Liberal Mayo candidate Georgina Downer slams GetUp billboards on ABC funding
UPDATED: VOTING for Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie will help Labor leader Bill Shorten, former prime minister John Howard will warn Mayo voters.
VOTING for Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie will help Labor leader Bill Shorten, former prime minister John Howard will warn Mayo voters.
Mr Howard will spend today campaigning with Liberal candidate Georgina Downer for the July 28 Mayo by-election.
In an open letter to Mayo voters, Mr Howard says the by-election result would have consequences for the nation.
He criticises Ms Sharkie for having voted with Labor against key measures, including banning illegal arrivals from applying for Australian visas, drug testing welfare recipients and company tax cuts.
“If elected, we don’t know what Ms Sharkie will vote with Labor on next,’’ he writes.
“I encourage you to think carefully this by-election because a vote for Ms Sharkie will be helpful to Bill Shorten and Labor.’’
Ms Downer’s father and former Mayo MP Alexander Downer was foreign minister in the Howard government.
Mr Howard writes he has known Ms Downer as a “bright young lawyer” and Australian diplomat in Japan. “As a mother of two young children, Georgina has good family values and will be a strong voice for Mayo,’’ he says.
“She is a hard-working, intelligent woman with a positive long-term plan who will fight hard to get results from within Government.’’
Ms Sharkie yesterday rejected Liberal criticism of the number of times she had voted with Labor in Federal Parliament.
Earlier, Ms Downer hit out at advertisements which attack her over funding cuts to the ABC.
Left-wing activist group Getup! is using mobile and fixed billboards in Mayo to urge voters to “Put the Liberals last” and “Save our ABC from Liberals’ cuts’’.
Ms Downer said she supported the ABC and the Turnbull Government would not privatise the national broadcaster.
“More scare, more lies from the Sharkie, Shorten, GetUp Alliance,’’ she said in a Facebook post.
“I have made my position clear on the ABC. I support the ABC. The ABC will not be sold or privatised. That is my commitment.’’
The billboards have been launched after the Liberals criticised Centre Alliance candidate Rebekha Sharkie for appearing in a photograph with a Getup! activist, Labor and Greens candidates and two people dressed as the Bananas in Pyjamas.
The May Budget included a three-year, $84 million freeze in the indexation of ABC funding to encourage “back office efficiencies”.
Voters in Mayo and four other federal seats will elect new MPs at the July 28 Super Saturday by-elections.
Getup! also campaigned against former Liberal Mayo MP Jamie Briggs at the 2016 general election.
The Liberal Party’s Federal Council passed a resolution in June calling for the ABC to be sold but the resolution was not binding on the parliamentary Liberal partyroom and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insists the broadcaster will remain in public hands.