook fundraiser on January 3 and has since raised over A$50,000.
"Want to join me in supporting a good cause?," she asked on the page.
"I'm raising money for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support."
The comedian is hosting an Australian bushfire fundraiser that will feature performances from Queen + Adam Lambert, Olivia Newton-John, KD Lang and Alice Cooper.
