LNP accused of using US-style political attack ad to target KAP candidate

Katter’s Australian Party says its appalled by an ‘American-style’ attack ad from the LNP depicting one of their candidates behind bars, asking voters if they want to be represented by someone with a rap sheet.

A screengrab from an LNP political ad that has been labelled by the Katter’s Australian Party as an unprecedented American-style hit job against its Mundingburra candidate Michael Pugh.

Katter’s Australian Party says its appalled by an ‘American-style’ attack ad from the LNP depicting one of their candidates behind bars, asking voters if they want to be represented by someone with a rap sheet.

The hard-hitting 15-second ad, which has already racked up more than 30,000 views on YouTube in just two days, pulls no punches.

Titled “You can’t trust Katter on crime,” the LNP zeros in on KAP candidate for Mundingburra, Michael Pugh, for his criminal past, reminding voters of his conviction for stealing with violence and burglary from two decades ago.

“Do you think the north should be represented by a criminal?” the ad asks bluntly.

“The Katter Party does because they selected a criminal candidate.”

The ad says Mr Pugh of used a bayonet in a home invasion to collect on a drug debt, complete with a graphic showing him behind prison bars.

Mr Pugh has been open about his criminal history, addressing the matter publicly in June, saying he claims full responsibility for his actions and has since turned his life around.

A screengrab from an LNP political advertisement that has been labelled by the Katter’s Australian Party as an unprecedented American-style hit job against its Mundingburra candidate Michael Pugh.

KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto said the advertisement was unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen anything like it is Queensland politics,” he said on Sunday.

“I’ve only been in (politics) for seven years, but even before that, you never saw attack ads like that … it’s next-level, American-style politics.”

A screengrab from an LNP political advertisement that has been labelled by the Katter’s Australian Party as an unprecedented American-style hit job against its Mundingburra candidate Michael Pugh.

Mr Dametto said he had received multiple calls from constituents and KAP supporters who were appalled by the LNP’s tactics, which he said he believed would breach Australian advertising standards.

“I don’t think we are going to have time to have it investigated over the next week before election day but it’s definitely something we will look at after the election,” he said.

“If there’s been breaches, I think people should be held to account.”

The Hinchinbrook MP claims the ad showed the LNP was growing “desperate” in its race to secure key seats in the north.

“It’s an indication that in seats like Mundingburra, the race has got quite tight,” he said.

“They’ve run a campaign with pretty inert candidates with zero colour and zero flare and there’s probably a good chance our candidates are edging ever closer to getting over the line so they’ve really stooped to the gutter to try and pull those votes back.”

Mr Dametto said the ad, one of a number attacking KAP, was a “scary” glimpse of how the LNP would operate if elected to govern.

“If they are will to do this during an election campaign imagine what they will be willing to do as a government?”

Michael Pugh KAP candidate for Mundingburra. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr Pugh, a former executive in the petroleum industry and disability sectors and the popular founder of Townsville Hike and Explore, said he would be back on the campaign trail for another 14-hour day on Monday.

“I’m not interested in getting involved in the dirty election tactics of the major parties.”

He said the information about his troubled youth and redemption was made public “a long time ago”.

“I won’t lower myself to that level to start getting involved in those sort of dirty campaigning,” he said.

“I am about being out there in front of the people of Mundingburra and telling them what I am all about and what I can offer post-October in being that positive voice.”

When previously questioned on their dramatic attack ads, Deputy LNP Leader Jarrod Bleijie only doubled down saying: “The Katters can’t be trusted on crime, one of their candidates is a criminal who invaded a home with a weapon to collect a drug debt. When Labor weakened the laws a decade ago in a hung parliament, the Katters didn’t show up when their vote counted.”

LNP Deputy Leader Jarrod Bleijie doubled down on Sunday afternoon, saying the Katters could not be trusted on crime as “one of their candidates is a criminal who invaded a home with a weapon to collect a drug debt”.

He said KAP had voted against Labor weakening youth-justice laws, leading to the youth-crime crisis.

“Only the LNP will restore safety with adult crime adult time, gold-standard early intervention and effective rehabilitation,” he said.

“A vote for Katters risks four more years of Labor and the Youth Crime Crisis, the only way to get a fresh start for Queensland is to vote 1 LNP.”

Originally published as LNP accused of using US-style political attack ad to target KAP candidate