ELECTION COVERAGE
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- Ley: 'I want to rebuild confidence'
SOPHIE Mirabella’s phones started ringing with offers of help as soon as Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the date of the federal election yesterday.
The member for Indi said the unprecedented response was a sign of the times — an electorate angry and frustrated at an increasingly desperate Julia Gillard.
The opposition spokeswoman for innovation, industry, science and research said people in her electorate were worried about the cost of living, job security and health.
“Within minutes of the announcement our phones were inundated with offers of help from across the electorate,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“It’s an indication of the anti-government sentiment — how angry people are, how much they want change.
“There are offers of help in any campaign but it is usually more gradual.
“We have never had such an immediate response in what was only a matter of minutes.”
Mrs Mirabella said announcing a September 14 poll was an abuse of the system that would allow the Prime Minister to avoid parliamentary scrutiny for 12 weeks before polling day.
“It is going to be 12 weeks, three months, of no parliamentary scrutiny,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“But people can see beyond tricky and sneaky moves like this — this is an act of desperation by a Prime Minister under increasing pressure within and outside her party.
“Who knows whether the long lead-time plays into our hands or the government’s — it is seven months but it is an unprecedented step by a Prime Minister under siege.”
Mrs Mirabella said while her hopes were clear, she would not be putting money on the outcome of the poll.
She said the opposition leader Tony Abbott didn’t need to change tactics, despite a trend against him in recent polls.
“I hope he is Prime Minister for the nation’s sake but I’m not a punter,” she said.
“In some ways we have already been on the campaign trail for more than 12 months — offering people an alternative.
“We need to further engage people with the plan for the nation and give them hope for the future, show them that we can do better.”