Prime Minister Scott Morrison got bushfire 'welcome he deserved' in Cobargo, says Andrew Constance. Pictures from Scott Morrison's awkward visit to Cobargo, on the NSW South Coast, were beamed around the world and went viral on social media.

People in the town, where a father and son died in a blaze earlier this week, shouted and heckled the Prime Minister during the brief trip.

Mr Constance said he was not aware Mr Morrison would be visiting his electorate of Bega, which includes Cobargo, and told Seven News that "I haven't had a call from him".

Speaking from Bairnsdale, in Victoria's fire-affect East Gippsland region, the Prime Minister apologised to Mr Constance and said "I totally understand how he'd be feeling".

"I've reached out to him today, and offered that apology to him," Mr Morrison said.

"I was under the understanding that we had made contact with him. That wasn't the case. And that's regretted.

"But I assumed that he was otherwise occupied on that day, which would be completely understandable.

"But Andrew's been through a terrible, terrible experience and ordeal, and so I totally understand how he'd be feeling."

Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Constance had earlier savaged the Prime Minister.

"To be honest with you, the locals probably gave him the welcome he probably deserved," he said.

"I say this to the Prime Minister today, the nation wants you to open up the cheque books, obviously help people rebuild their lives."

Mr Morrison's visit to Cobargo was wildly awkward, and has since made international headlines.

During one particularly tense interaction, Mr Morrison grabbed the hand of a woman who had refused to shake his hand.

As the Prime Minister was leaving, people swore at him and told him he should be "ashamed of himself" after he "left the country to burn".

In another awkward exchange, Mr Morrison grabbed the hand of an exhausted firefighter in Cobargo who told him "I don't really want to shake your hand".

"Tell that fella I'm really sorry, I'm sure he's just tired," Mr Morrison told a local incident controller afterwards.

"No, no. He lost a house," the area's fire controller responded.

Mr Morrison was criticised for holidaying in Hawaii while the deadly bushfire emergency gripped NSW and Queensland in December.

Some people have also taken aim at his Government for not doing enough to combat climate change.

Mr Constance, who defended his own home in the area from flames on Tuesday, said "this was the feeling people were going through".

"Having lived through this myself, it's tough," he said.

"You can't experience this ... it's cruel, it's nasty. The Cobargo community lost people, a wonderful family there."

The NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian stood by Mr Constance during an interview with 2GB on Friday morning.

"I don't begrudge anyone who is on the ground … I don't begrudge anyone for feeling the way they do," she said.

"I know Andrew has raw emotion as do many members of his community and I don't blame people for feeling angry."

Liz Innes, the Mayor of the neighbouring Eurobodalla Shire Council, apologised to the Prime Minister in the wake of his chaotic visit.

"There's a few examples of not so great behaviour and so I just want to say sorry to Scott Morrison for the behaviour and treatment he received," she said.

"Look I know people are scared, they're angry, they're hurt but that's not the images that I want to see coming out of my beautiful area."

After the confrontations in Cobargo, Mr Morrison told the ABC: "I'm not surprised people are feeling very raw at the moment.

"That's why I came today, to be here, to see it for myself [and] offer what comfort I could.

"I understand the strong feelings people have; they've lost everything. There's been a lot of emotion ... and I understand that emotion."

Below | Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed in Cobargo. (Supplied)

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