GAME OF GAFFES: Our Guide To Federal Election Stuff Ups And Bloopers
Winter is almost upon us and the battle for Australia’s iron throne is well underway. Over the next 6 weeks, the nation’s politicians will go to battle armed with slogans, billboards and endless character assassinations.
Fortunately for us, the political arena is filled with minor players who will unintentionally trip up, causing a whirlwind of political chaos. With the polls indicating it will be a close finish between Labor and the Coalition, the impact of political gaffes has never been more important.
Here’s TheVine’s wrap up of the best stuff-ups, bloopers and nonsensical statements from this past week:
Peter Dutton – THEY TOOK ‘ER JOBS
Australia’s own Ramsey Bolton, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton claimed that “Illiterate and innumerate” refugees would take Australian jobs or “languish” on the dole and use free health services provided by Medicare.
Unsurprisingly, he has managed to offend a vast array of migrant communities who didn’t take to kindly to the implication they were both lazy and wanted to steal jobs.
Conservative politicians normally sit in two camps when spreading fear about asylum seekers, either claiming “they took ‘er jobs” or alternatively calling them “dole bludgers”. Dutton can’t seem to choose which camp he aligns with, but lucky for him, a wise girl once said of soft and hard shell tacos – “Why not both”.
David Feeney – I forgot I owned a $2.3 Million dollar house
It emerged that Labor’s David Feeney had misplaced his $2.3 million dollar house in Northcote, failing to disclose it as an asset in the parliamentary register of interests. Feeney, who is fighting off a greens uprising in the inner city of Melbourne, has been a vocal advocate of Labor’s landmark policy to scrap negative gearing. In an ironic twist, he also forgot that he was negative gearing the property, placing himself and the Labor party in an awkward position.
Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse his own tenants have turned on him and urged locals in the Melbourne seat to vote against him. Unless he has been struck down with a serious case of amnesia ‘Whoops I lost the house’ doesn’t really pass the litmus test.
Sophie Mirabella – Everyone’s out to get me
Sophie Mirabella is back at it again, this time claiming Liberal party HQ is leaking against her. When asked if it would surprise her if a story that emerged in The Australian claiming “Mirabella: she’s cooked”, came from her own camp, Mirabella made a subtle dig stating “”Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter what Collins Street says”.
Sophie Mirabella is no stranger to political drama, dubbed the ‘queen of mean’ she was the only sitting liberal MP to lose her seat at the last election. Mirabella knows she has enemies and isn’t afraid to call them out, but it seems that popping up in the media every other week isn’t helping her chances at winning back her prized seat.
With so much time left before polling day there is no doubt there will be more fumbles and stumbles by our pollies. We will be watching in keen anticipation to see who next falls over in the Game of Gaffes.