2 weeks Ago By Katina Curtis
Peter Dutton and David Littleproud have told colleagues not to become distracted by “traps being set by the Labor Party”— citing abortion and the NBN — as the major parties swing into election mode. The Opposition Leader warned that a late scare campaign in last month’s Queensland election over restricting access to abortion had cost the Liberal National Party votes in urban Brisbane seats. The issue threatened to spill over into the Federal sphere in the final days of the State campaign when shadow frontbencher Jacinta Price gave an interview to Nine newspapers in which she declared “late-term” was any time after the first trimester and “full-term (abortion) becomes infanticide”.
Abortion is legal across all states and territories, with laws in most jurisdictions making it accessible until at least 20 weeks. But a Liberal MP in South Australia took a bill to the State Parliament seeking to require people who wanted to terminate a pregnancy after 28 weeks to deliver their baby alive. It was narrowly defeated last month.
Katina Curtis Coalition senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan have also sought to introduce “born alive” laws relating to late-term abortions at a Federal level. After Senator Price’s comments, Mr Dutton told ABC Radio he did not think the abortion debate was “shifting votes one way or the other”. However, on Tuesday he told colleagues meeting in Canberra that it had an impact in some seats, warning them to heed the lesson.
He said while it had been an issue at the State election, it was not something the Federal parliament could address. “Attempts by Labor to draw us off in that area should be seen as exactly what they are ..
. as a distraction,” he said. Nationals leader David Littleproud – like Mr Dutton, a Queenslander – also hammered home the point about needing to stay disciplined.
He warned that in the lead-up to the election, “local candidates will be asked to support all kinds of causes” but it was vital to stay focused. “Don’t be drawn into traps that are being set by the Labor Party,” he told colleagues. Another trap Labor is attempting to set is with legislation guaranteeing the NBN will stay in public hands — likened by one Coalition MP to a Seinfeld episode “all about nothing”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised caucus colleagues Labor would reveal a series of key policies over the next couple of months that would carry them into the election, due by mid-May. That started over the weekend with his headland speech in Adelaide promising to slash university student debt and enshrine fee-free TAFE places. Mr Albanese continues to be confident Labor will return a majority government, despite polls pointing to a hung parliament.
“We don’t want to just be in this room after the next election. We want to be here with more members and more senators,” he told colleagues gathered in the Government party room. A Redbridge poll of WA voters, reported in The West Australian on Monday, found that Federal Labor’s primary vote has held up nearly to the level it was in 2022, with a two-party preferred vote of 54.
5, suggesting the party would retain all the seats it won..
