Liberal candidate for Elder, Carolyn Habib, labels State Election campaign material 'filthy and racist'
LIBERAL candidate for the seat of Elder Carolyn Habib says campaign material authorised by the Labor Party is a "filthy and racist" attack on her surname.
LIBERAL candidate for the seat of Elder Carolyn Habib says campaign material authorised by the Labor Party is a "filthy and racist" attack on her surname.
The flyer cover has the words "can you trust Habib" set against what appears to be an old wall.
Ms Habib is a Marion city councillor, and the flyer says rates have increased since Ms Habib was elected to the council.
Tory Shepherd: Labor's dog whistle is a low act
In an interview on ABC 891 radio this morning, Ms Habib said she thought the flyer was very offensive and un-Australian.
"I think it is a very thinly veiled racist attack against my surname," she said.
"It's a new low and a very, very filthy campaign in what has already been a dirty campaign over the past few weeks."
Ms Habib said she was born in Alice Springs, her father is from Lebanon and her mother is from Canada.
"For me I grew up in Alice Springs, I was born in Alice Springs and everyone who has met me knows how Australian I am," she said.
"I am really surprised this has come in and it's just such a low. We should be talking about things that are important to the community not feeding into a racist attack. So yeah, I am surprised somebody would stoop to this level to win the seat."
The seat of Elder was held by retiring Labor MP Pat Conlon. Labor holds the electorate on a narrow margin of 2 per cent, after the boundaries redistribution.
Annabel Digance is running as the Labor candidate for Elder.
Opposition leader Steven Marshall said the flyer was "disgraceful".
"It makes no reference to her Christian name whatsoever, there's a big headline regarding Habib with a very unattractive layout for that brochure. I think it's a shot at her surname which features extraordinarily prominently," Mr Marshall said.
"It's a dog whistle, it's completely outrageous that the Government would use this type of material. There is no place for racism in SA politics, there's no place for racism in Australia."
Labor MP Tom Koutsantonis said the pamphlet was not a racist attack.
"This pamphlet is not racist. Doesn't look like it, doesn't feel like it, doesn't sound like it. Racism is abhorrent," he said on ABC radio.
"And I know, because it's been targeted at me, and I can tell you, this is not a racist attack."
Radio hosts Matt Abraham and David Bevan asked Mr Koutsantonis why Ms Habib was being attacked for her position on council rates when she had proposed a rate rise which was less than the increase adopted by the council.
Mr Koutsantonis dodged answering the question.
Premier Jay Weatherill later defended the material, saying it was about a Liberal candidate's record on local council, which was entirely appropriate.
He said he did not think think the flyer was offensive and refused to apologise.
He said if the Liberal Party had a complaint, it should take it to the Electoral Commissioner.
"I'm not going to be lectured to by the Liberal Party, who have been found to be lying about child sexual abuse. There is only one party who have been found guilty by the Electoral Commissioner to have put out inaccurate and misleading information and that's the Liberal Party," he said.