Bill Shorten comes off second best in attack on Malcolm Turnbull

OPINION: Badly served by his staff or peak political sneakiness? Either way, Bill Shorten has come off second best in an attempt to attack Malcolm Turnbull on the issue of election promises.

IT used to hold a lie could get around the world before the truth was out of bed and getting its pants on.

In this fast moving, digital, all-day-news-cycle world, strike that one from the list of political rules.

Bill Shorten knows this and he found out the hard way — on live television.

As he was taking questions after his final week speech to the National Press Club, Shorten had a look of satisfied glee on his face.

Shorten quoted Malcolm Turnbull saying political parties or politicians might say something during a campaign or at some other time but this was “not necessarily” what they would do.

It sounded like loose talk of politically crippling proportions and Shorten declared it so.

“It will go down as the defining moment in this campaign,” said Labor’s leader.

While Shorten was speaking his campaign team was putting an ad together saying this confirmed Labor’s fear Medicare would be privatised.

However, Shorten was either badly served by his staff (the kindest interpretation) or he was being as sneaky as he could be.

He had misquoted Turnbull, taken him out of context and used what was a legitimate criticism of Labor as a cheap attack point against the Coalition.

Here’s what Turnbull said, in full and context:

“What political parties say they will support and oppose one time is not necessarily, ultimately, what they will do,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday morning.

“I mean, you have seen the Labor Party has opposed many measures of ours, which they have subsequently supported, or subsequently changed their position on.

“The best known of those is obviously the schoolkids’ bonus”

Just as quickly as Labor rolled out its attack ad on Turnbull — as dishonest and cheap as it was — the Coalition had one out by dinner time Tuesday.

“Shorten Caught out: the biggest lie of all” was the headline of the Liberal ad. It was a hard hitting and effective political spot — and the other advantage it had on the Labor effort was it was accurate.

Originally published as Bill Shorten comes off second best in attack on Malcolm Turnbull