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DENISON MP Andrew Wilkie has hit out at what he calls Labor “lies, disinformation and nonsense” as the party begins a campaign to unseat him at the next federal election.
The ALP will turn up the heat on Mr Wilkie at its state conference early next month with motions condeming the high-profile independent who snatched the formerly safe Labor seat from the party in 2010.
In return, Mr Wilkie has accused Labor of virtually ignoring Denison during the 23 years it held the seat.
Labor is considering placing Mr Wilkie last on how-to-vote cards at the next federal poll and several party branches have put anti-Wilkie motions on the agenda for the Tasmanian conference on August 4.
The Lenah Valley branch has moved a motion accusing Mr Wilkie of “ripping off Tasmania” over the Royal Hobart Hospital funding.
The Battery Point branch motion accuses Mr Wilkie of “tax funded electoral profiteering”, while the Glenorchy branch is cranky that he did not set up his office in the suburb.
Mr Wilkie has defended his record saying: “The Labor Party is clutching at straws.”
• ALP IGNORES DENISON FOR 23 YEARS – THEN RESORTS TO LIES
The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, says the Tasmanian ALP has resorted to lies, disinformation and nonsense in its attempt to win back Denison, an electorate it ignored for the 23 years it held the seat.
In response to three motions to the ALP State Conference targeting him, Mr Wilkie said the ALP was clutching at straws.
“It’s time would be better used explaining why nothing much happened in Denison for the decades it held the seat, whereas I have delivered almost $800m in just two years,’’ he said.
Mr Wilkie said the premise of the three motions were nonsense.
“I have consistently argued for Tasmania’s GST share to be maintained, and when seen in context my Perth comments were to do with changes that would have seen states with a small number of poker machines like Tasmania get more GST,’’ he said.
“Its criticism of the Royal funding is a bit rich considering the Labor State Government welcomed the windfall and acknowledged it was not eligible to be exempted from the GST process.
“I made my commitment to a Glenorchy office in good faith, but was forced to change my mind when I was elected and discovered Duncan Kerr’s Hobart office had a year left to run on the lease and that establishing a new office would have cost the taxpayer as much as half a million dollars.
“The claim that I have profited from politics is especially silly as I had no idea what vote I would get, and therefore how much public funding would be paid, and in any case my 2010 state and federal elections when taken together resulted in no net financial benefit to me.
“More broadly the suggestion that the ALP is considering preferencing me last is remarkable.
“While I will do no deals and enter into no preference arrangements, the Labor Party is apparently considering doing a grubby deal with the Liberal Party that could help deliver Tony Abbott to The Lodge.’’
