There was nothing unusual about the hostile reception Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull received when he ventured down to the waterfront in Ulladulla on Wednesday. In fact, it’s exactly what one would expect from supporters of opposition parties in the midst of an election campaign.
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Mr Turnbull, with Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis in tow, was there to announce funding promises for two projects – a marina inside the harbour and a respite home for children with disabilities.
It was the second prime ministerial visit in four months and on both occasions he was met by protesters.
Holding Gilmore with a margin of 3.8 per cent in a campaign in which opinions polls suggest the government is losing ground to Labor, the PM’s visit was designed to shore up support for Mrs Sudmalis. No surprises there. Every marginal seat is important to the Coalition.
And that begs the questions: Why isn’t Labor matching the high-profile visits? Where is Bill Shorten?
While no one can deny Labor candidate Fiona Phillips is putting her shoulder to the wheel in this election race, the impression given by the lack of high-profile visitors is that the party’s campaign strategists have given up on the seat when the race is only half run.
We put the question to one of the Labor people assembled to make the PM’s visit unpleasant. We were told Australia was a big country and Bill Shorten, while he cared deeply about the electorate, could not be expected to be everywhere.
It was an entirely unconvincing answer.
In successive federal campaigns, the local Labor Party seems to have had great difficulty in convincing the strategists of the need to roll out the big guns and engage with the electorate.
One can understand it when the seat is locked up and blue ribbon safe but when there is an assailable margin, it defies logic.
When the PM visits and is met by hecklers what the broader electorate sees is the same group of placard holders, which they quickly dismiss as a “rent a crowd”.
One can’t help wondering if local voters would see things somewhat differently if Mr Shorten actually paid a visit and presented in person the case for electing his party.
Who knows? Voters in Gilmore might even think they count for something, which they most certainly do in an ever tightening race to the election finish line on July 2.
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