More Tasmanian vegetables on the menu for Tony Abbott
FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott has continued his taste test of Tasmania as Bill Shorten takes to grassroots campaigning in Braddon in response to two alarming poll results.
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UPDATE: OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten has taken to grassroots campaigning in Braddon in response to two alarming poll results.
Commentators speculate that a loss in Braddon would put Mr Shorten’s leadership at risk.
On a cool Monday night in Burnie, Mr Shorten attracted about 120 people to boost the chances of Labor candidate Justine Keay against Liberal Brett Whiteley in the by-election on July 28.
In a two-hour question-and-answer session, issues varied from Labor’s evolving refugee policy to live sheep exports to the NBN.
Questions were mostly friendly — except for Roger Spencer, from Wynyard, who was annoyed that his son was paying more than $100,000 tax a year.
Mr Shorten said it was about priorities and he drove home the point that there should not be $80 billion in tax cuts to the big end of town.
He said voters could send a message that they did not want their $14 a fortnight energy supplement axed.
“Take it off the big banks instead,” he said.
Mr Shorten’s Braddon visit comes after a ReachTel poll put Labor behind in Braddon by 46 percentage points to 54 — and also trailing in the Queensland seat of Longman.
MORE: BRADDON AT RISK FOR LABOR, SAYS NEW POLL
EARLIER: FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott’s taste for Tasmanian produce has continued with a follow up to his famous onion-munching antics three years ago.
On a tour aimed to boost the chances of Liberal candidate Brett Whiteley in the Braddon by-election, Mr Abbott turned to a more palatable option to the raw onion he took a bite out of during 2015.
“Brett said to me ‘onion last time, carrot this time’ I want a bit of variety in your Tasmanian diet,” Mr Abbott said before munching on a carrot at Harvest Moon operations in Forth, near Devonport.
Labor’s Justine Keay is going head to head with Mr Whiteley and is one of five by-elections to be held on super Saturday, July 28.
Yesterday, a Sky News/ReachTel poll revealed that the Coalition had a two-party preferred 54:46 lead in Braddon.
Mr Abbott said the Braddon by-election was a real test for Labor Leader Bill Shorten.
“Only once in the whole history of our Federation has an incumbent Government won a seat off the Opposition at a by election,” he said.
“Here in Braddon I think that we are very competitive.
“But I think because of the history I think we are the underdogs but nevertheless a victory in Braddon or Longman (Queensland) would be very dangerous for Bill Shorten, because let’s face it we all know there are colleagues with their knives out for him right now,” he said.
Mr Abbott talked up the Abbott Government move to expand the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme.
The expansion from January 1, 2016 allowed northbound exports to receive a subsidy of $700 a container for the Bass Strait crossing.
Mr Abbott said that he was very proud of what the Abbott Government did for Tasmania.
“In my time there was $400 million for the Midland Highway, $440 million for Hobart International airport, there was $100 million for irrigation schemes as well as about $200 million for the freight equalisation scheme,” he said.
Ms Keay said the poll did not reflect what her team was hearing from Braddon electors when doorknocking.
“They are very, very angry with Malcolm Turnbull’s tax cuts to the big banks — especially considering their behaviour in the Royal Commission into banks,” she said.
“Something that Brett Whiteley, a former banker, voted six times against establishing.
“What the people of Braddon are telling me is they would much rather those funds going into our hospitals.”
She said that there would be 39,000 people in the electorate that would benefit from Labor’s policy for personal income tax cuts.
“That will actually inject $30 million straight into the local economy, supporting those businesses and jobs — something that Malcolm Turnbull cannot deliver,” she said.
Polling analyst Kevin Bonham said that seat polls were not very reliable.
“I still think that there is such strong historical pattern of governments not winning by-elections that you need very strong evidence to overturn that,” he said.
He said the result could be skewed by what question was asked.
UTAS political analyst Richard Eccleston says there is a lot at stake in the by-election for both Bill Shorten and Brett Whiteley.
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