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PM finally walks through Penrith

From Chaser stunts to patting rats, Malcolm Turnbull's walk through Penrith was eventful when he eventually got around to it.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Source: AAP

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull finally got around to that street walk in Penrith - even if it was overshadowed by Tony Abbott.

Mr Turnbull fell victim to a Chaser stunt on Monday as he visited the marginal western Sydney seat of Lindsay, where he took a walk through Penrith Westfield followed by a life-size cardboard cut-out of his predecessor.

"I'm just helping out Malcolm - he said to bring this along," Craig Reucassel, from the satirical ABC comedy show said as he tried to dodge Mr Turnbull's security.

"He knows he looks better if he's got Tony behind him."

Mr Turnbull came under fire for cancelling a street walk through Penrith in the first week of the campaign.

The reaction was mixed when he finally got around to meeting and greeting voters, accompanied by local coalition MP Fiona Scott.

"He's a blue blood, he doesn't relate to ordinary folks who live in this area," said Noel Brooks who lives in nearby Faulconbridge.

"This seat should be blue-ribbon Labor."

His wife Rose confronted the prime minister about his government's health cuts.

She said he gave her the "brush off".

"We're a western suburb, we don't count," she said.

Another man yelled out to the prime minister as he walked past: "Is he going to give anything for the pensioners or just for the rich people?"

But other locals were thrilled to meet Mr Turnbull, like 66-year-old Anne Stacey who burst into tears when she saw him and asked for a photo.

"I've been looking everywhere for them, everyday," she said after the meeting.

"Today I caught up."

Her photo with him and Ms Scott will be going into an album, she said.

The prime minister also patted a pet rat named Splinter.

"How old is your rat?" Mr Turnbull asked owner Shane Mundt, known around town as Rat-Man.

"He's two-and-a-half. Only bad thing he does is he tries to clean my teeth while I'm sleeping," Mr Mundt said.

He told reporters Mr Turnbull gave Splinter "a little pat under the ear".

"He loves it."


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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