Kristina Keneally Keneally caught giving how-to-vote cards to dementia patients
KRISTINA Keneally has been caught attempting to hand out campaign material to patients at a retirement home in Bennelong.
NSW
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KRISTINA Keneally has been caught attempting to hand out campaign material to patients at a retirement home in Bennelong.
The star Labor candidate was yesterday accused of attempting to give how-to-vote cards to patients suffering dementia. Ms Keneally admitted she “visited a few aged care services” and “met with residents” but rejected accusations of targeting patients with memory loss.
“No, I have not done that,” she told reporters in Epping.
But a statement from Calvary Ryde Retirement Community, where Ms Keneally and her team visited on Monday, confirmed a Labor member was stopped from “attempting to hand out photos”.
It’s understood the photos were part of the Labor Party’s promotional material.
“Ms Keneally visited Dalton House administration area and on the way out asked to visit the dining area of one of our residential care units. Kristina spoke to a couple of residents and one of her team attempted to hand out photos but stopped when asked by staff,” a spokeswoman from Calvary said.
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“Unfortunately our usual protocols of advising the residents and families in advance of the visit did not occur on this occasion as it was a spur of the moment decision.”
Ms Keneally said the locations she visited were “declared polling places” by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The former NSW premier is in for the fight of her life during the final days ahead of the by-election. The latest ReachTEL poll showed Liberal candidate John Alexander was leading her 53-47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
But Ms Keneally was unruffled, saying she “knew this was going to be a tough fight”.
“The history of this seat, it’s been held by the Liberals for almost all of its existence, and we knew that going in. I knew the numbers going in but you know what, I’ve never shirked from a fight,” she said.
“We are the underdogs but we’re fighting hard because this is a fight worth having.”
