Ged Kearney’s boats stance beggars belief as Labor is pulled leftward in Batman again
Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the ABC’s Barrie Cassidy on Insiders, yesterday:
Cassidy: Just on David Feeney and the Batman by-election — the Liberal Party hasn’t yet decided whether they’ll run a candidate? … Why would you abandon your voters?
Turnbull: Well, the party will make a decision, but I don’t expect we will be running a candidate in the Batman by-election.
Cassidy: Why not? … Why wouldn’t you?
Turnbull: Well, parties have to assess priorities and the limited resources. These are all political decisions, Barrie.
It looks like the Greens are doing their best to lose the Batman by-election either way. The Weekend Australian, Saturday:
The Greens … have closed ranks around candidate Alex Bhathal amid reports she is being investigated by the party.
But why would the Prime Minister want to help Labor’s candidate Ged Kearney given her views on border security? Kearney speaking at a “Welcome Refugees” rally in Sydney, April 15, 2015:
Just think about those three small words — stop the boats — never before can I think of three small words that have left such a permanent and dreadful scar on our national psyche.
The Labor hopeful and current ACTU president has been pretty bolshie on the boats. Kearney speaking to the International Labour Conference in Geneva, June 6, 2014:
Australian unions … explicitly reject the policy of offshore processing of asylum seekers that both major parties have implemented.
Turnbull and Cassidy on Insiders, continued:
Cassidy: It’s pointed out the Greens do best against Labor when the Liberals are not in the contest. So it does seem as if you’ve take a decision that’s designed to help the Greens beat Labor.
Turnbull: Well, Barrie … the reality is we are already seeing Bill Shorten moving further and further to the left.
Shorten swears he’s strong on borders. The Opposition Leader at the National Press Club, last Tuesday:
In terms of stopping people smugglers we will take the advice of our security experts, and our border security experts and we maintain absolute commitment to defeating and stopping the people smugglers.
But his captain’s pick in Batman just helps to prove Turnbull’s point. Kearney is even to the left of Julia Gillard. The ACTU president speaking to The Australian, July 6, 2010:
Ms Kearney thought the Prime Minister (when she announced a plan to process refugees offshore in East Timor) was “moving us forward in one way and perhaps [taking] a step backwards in another”.
Surely Shorten has enough problems on his hands at the moment. The Weekend Australian, Saturday:
Mr Shorten also faces a showdown at the ALP national conference in July, with his own right faction moving to block Labor frontbencher Mark Butler from seeking another term as national president, following an incendiary speech he delivered on internal reform, which many believe was targeted at Mr Shorten.
Look who’s backing Butler ... Anthony Albanese on Sky News’s Speers on Sunday, yesterday:
I think he’s an outstanding person ... he’s done an outstanding job. And certainly, if he seeks to have a second term, he will have my support.”