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| THEAUSTRALIAN.COM.AU1:20 PM to challenge GetUp ruling |
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison says GetUp is a “shady group”. Picture: AAP
Scott Morrison will today launch a scathing attack on GetUp, threatening to investigate the left-wing activist group’s claims it is “politically independent” and describing it as a “shady group that operates in the shadows”.
Speaking at the South Australian Liberal State Council in Adelaide, the Prime Minister will escalate the Coalition’s campaign against GetUp, warning it that any attempt to argue “plausible deniability won’t work this term”. Mr Morrison will say GetUp’s campaign against Coalition MP Nicolle Flint at the May 18 election exposed its true intent and allegiances with Labor and the unions.
He will also accuse it of running a “misogynist” and “bullying” campaign against Ms Flint.
“It was in Boothby that the soul of GetUp was exposed to Australians. You know, GetUp works on the principle of ‘plausible deniability’. They deny they aren’t Labor when we all know they are,” Mr Morrison will say.
“They deny they have anything to do with the vile, personal attacks on our candidates that only occur in seats where GetUp are running campaigns. They should be ashamed of what they did in Boothby. Ashamed of what they did to Nicolle Flint. It was misogyny. It was bullying.”
Sending a warning to GetUp, which failed in its high-profile bids to oust Ms Flint, Peter Dutton, Greg Hunt, Christian Porter and Kevin Andrews, Mr Morrison will confirm his government will target the activist group.
“In this term, we will revisit GetUp’s claim they are politically independent — because we need to shine a bright light on this shady group that operates in the shadows away from full disclosure,” he will say. “And my message to GetUp is your plausible deniability won’t work this term. Australians are on to you.”
Mr Hunt this week described the group as Labor’s “campaigning arm” and said Australians were worried by “American-style political action units”.
The government ramp-up against GetUp comes afterThe Australianrevealed the group could become the subject of an investigation into party-political bias by the Australian Electoral Commission over its activities during the election campaign.
Following the Coalition’s victory, Mr Dutton labelled GetUp’s conduct during the campaign as “deceptive” and “undemocratic”.
Delivering a post-election rallying call to the South Australian Liberal faithful, Mr Morrison will today say “for miracles to occur, there must be belief”.
“You stuck with us when others didn’t. You believed. You knew something big was at stake — and you backed us in. You backed us in at shopping centres, railway stations and bus stops — and online you told the world you were proud Liberals.
“You understood the risk of Labor. You knew the risks to your jobs, to your family savings, to your homes, to your parents’ retirement savings. You knew that $387 billion in new taxes wouldn’t float the economy. You joined Liberals around Australia and said ‘not on our watch’.”
Citing the Liberal Party’s election performance in South Australia, where it secured a 5.5 per cent primary vote increase and a two-party-preferred swing to the government of 1.5 per cent, Mr Morrison will describe the election victory as “one for the history books”.
“I said on election night that our success was not about us or even the Liberal Party,” he will say. “It was about those whom we sought to win the election for. Sir Robert Menzies called them the forgotten people, they then became Howard’s battlers. And now we speak of them as the quiet Australians.”
Mr Morrison will also outline his government’s priorities, highlighting the economy, aged and disability care, schools, hospitals, mental health, suicide prevention, indigenous disadvantage, veterans support, infrastructure, drought, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and delivering tax relief.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-takes-thefight-to-getup-lurking-in-the-shadows/news-story/479758a9cb8307c469eb02e572d4ba1d?utm_source=The%20Australian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=TodaySHeadlines
