Two big things happened this week that didn’t seem to get anywhere near the public attention they deserve. In the lead to what Tony Abbott has said will be an election about trust, his own party has been playing loose with the truth.

It started on Wednesday when the LNP began to slowly back away from their commitments on ‘stopping the boats’. Their original promise to stop the boats within weeks has now become much more vague – in fact, Scott Morrison is now refusing to put a timeframe on it. Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor goes into that in more detail here.

While that change was occurring, so did a change in the Opposition’s language – with Michael Keenan, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison all using the term ‘illegal’ in press conferences, press releases and even in a disgusting question to the Government in Parliamentary Question Time. This is dishonest, it is never illegal to seek asylum, and surely it can’t be allowed to happen in an election about trust

Essentially what we’ve seen from the LNP is their language becoming stronger while their policy commitments become weaker. 

This is outrageous behaviour from people who are putting themselves forward as an alternative Government. Demonising and defaming an innocent minority as ‘illegals’ achieves nothing for this wonderful country – it seeks to destroy and divide the social cohesion that Morrison incomprehensibly clings to as defense for his offensive campaign.

We can do just fine without the attitude, remember that at the ballot box.

-Anthony

P.S – Michael, Scott or Tony – if you can explain any of this, email me, I’m more than happy to publish a response.

(Hit the Tweet button to send a message to the Abbott, Morrison and Keenan.)