Federal election 2016: Shorten falls for the lady in red

It was a moment only an election campaign could produce.

Margo Carey plants a kiss on Bill Shorten in Adelaide. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

It was a moment only an election campaign could produce. And 49-year-old Margo Carey didn’t miss her chance yesterday to plant a kiss on Bill Shorten’s lips.

The Opposition Leader was campaigning in Adelaide and greeting locals when Ms Carey stopped her motorised wheelchair for a chat before pulling the alternative prime minister aggressively into her arms.

The manoeuvre was unexpected, nearly toppling Mr Shorten as he stooped to embrace Ms Carey who, only moments before, was voicing concern about wheelchair access on the city’s tram system, to which Labor had just pledged $500 million.

Enthusiastically clutching Mr Shorten, Ms Carey waved to the media scrum and eventually released him only to change her mind and bring the Opposition Leader down a second time to steal a kiss.

Chloe Shorten last night welcomed the warm reception to her husband on the Adelaide streets. “I don’t blame her,” she said. “I’m thrilled that people are so happy to meet Bill.”

Earlier, Mr Shorten flagged it would be “very difficult” for him as prime minister to deal with ­Donald Trump as US president, declaring Hillary Clinton the ­superior candidate in the US election race.

The Opposition Leader said he was not afraid to take a stand and express his concerns at the prospect of the presumptive Republican nominee going on to become president. He used the opportunity to slam Mr Trump for promoting “extreme views” and defended the democratic frontrunner, Mrs Clinton, as the best option. Mr Shorten suggested he would vote for Mrs Clinton if he lived in the US, but said he would seek to work with whoever ­became US president.

Mr Shorten also defended the centrality of the US alliance to the future of Labor’s foreign policy after the Greens warned it was preventing Australia from taking a more independent stance.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are concerned by some of candidate Trump’s extreme views. And I don’t resile from standing up for Australia,” Mr Shorten said.

“Whoever the Americans elect, we will work with. But I think there’s a lot of people who want to see Australia’s political leaders not sit on the fence, but ­actually state what they think.

“And I actually do believe that Hillary Clinton will be a better president.”