Prime minister described as disrespectful after saying voting for independents is ‘a roll of the dice’ at campaign launch

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Independents have hit back at Malcolm Turnbull’s attack during his campaign speech, describing the prime minister as misleading, arrogant, disrespectful and part of the political elite.

Turnbull described a vote for independents as “a roll of the dice” and specifically urged people not to vote for senators Jacqui Lambie, Nick Xenophon, Glenn Lazarus and the Queensland Senate candidate Pauline Hanson.

The prime minister and the treasurer urged a vote for stability, particularly after the UK decision to leave the European Union.

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But polling has showed Lambie could win two Senate spots in Tasmania at the expense of the Liberal tourism minister, Richard Colbeck. Lambie’s running mate is the Devonport mayor, Steve Martin.

Xenophon’s party, the Nick Xenophon Team, could pick up a swag of lower-house seats in South Australia, including Mayo, Grey, Boothby and Barker as well as a number of seats in the Senate in a double-dissolution election designed to clear out the Senate crossbenchers.

Xenophon said people were attracted to minor parties and independents because the “political elite” were failing to listen to their concerns.

He said while Turnbull was launching his campaign, Xenophon himself was frying fish to highlight his policy to extend country of origin labelling laws to cooked fish – a change a Senate committee estimated would lead to thousands more jobs in Australia.

“There is a disconnection between Australia political elites and people’s genuine concerns,” Xenophon said. “I too am worried about Brexit but I don’t think it would happen if elites listened to grassroots concern with loss of sovereignty.”

The Tasmanian Denison MP, Andrew Wilkie, said Turnbull’s scare campaign against independents was blaming others when major parties should examine their own conduct to understand why voters were leaving them in droves.

“It is misleading to say power-sharing parliament will lead to anarchy, it is arrogant to say voters are wrong to vote any other way than for the major parties and it is disrespectful of [the] democratic system,” Wilkie said.

“What he is saying in essence is they have a right to unrestrained power and if anyone votes in any way other than Liberal or Labor they are acting improperly, which is remarkably arrogant.

“What is dangerous is when executive government has unrestrained power and we can see that from WorkChoices and Australia’s involvement in Iraq. I would be hopeful that most people in the community would see through it.”

Wilkie predicted Australia would move towards power-sharing governments.

“We are out of step with many developed countries, as we have had majority government fairly consistently,” Wilkie said. “They will become commonplace, so I think we are in a period of transition and over a number of parliaments we could see something more akin to Europe, Canada and New Zealand.

“I think that’s good. Now I would say that, but I believe it’s in the public interest whereas unrestrained power is not in public interest and is dangerous.”

A spokesman for Lambie said the fact Turnbull named independent senators showed the Coalition was worried.

“It shows his desperation when he mentions people by name,” the spokesman said. “The first rule of spin doctors is don’t mention people by name.



“Secondly, he mentioned voters had the choice of Bill Shorten governing like a union leader. Well we know what the other prime ministerial choice is, one who governs like a merchant banker.



“So with one guy who govern like a union leader and one guy who governs like a merchant banker, that’s why you need someone like Jacqui to keep the bastards honest.”

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He said the characterisation of a hung parliament as chaotic – a strategy used against the Brexit campaign – was both wrong and misleading.

“The hung parliament didn’t produce chaos, it produced consultation, something the Liberal government has not been able to do,” the spokesman said.

Lazarus said he did not trust the prime minister and if Turnbull was urging people not to vote for independents, Australians should do the “complete opposite”.

“Malcolm Turnbull and his government clearly want unfettered power in both houses of parliament to sell off of our land to foreign buyers, give away more of our jobs to overseas workers, increase GST to 15%, sell off Medicare, deregulate uni fees and cut the pension,” Lazarus said.

“I guarantee with a bigger crossbench in the Senate, we will stop the government from hurting everyday Australians and make sure the government is held to account – whoever is in government.”



“The Coalition is so on the nose in Queensland they don’t even use their logo on signs. Malcolm did over his own party’s prime minister. I, along with other crossbenchers, won’t let him do over everyday Australians.”