This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

GetUp has withdrawn a proposed election ad after it was accused of poor taste for parodying Tony Abbott refusing to rescue a drowning beachgoer.

Royal Life Saving Society Australia said the advertisement was inappropriate and insensitive, particularly after seven people drowned over Easter including the Victorian father and son lifesavers Ross and Andy Powell, who died while trying to rescue a tourist at Port Campbell.

“It’s horrible to see drowning represented in a political campaign,” the society’s chief executive, Justin Scarr, told Guardian Australia. “The ad is in very poor taste, especially in such a tragic week.

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He added: “It’s incredibly insensitive to the 250 families who lost loved ones to drownings in the last 12 months.”

On Wednesday morning GetUp said it was withdrawing the ad criticising the Coalition’s climate change policies, which it had intended to show in cinemas in electorates it has targeted.

“We have heard the criticism of the Royal Lifesavers and are pulling our satirical ad about Tony Abbott’s inaction on climate change, which was slated to begin airing in cinemas next week,” the group said, adding: “We have the greatest respect for Australia’s lifesavers and apologise for the insensitivity of the timing and subject matter of our planned ad.”

The former prime minister is a volunteer surf lifesaver and is in a tough battle to retain his Sydney seat of Warringah against the independent candidate Zali Steggall at next month’s federal election.

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The ad shows the Abbott character eating an onion on a beach chair and later holding a chunk of coal.

When a woman approaches seeking help for a drowning swimmer, the Abbott lifeguard character says: “I think you’ll find the science isn’t settled on that.”

“What? Do something!” she responds.

“Why should we act first?” the Abbott character says. “I think I’ve given you the response you deserve.”

The ad then flashes up captions: “The climate’s changed. Why won’t the Coalition?”

GetUp had planned to running the ad in cinemas in seats of Coalition ministers they are targeting, including Kooyong in Melbourne, where the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, is facing a strong challenge.

The conservative lobby group Advance Australia, which has been set up to counter the influence of GetUp, said the video was disgraceful.

“There’s nothing grassroots about smearing the thousands of Australians who give up their weekends to keep our great beaches safe,” national director Gerard Benedet said.

“GetUp should hang their heads in shame, they would have been aware of the deaths and pushed ahead anyway.”