John Howard’s message to Liberal voters in Wentworth
JOHN Howard has swept into the Wentworth by-election warning retirees and small businesses that they will suffer economically if they don’t back the Liberal party this weekend.
NSW
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JOHN Howard has swept into the Wentworth by-election warning retirees and small businesses that they will suffer economically if they don’t back the Liberal party this weekend.
The former Prime Minister was greeted warmly by voters during his walk through of a Double Bay shopping precinct alongside Liberal candidate Dave Sharma.
He implored faithful but “grumpy” Liberal voters to stick with the party.
“I want to say to any normal liberal voters in Wentworth who may be a bit grumpy at the present time, who may feel a little bit disillusioned — you cannot risk a protest vote in the comfort that no matter if you vote against the Liberal party enough other people will vote for the Liberal party and it won’t matter,” he said.
“If enough people do that, if enough people decide to register a protest vote, than a seat could go to an independent and that will rob the Morrison government of its working majority, it will make the remaining months of this term in office very difficult and it will feed the view in the community that a Labor government is more likely at the next election and I don’t think those normal voters in Wentworth want a Labor government.”
Mr Howard focused his warning on voters who are retired and living on their savings.
“Retired people will take a massive tax hit from a Shorten government so I say to those people in Wentworth — if you’re in that category — please don’t romance with the idea that you can indulge a protest vote and it won’t have any consequences.”
He added: “Think of the economic consequences of a Shorten Labor government. Higher taxes on smaller business, snaffling the savings through higher taxes of self funded retirees — there are a lot of them here in Wentworth and a lot of them quiet low income.”
Mr Howard acknowledge voters were angry over the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull.
“A lot of people here are sad that he’s not any longer the member and any longer the Prime Minister. Others will take a view projecting forward they will say well the party room made a decision to install another leader, we’re unhappy about that but we are a lot more unhappy about having a Shorten government snaffling our heard earned savings with his savage new taxes.”
During the walk through of Double Bay voters were overwhelmingly positive towards Mr Howard and Mr Sharma with only one man questioning why Mr Turnbull was dumped.
Mr Howard also said he supported the Australian embassy in Israel being moved to Jerusalem.
“It makes senses that you should have the embassy of our country in the capital of the country … there’s nothing odd about that, there’s nothing extreme or revolutionary about such a proposition,” he said.
“And the idea that this would in someway endanger the two state solution — can I say what endangers the two state solution is the willingness of many countries, not Australia under coalition governments, that support initiatives that elevate the independent states of the Palestinians without the Palestinians in return accepting peace overtures from the Israelis.”
Mr Howard and Mr Sharma both condemned an email that circulated about rival Wentworth candidate Dr Kerryn Phelps that falsely claimed she had a medical condition.
Mr Sharma said he welcomed the AFP investigating who was behind the email.
“These sort of things are disgusting and despicable and they should be confronted and combated,” Mr Sharma said.
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Kerryn Phelps / Dave Sharma / Tim Murray / Dominic WY Kanak / Angela Vithoulkas / Tony Robinson / Steve Georgantis / Shayne Higson / Ben Forsyth / Barry Keldoulis / Andrea Leong / Deb Boyle / Robert Callanan / Sam Gunning / Licia Heath / Kay Dunne