Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis has slammed Labor and the unions for their election-day campaigning, saying the “intimidatory tactics were completely out of place in Australian politics”.
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“Despite some of the atrocious behaviour at some of the booths, I think we’ve done well,” Ms Sudmalis told Fairfax Media on Saturday night, when the count was in its early stages. Five days later, the contest between the Liberal MP and Labor Party challenger Fiona Phillips remains too close to call.
Ms Sudmalis said she was against the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) and GetUp campaigns, along with Labor’s “Mediscare” push, but didn’t know if they could be attributed to the swing against her at the polls.
“I felt that those intimidatory tactics were completely out of place in Australian politics,” she told the Mercury on Wednesday.
“I saw a lot of older people be very hesitant about taking any paper at all because they were just being thrown so many bits of paper.
“Handing out a Medicare card to people who are clearly completely confused by it, saying ‘what’s this for?’, [and then replying] ‘that’s what the government’s going to take away from you’ - you have got to be kidding.
“It was just blatant lies and it was frightening for people.”
Ms Sudmalis said the union “employed people for the very purpose of trying to oust me”. CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor said two union members worked in Gilmore on Saturday.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
