Parties target voters in Tony Burke's Lakemba seat

With two weeks to go to the federal election, politicians and candidates took their pitch to a large communities festival at Lakemba in Sydney today. But in Labor heartland some residents are still undecided about how they will vote.

Voters in the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba. (SBS)

Voters in the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba. (SBS)

With two weeks to go to the federal election - politicians and candidates took their pitch to a large communities festival at Lakemba in Sydney today.

But in Labor heartland some residents are still undecided about how they will vote.

The annual Haldon Street Festival, in the heart of Lakemba, in Sydney's inner west - drew tens of thousands of people.

This year politics loomed large, in the heart of the federal labor electorate of Watson, which is Immigration Minister Tony Burke's seat.

"We don't see multiculturalism as something on the side. This is my Australia. This is the lens that I see through which I see the entire nation - always have, and I think we need  to acknowledge that multiculturalism isn't some side issue we talk about every now and then - it's what modern Australia is, and we're better for it."

Tony Burke is challenged by the Liberals' Ron D'Delezio, the father of Sophie Delezio, horribly injured in two car accidents over the last decade.  

"I've been through a lot harder times with my daughter and if I can get through that I can get through this. Every time on the streets at the railway stations every morning, I'm in shopping centres every day. I'm having meetings, I'm going to functions people say they want a change and it's really hurting them because they've always voted Labor. I used to vote Labor too.
 
The two men thrashed out election issues with the Greens' candidate Barbara Bloch at a special SBS radio 'Election Exchange' forum translated into Arabic.

This is one of Labor's safest seats, Tony Burke holds it with a margain of about 9 percent.

The biggest issue, according to the Greens - is asylum seekers - they say everyone wants to talk about it.

"If there's a sense that there is hope of people being able to come and resettle in a country like Australia, but not only Australia, then people will not be so inclined to get onto those leaky boats," Barbara Bloch says.


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Source: SBS


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Parties target voters in Tony Burke's Lakemba seat | SBS News