Shorten tries to steal Turnbull's moment

Labor leader Bill Shorten still had some magic tricks left for his second election campaign launch, with his campaign bus undergoing a makeover.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten at town hall meeting as part of the 2016 election campaign in The Queensland town of Caboolture, Saturday, June 25, 2016. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten at town hall meeting as part of the 2016 election campaign in The Queensland town of Caboolture, Saturday, June 25, 2016. Source: AAP

It was a case of the magic Medicare bus at Labor's second election campaign launch.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten rallied 300 of the assembled party faithful at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Sunday, in an attempt to steal some of the spotlight from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's official Liberal campaign launch in Sydney.

Mr Shorten stood on a podium in front of his campaign bus that has criss-crossed the nation with a picture of his face on the sides.

The bus was initially covered in a giant white sheet which had Labor's campaign themes - jobs, education and Medicare - projected onto it.

After welcoming another Bill - former Labor leader Bill Hayden, one of the architects of Medicare - Mr Shorten said there was one message to "drive home" as the election campaign's eight week marathon became a six day sprint.

"Bill Shorten and Labor will save Medicare," read the new message on the bus as the sheet was swept away.

He referred to parents coping with a sick child.

"In that moment you would give up everything, you would sell the shirt off your back and the roof over your head, but because of Medicare, you don't have to," Mr Shorten said, because Australians could get the medical care they need, when they need it.

The federal government was pretending its Medicare privatisation committee was a social club, Mr Shorten said.

He declared it would be the last Sunday of a Liberal government nationally.

Mr Shorten sharpened his attack on Mr Turnbull's leadership and disunity within government ranks, claiming he was being held prisoner within his party.

"Those Liberals in that party are sharpening their weapons of revenge for the impending civil war," Mr Shorten said.

Mr Shorten will travel to Gladstone to campaign in the Liberal seat of Flynn on Sunday afternoon before heading to Melbourne.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world