Bill Shorten ramps up fight against One Nation Longman candidate

The Labor leader says One Nation candidate Matthew Stephen has serious questions to answer over unpaid debts.

Labor has registered the website “dodgytradie.com” and uploaded Mr Stephen’s trade licence register that contains information about his suspensions for not paying licensing fees and twice for not paying debts.

Labor has ramped up its fight with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the final days of the Longman by-election campaign, with leader Bill Shorten intervening to declare the minor party’s candidate has “serious questions” to answer over claims of unpaid debts.

Making his eighth visit to the marginal seat since the campaign kicked off, the Opposition Leader attacked One Nation candidate Matthew Stephen and labelled him a “dodgy tradie”.

One Nation has preferenced the Liberal National Party above Labor, which could sway the outcome of the election.

Labor held the marginal Queensland seat by 0.8 per cent before former

MP Susan Lamb was forced to quite parliament over dual citizenship issues.

“(Mr Stephen) seems to have left a trail of upset subcontractors so he’s got serious questions to answer, but he seems seriously determined to avoid answering these questions before election day,” Mr Shorten said as he campaigned at the Caboolture ambulance station with Ms Lamb and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek.

“If he doesn’t fully answer those questions then I think voters could be forgiven for thinking the worst of him.”

Mr Stephen’s business history has been dragged into the spotlight after he was forced to deny allegations he owed thousands of dollars to subcontractors.

The One Nation candidate, who is a Caboolture-based tiler, claimed Labor had been “offering these stories or these tradesmen to various media outlets”.

Labor has registered the website “dodgytradie.com” and uploaded Mr Stephen’s trade licence register that contains information about his suspensions for not paying licensing fees and twice for not paying debts.

Bill Shorten joins Labor candidate Susan Lamb in Longman today. Picture: AAP

“Initially in the 2017 (state) election (which Mr Stephen contested for One Nation) these tradesmen didn’t come out and say these things, which is quite ironic,” Mr Stephen said.

“They used a different angle of my licence being suspended, which I’ve never run from. That’s public knowledge. I was ripped off $250,000 for a job and I had to work bloody hard to get food on the table and keep the lights on.

“I only just today received one e-mail with a possible claim (of an unpaid debt), that was today. Up until this period I haven’t received anything.”

Speaking from a supporter’s home on Bribie Island, Mr Stephen said the e-mail was “vague” and included a sum of around $5500.

He said he would “absolutely” repay the money if it was a “legitimate claim”.

“If I owe somebody money, anybody money, please send it through,” he said.

Mr Shorten did not directly deny Labor was “digging up” disgruntled contractors but said his party was not “inventing” the complaints.

“The trick to not having unhappy subbies is: pay them,” he said.

Asked about Mr Shorten’s “dodgy tradie” reference, Mr Stephen told The Australian the Labor leader “would not know what it’s like to do a hard day’s work”.

“He has never had a real job. He and his party masquerade as a party for workers yet they haven’t had to battle and face the grind that so many people of Longman have had to face. I have, I’ve been there, I know what’s it like,” he said.

“Bill’s just worried about his job options come Sunday. Bill’s quote is just another Labor lie.”

One Nation’s Queensland leader Steve Dickson was coy over where Senator Hanson would be on election day this Saturday, saying she would make appearances at “all” polling booths.

There is speculation One Nation might have corflutes or cut-outs of Senator Hanson, who is overseas on a cruise, or that she might ring-in from her travels.

Mr Dickson said she was keeping a promise to her family by going on the holiday during what is the critical final week of the campaign.

“Senator Hanson booked this trip in a number of months ago. She’s with family members on a cruise and there’s something you will all learn about politics — when you get out of politics there’s only one thing left, your family. If you can’t keep your own word to your family, how can you keep your word to the Australian people?” he said.

Mr Stephen said he was “not disappointed at all” by Senator Hanson’s no show and he was speaking to his leader “nightly”.

Mr Shorten would not confirm if he would be in Longman on Saturday night when the results come in but said he hoped to be in the electorate “at some point” during the day.

He declined to say if he believed Senator Hanson’s non-appearance would help Labor pick up more votes, and added: “What Pauline Hanson chooses to do for a holiday is her business, not mine. If she wants a luxury cruise in Ireland, good luck to her. My concern is not what she

does when she’s on holiday, it’s when she’s not on holiday.”