Virgin chief Jayne Hrdlicka has come under fire for her “brutal” comments on re-opening the borders to international visitors.

Ms Hrdlicka caused a stir when she said “some people may die, but it would be way smaller than the flu” but Australia needed to re-open as soon as vaccination levels were high enough.

“I can understand eventually when the borders open, sadly we won’t have COVID eradicated,” Scott Emerson said.

“But to put it so bluntly, so insensitively so brutally, I think that is the issue that concerns people.

“That you’re basically equating the fact we have to get the economy back up and running, you’re saying it’s a monetary decision, it’s a commercial decision, it’s a fiscal decision.”

Prime Minister Scott Emerson called it “insensitive”.

Press PLAY below to hear his full comments

Labor MP Milton Dick said it was offensive in his view.

“I was pretty offended by it, Scott,” he said.

“I would call on the CEO to re-think those comments and perhaps, use another set of language, it did sound a little like Donald Trump to be, to be honest.

“And I didn’t like the fact that she trivialised the fact that there might be some people dying, obviously she didn’t think before she spoke, I found them pretty off to be honest.”

Press PLAY below to hear his take on the issue

Image: iStock