Federal Government targets Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in brutal Question Time
The Federal Government has given a clear insight into how it plans to run its election campaign, launching a fierce and very personal attack on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, writes Ellen Whinnett.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Federal Government has given a clear insight into how it plans to run its election campaign, launching a fierce and very personal attack on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
In Question Time yesterday a string of MPs attacked Mr Shorten, seeking to tie him to the unpopular Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments on everything from its shipbuilding record to its border policies.
He was also attacked over his union history, and even criticised for changing football teams after he decided as a young man to barrack for Collingwood after South Melbourne moved to Sydney.
Unusually, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took on the role of attack dog, robustly criticising Mr Shorten over a book in which he says he still thinks like a union organiser.
As Mr Shorten asked questions about why low-paid workers would not receive a tax cut in today’s Budget, Mr Turnbull referred to Cleanevent, which employed low-paid workers while making payments to Mr Shorten’s former union, the AWU.
“They (the workers) had wages and conditions traded away in a special deal, a secret deal, between ... that union, the AWU, and the employer.
“He (Mr Shorten) sold them down the river. That’s how he looked after workers on low wages,’’ Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Shorten said he’d been misrepresented on Cleanevent.
Industry Minister Christopher Pyne attacked Mr Shorten’s involvement in the knifing of two PMs in Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, saying he was so “unreliable, so bad, he shifted from South Melbourne to Collingwood.’’
It was brutal and ugly politics, and a clear sign of what is to come.
Human cost of pandemic goes much further than virus
Whether you are pro or anti-lockdown the grim, unintended consequences of the fixation on coronavirus are undeniable, as other diseases — including cancer and heart disease — go unchecked, and despair from joblessness, poverty and financial stress rises, writes Rita Panahi.
Premier must outline his plan so Melbourne can recover
As the community overwhelmingly complies with the Premier’s stage four restrictions, he must clearly outline his virus strategy so we can make plans to rebuild confidence and employment in our city, which right now is a ghost town, writes Jeff Kennett.