A disability support pensioner has laid into Scott Morrison at a Newcastle pub, chastising the Prime Minister for the level of support he’s provided older Australians.
The man yelled “Listen to me for a change” as he accused Mr Morrison late on Wednesday night of failing to deliver on his election promises.
“This is what you said when you got elected last time,” he said.
“We’re going help all those people that worked all their lives, paid their taxes.
“I’ve had a go, mate, I’ve worked all my life and paid my taxes.
“You can have a million-dollar house, you can have $250,000 in the bank, you can have negative gearing and franking credits, but a disability pensioner can’t have any income.”
Mr Morrison is also in a political fight with the Queensland Government over funding for flood victims, with Acting Premier Cameron Dick saying the Commonwealth’s refusal to jointly fund a new package was “the highest level of disrespect”.
“He has made the political calculation he does not need to votes of flood impacted families in this state,” Mr Dick said.
Agreeing to fund the package in a 50/50 arrangement, Mr Morrison said it was something the Queensland Government should be doing and accused them of not spending the money already given to them by the Commonwealth.
“We need transparency, these big announcements and commitments are made by the Queensland Government, but how much have they actually paid to people?” he told Brisbane radio 4BC.
“They want to play politics with this. I don’t want to play politics with this.
“I just want to make sure people are getting the support that they need.”
Mr Morrison said he agreed to the funding arrangement with a degree of cautiousness given the attacks came on the eve of an election.
“Normally, we’ve worked very closely with the Queensland Government and have worked throughout the course of the floods,” he said.
“But, as we’re coming into this election, I think people can see what’s going on here.
“State governments hold all the levers when it comes to protecting people on the ground from these disasters and then when their policy failures come through they try and send the bill to the federal government.
“It’s not taking responsibility.”
In a brutal start to Thursday’s electioneering, Mr Morrison’s character is also under attack as he faces yet more allegations of racial vilification.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly denied claims he racially profiled a fellow candidate for the Sydney seat of Cook during a 2007 pre-selection battle.
But the man he ousted, Michael Towke, tells a different story.
He says Mr Morrison was at the heart of a smear campaign against him in 2007, and members of the Liberal Party pressured him to withdraw from the pre-selection, threatening to “ruin him” and his employability if he didn’t.
“At the time (Mr Morrison) was desperate and it suited him to play the race card,” he told Network Ten’s The Project on Wednesday.
“I don’t like saying he is a racist, I don’t know him well enough.
“But, he has certainly used racism, Islamophobia, bigotry, with refugees… with migration policies, and he’s been dumped on by his own side.”
Mr Towke said a current cabinet minister recently sent him a message of support.
“I’ve got text messages from a cabinet minister telling me ‘I believe you and do what you need to do, just be careful’,” he said.
Meanwhile, two female Liberal MPs from NSW have backed Mr Morrison after Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells characterised him as a bully who was not fit to be Prime Minister.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley and MP Melissa McIntosh say the attacks against him are untrue.
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