| Subjects: Campaining; candidate resignations
EO&E…………………………………………………………
DEB KNIGHT:
The tight race for the campaign turns nasty.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Good morning Deb…
DEB KNIGHT:
Albo these are going to far though when police have to be called in?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Well there’s a question here Deb over whether the police have in fact been called in over this incident with Jess Whelan, the Liberal candidate for Lyons who has made multiple posts including on Bec White, the Labor leader in Tasmania’s own webpage that are Islamophobic. So there is a real concern here of whether in fact what has happened is a cover up rather than just a fessing up and a – an apology and taking this material offline. So Simon perhaps might know whether in fact the police have been called in over this incident regarding the liberal candidate for Lyons but is pretty extraordinary…
DEB KNIGHT:
…Simon?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
…that Scott Morrison himself was engaged in this?
DEB KNIGHT:
…have they been?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well Deb I can say in relation to this candidate that in fact more information has come to light overnight and as a result of that the State Executive of the Liberal Party in Tasmania will be taking steps to deal with this candidates situation today.
DEB KNIGHT:
So what’s come to light? What exactly has come to light?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Racist comments. Well I gather further posts and that information had not been declared or disclosed by the candidate previously and we won’t tolerate that. We won’t accept that and Scott Morrison’s taken a strong stance in this regard and the Labor Party ought to show the same type of standards when it comes to their candidate in Melbourne.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
You said the police had been called in. Have they?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well the Labor Party ought to take the same type of standards now when it comes to their candidate in Melbourne.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Hang on let’s be very clear here…
DEB KNIGHT:
…well hold on, yes let’s be clear here…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
…no Albo let be very clear here…
DEB KNIGHT:
…will she be forced to resign?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
…have the police been called in?
DEB KNIGHT:
…has this been doctored or not?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
I expect based on the information that has come to light overnight, and additional information that she will not continue to be the Liberal candidate, there will be a matter for the Tasmanian Party to resolve swiftly this morning but my understanding is they’re taking steps to do which begs the question. Labor’s candidate in Melbourne, who’s been caught out in relation to making comments that White Ribbon has criticised because indeed they are undermining domestic violence campaigns, they’re derogatory towards women. Why is it Labor are a applying a double standard when it comes to their candidate in Melbourne?
DEB KNIGHT:
Albo will Luke Creasey be forced to resign too?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Nah. Now let’s be very clear here about the difference. The Liberal candidate for Lyons made Islamophobic posts – like multiple. Right now in terms of contemporaneously and Scott Morrison said that the police had been called in and they were fake. And we know that that’s just not the case. Scott Morrison was involved personally. With regard to the Labor candidate for Melbourne…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Albo, yeah deal with the Labor candidate.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Do you want an answer about Melbourne or not? With regard to Luke Creasey…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well now you’re getting to it.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
The Labor candidate for Melbourne, he made posts when he was in his early 20s, when he was in his early 20s. He apologized, he fessed up, no coverup…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
it wasn’t that long ago…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
It was a long time ago. He fessed up. He said they were wrong and dumb and there was no cover up or anything else here. He made…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
But these posts go to violence against women Albo?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
He made posts when.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
This is not a line issue.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
He made posts when he was very young, but let me tell you if we’re going to hold young people to account, everyone young out there people with young adults as their kids for everything that they’ve putting online when they’re 22 years old or when they’re 20 years old, then I tell you what, we’ll have a real problem.
DEB KNIGHT:
Well this is an issue I think for the campaign, I think, overall…[inaudible] if I can interrupt… [inaudible] I’m going to jump in here…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
…That’s just a double standard though. It’s a double standard from the Labor Party…
DEB KNIGHT:
This is an issue for all of politics…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
That’s not a double standard at all.
DEB KNIGHT:
If we’ve got people posting things on social media, if you trawl through anyone’s account you can find something embarrassing or silly and you guys are as bad as each other because you’ve all got dirt files on each other, undermining each other. It’s business as usual in politics isn’t it?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
No. What we have here is Scott Morrison involved…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well Deb I do think…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
And was involved in an attempted cover up. They said these posts were fake.
DEB KNIGHT:
And did jump the gun Simon?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
It was on the news last night.
DEB KNIGHT:
By accusing it of being doctored. Did he jump the gun here the PM?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
The PM acted on the information that he was given. We’ve got more information now. We’re acting on that additional information. The Labor Party however, is running a clear double standard here. They are calling for Liberal candidates…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
He made assertions.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Who have done things that are wrong to be dis-endorsed. Yet, when it comes to Labor candidates who have done things that are wrong, they’re happy to stand by them. And Albo defends them, as you’ve just heard.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
No, no. None of this occurred while he was a candidate.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
That’s for them. But I do think Deb you make a reasonable point.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
None of this occurred while he was in the Labor party. This occurred when he was in.
DEB KNIGHT:
Albo, let Simon speak.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
So Deb, there are big issues at play in this election. It’s a vast chasm of policy difference between the political parties at this election. And that is where this campaign ought to be fought. These are serious issues, which we will deal with. But when it comes to people going to vote, they’ve got to make a choice between 1.25 million more jobs as part of the Liberal-National plan for the future, or $387 billion of new taxes as part of Bill Shorten’s plan for the future.
DEB KNIGHT:
Alright, ok.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
The policy gulf between the major parties has never been greater. That’s where we ought to be focusing.
DEB KNIGHT:
Alright, so we’ll see Jessica Whelan then, another Liberal bite the dust this morning. We’ll expect that announcement from the Liberals during the course of the day. But breaking that news here.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
I think you’ve just had the announcement Deb.
DEB KNIGHT:
Well exactly, that’s what I said.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Live on the Today Show, once again.
DEB KNIGHT:
Right here on the Today Show. Now Albo, at the press club yesterday your health spokeswoman Catherine King.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
And still a double standard from Labor.
DEB KNIGHT:
Confirmed that food manufactures could be forced to alter recipes, to cut the amount of fat, sugar and salt to tackle obesity in Australia. Is this true, that a Shorten government really want to have its finger in the pie on how food is made?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
No, no it’s not true. And nothing like that was confirmed.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
What did it mean then?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
What Catherine spoke about, was working with, working with business. Working with shows like the Today Show, to promote healthy eating. That’s what Catherine King was speaking about. That’s what Labor will do. That’s what I must say, the Coalition has done from time to time as well. And that’s what Catherine was talking about.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Albo, that’s a rewrite.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
No it’s not, not at all.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Catherine King spoke about mandatory regulation of food content. Mandatory regulation. That means the government deciding that it will tamper with Tim Tams, or vandalise Vegemite, or whatever it is mandatory. That’s not about working with industry, that’s about government dictating to industry and deciding you know – and Bill Shorten’s got a bit of a BigMac fetish this campaign. Does it mean that a Labor government would say, you can only have one patty, not two patties in a BigMac?
DEB KNIGHT:
Alright.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Nothing of the sort. What we’ll do, is work with industry, work with civil society – we’re even prepared to work with you Birmo, how about that? To promote healthy eating and living.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
We we’ve been working with industry and that’s the difference. We have worked with industry – put in place traffic light labelling, worked to get voluntary compliance.
DEB KNIGHT:
Ok.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
In food content. You’re shadow health minister…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
And we’ll be doing all of that.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Talked about mandatory action by government regulation.
DEB KNIGHT:
Bipartisanship working together. Goodness me, who’d a thunk it in politics. Fella’s, thank you for joining us.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
See, they don’t want bipartisanship.
DEB KNIGHT:
Thank you for joining us. It’s always good catching up you two. Two more weeks of this hey – how much fun?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Greetings from Summer Hill.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Two weeks to go.
DEB KNIGHT:
See you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
The punters on Summer Hill say hey.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
And from [inaudible] and rainy Cairns.
DEB KNIGHT:
Georgie, help me out here.
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