Daley sermon on Labor sins as Libs sense a chance

Scott Morrison used former NSW Labor leader Michael Daley’s anti-Asian comments as his chief campaign weapon yesterday.

Scott Morrison with Reid candidate Fiona Martin, in navy, and Liberal supporters in Sydney’s Burwood yesterday. Picture: Alex Coppel

Scott Morrison used former NSW Labor leader Michael Daley’s anti-Asian comments as his chief ­campaign weapon yesterday, as the Liberals fight to hold the ­marginal Sydney electorate of Reid.

The Prime Minister walked the streets of the multicultural seat, which the government has a chance of holding despite the retirem­ent of popular local membe­r Craig Laundy.

Senior Liberal sources say ­internal polling has the party ahead of Labor, 51 to 49 per cent.

Eighteen per cent of residents in the electorate are of Chinese des­cent.

Mr Morrison used the visit to the suburb of Burwood to deny claims the Liberal Party had been spreading anti-Labor fake news on Chinese social media platform WeChat.

Labor has raised questions about the Liberal Party’s ­involve­ment in posts claiming Bill Short­en wants to introduce a death tax and is preferencing ­immigration from the Middle East.

“That’s not the Liberal Party’s campaign,” Mr Morrison said. “I can understand the Labor Party would be feeling rather sensit­ive about the things that the former Labor leader here in NSW said about the Chinese community and the Asian community at the last state election.”

In a short walk through ­Burwood shops, Mr Morrison sat down at a Turkish restaurant with accountants and mortgage brok­ers who raised concerns about Labor’s negative gearing policy.

Mr Morrison was in the electorate with his candidate, child psychologist Fiona Martin.

Labor’s candidate is Sam Crosby, the executive director of policy think tank the McKell Institute.

Earlier, Mr Morrison railed against Labor’s negative gearing and industrial relations policies at a NSW Chamber of Business event in western Sydney.

“The union movement will be in control of your businesses if the Labor Party are elected,” he said.

“They will be the ones who give final approval of what you can do with your businesses.”