Comment: Bill Shorten comes up short on Tasmanian geography

Labor Leader Bill Shorten and Braddon candidate Justine Keay. Picture: Chris Kidd

Labor’s campaign in Braddon came to a “Head” today when Bill Shorten revealed his grip on Tasmanian geography isn’t that tight.

The Opposition Leader launched his party’s campaign for the Tasmanian federal seat with former MP and former dual citizen Justine Keay and made the people of Braddon a big infrastructure promise.

“And because our candidate knows this community so intimately,” he said, “we’ve got plans to improve the local infrastructure (including) upgrading the Bass Highway between Wynyard and Circular Quay.”

Mr Shorten actually meant he wanted to upgrade the highway up to the Tasmanian region of Circular Head.

Perhaps he was thinking of the surname “Keay” when the word “Quay” came into his head.

Mr Shorten may have also been thinking of that place in Sydney with the bridge and the opera house. Circular Quay is one train stop away from the Sydney suburb of Wynyard. That has to be a bit confusing.

An honest slip-up, surely. But why did the transcript, hours later, have Circular Head instead of Quay? Was the transcript doctored? Is it all a Quay conspiracy set up by Keay?

This is not a repeat of the Linda Burney transcript controversy last May when entire paragraphs were rewritten and her answers about asylum-seekers were omitted.

Mr Shorten’s transcript has only one word of difference when checked against delivery.

Only a few weeks ago, the ALP leader got his candidate in the Queensland seat of Longman, Susan Lamb, mixed up with his MP for Macquarie, Susan Templeman.