twt131217book

16 THE WEEKLY TIMES Wednesday 13 December, 2017
Battle For Bennelong
By-Election Saturday December 16,2017
Labor candidate Kristina Keneally protests against the Federal Government’s TAFE funding during
a visit to Meadowbank this week. She is pictured with TAFE organiser Rob Long and Senator
Doug Cameron. TWT on-the-spot PHOTO.
Labor candidate for Bennelong Kristina Keneally alleged
that privately insured patients are jumping the
queue for treatment. TWT on-the-spot PHOTO
Keneally claims healthcare rort
PRIVATE healthcare
patients in Bennelong
are jumping the queue
ahead of Medicare
patients, Bennelong’s
Labor candidate Kristina
Keneally said last
week.
Ms Keneally said more
than 4,000 people in Bennelong
are suffering long
waits in a system that favours
those who can afford
to pay privately.
The Labor candidate
based her comments on
the latest Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare’s
“Private Health Insurance
Use in Australian
Hospitals” which revealed
that public patients wait on
average four times longer
than people using private
health insurance to have
elective surgery.
“Today we find out that
people who can afford private
health insurance are
skipping the queue and
public patients are forced
to wait up to four times
longer for surgery,” Ms Keneally
alleged.
“Here in Bennelong there
are 4,000 people waiting in
pain for important elective
surgeries.”
Ms Keneally promoted
Labor’s policy of equal opportunity
for all patients,
regardless of their insurance.
Keneally says “China-phobia”
may backfire on PM Turnbull
Labor’s star candidate in the Bennelong by-election,
Kristina Keneally, says the electorate’s Asian communities
are alarmed at anti-China rhetoric led by Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“Malcolm Turnbull is
harming his candidate
here in Bennelong. The
Liberals are harming their
own candidate and their
own chances as they
continue to spread this
China-phobia,” she said.
Triggered by the controversy
surrounding Labor
Senator Sam Dastyari’s
links with Chinese
businessmen, Mr Turnbull
ramped up criticism
of Beijing’s interference
in domestic politics on
the weekend.
It follows the federal
government’s announcement
of wide-ranging reforms
to espionage and
foreign interference legislation,
with Attorney-
General George Brandis
describing meddling as
an “extremely serious
problem”.
“Modern China was
founded in 1949 with
these words -- ‘the Chinese
people have stood
up’,” Turnbull told reporters,”
attempting to speak
in both English and Mandarin.
“It was an assertion of
sovereignty, it was an
assertion of pride. And
we stand up, and so we
said, ‘the Australian people
stand up’.
The PM’s latest comments.
made during a
visit to Top Ryde shopping
centre while campaigning
with Liberal
candidate for Bennelong,
John Alexander, had unsettled
locals from the
Chinese and Korean
communities, Ms Keneally
said.
“They are really alarmed
by the prime minister’s
rhetoric. They see it as
China-phobia,” she said.
”They see it as scaremongering.
They see
the suggestion from
the prime minister that
people from Chinese or
Asian backgrounds are
somehow suspicious
and they don’t like it.”
Foreign Minister Julie
Bishop would not be
drawn on the impact of
perceived anti-China
commentary from the
government.
“By-elections are always
difficult, particularly
for an incumbent
government, but there
will be a range of issues
that affect the outcome
in Bennelong,” Ms Bishop
said.
“John Alexander is a
very popular local member,
he is working very
hard, and he is a very
strong advocate for the
people of Bennelong.
“I’m hoping that we’ll
get a very strong result
in Bennelong, but of
course there are a whole
range of issues that affect
by-elections.”
Labor frontbencher
Matt Thistlethwaite said
he was hopeful that Ms
Keneally could win Bennelong
and had visited
the electorate twice to
campaign with Ms Keneally.
“Her energy, her enthusiasm
for that particular
seat I think is
overwhelming and I
think she’s going to do a
great job, and I’m hopeful
that she’ll get over
the line.
Mr Thistlethwaite
claimed Mr Alexander
“didn’t look like his
heart was in it”.
“He looked like he was
simply going through
the motions,” he said.
“We were on the prepoll
one day. He lasted
about 20 minutes and
he took off. From the
time he was there, you
can tell on a person’s
face, John Alexander
didn’t look like his heart
was in it, and I think that
that’s starting to come
through.”
On Tuesday, Mr Dastyari
announced his
resignation, saying he
would not be returning
to the Senate in 2018.
COMPARE THE PAIR
HIGHER ELECTRICITY PRICES
DODGY NBN
OVERDEVELOPMENT
MEDICARE CUTS
SCHOOL CUTS
LIVES IN BONDI
OR
LOWER ELECTRICITY BILLS
FASTER NBN
STOP OVERDEVELOPMENT
PROTECT MEDICARE
FUND SCHOOLS
LIVES LOCALLY
TURNBULL CHAOS
FIGHTING FOR YOU
Authorised by Kaila Murnain, Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch), 9/377 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000