Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As Senator McGauran says, ‘Unlike Catherine King,’ who took it upon herself to viciously attack another candidate. She stands condemned for that. It is interesting to look at the pages of the Ballarat Courier and see where, all of a sudden, having realised that she is facing a massive backlash, her office are frantically sending letters to the editor and anyone who has even thought about voting for the ALP in the last 15 years. Letters have been shoved in to try to defend the indefensible.

If Mr Rudd did intervene—which I think is highly unlikely—he should also have had the intestinal fortitude to drag her screaming and make her apologise for her behaviour in relation to the advertisement. I think we all get involved in the rough and tumble of politics. If you play it hard, you expect to get it back just as hard. But, when you start attacking someone personally with information that does not stand up, I think it is a very low point.

Finally, I will swing to the federal seat of Bendigo. Again, in Bendigo we have standing for the Liberal Party a person with small business credentials. Again, we have someone who can adequately and properly represent the people of Bendigo—as Samantha McIntosh can represent the people of Ballarat, as Stewart McArthur represents the people in the electorate of Corangamite and as Angelo Kakouros will represent the people of Corio. There is a clear choice. It is either a collection of union and other hacks or people with a small business background who will represent appropriately and properly the people of those electorates.