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A Labor MP in Australia’s most marginal citizens has condemned a “disgusting smear marketing campaign” from an anti-abortion group backing the Coalition which claims the opposition desires to enact an “excessive abortion agenda”.
Macquarie MP Susan Templeman says the ALP has “no proposals” to vary the regulation round entry to terminations as she faces a concerted marketing campaign from pro-life group Cherish Life for the second election in a row.
However the Queensland-based organisation – which is urging its supporters to vote for conservatives George Christensen, Amanda Stoker and Matt Canavan – has refused to again down, stating “it isn’t a smear marketing campaign, it’s merely the reality”.
“Entry to terminations is regulated at a state degree and preparations are nicely settled,” Templeman instructed Guardian Australia. “There are not any proposals to vary issues on both facet of politics.”
Cherish Life – previously referred to as Proper to Life Queensland – mentioned it was campaigning to “hold pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia MPs and events out of presidency”.
Regardless of being primarily based in Queensland, the group has distributed political flyers within the New South Wales seat of Macquarie, claiming Labor deliberate to “pay for extra abortions, even late-term abortions of wholesome infants of wholesome moms” and that Templeman was “in full assist of her get together’s excessive abortion agenda”.
In 2019, Cherish Life distributed flyers in a number of key marginal electorates, together with Macquarie, claiming “extra infants would die below a Invoice Shorten Labor authorities” and accusing Labor of an “excessive late-term abortion agenda”.
The 2022 flyers cite as proof a passage in Labor’s 2021 nationwide platform on “sexual and reproductive well being” which notes the get together desires to “develop service provision within the public system”.
Nonetheless, this part refers broadly to reproductive well being and contraception, not solely abortion. The passage notes Labor “helps the rights of people to make selections concerning their reproductive well being” together with “to proceed with their being pregnant”.
The get together’s platform states Labor “commits to increasing entry to sexual and reproductive well being care together with contraception and termination in addition to being pregnant and postnatal care” together with “different assist providers”.
Cherish Life, which has 10,000 followers on Fb, is advocating that supporters “put Labor final”.
Macquarie, across the Blue Mountains space west of Sydney, is essentially the most marginal seat in Australia, held by Labor on a margin of simply 0.2%. Templeman gained in 2019 by simply 371 votes, regardless of the anti-abortion marketing campaign focusing on areas of the citizens with comparatively excessive spiritual populations.
“That is nothing however a disgusting and factually incorrect smear marketing campaign,” she mentioned on Tuesday.
Labor sources mentioned they weren’t conscious of the flyers being distributed in every other electorates exterior Macquarie.
However Cherish Life’s govt director, Teeshan Johnson, mentioned the group stood by its claims. She hit again at Labor’s criticism and mentioned her organisation deliberate to focus on different electorates with related materials.
“It isn’t a smear marketing campaign, it’s merely the reality,” Johnson mentioned.
“The Cherish Life marketing campaign is totally factual. What’s ‘disgusting’ is Labor’s nationwide ‘free abortions as much as beginning for any purpose’ mission, aided and abetted by the various Emily’s Listers, like Susan Templeman within the Labor ranks. Individuals like Ms Templeman with excessive pro-abortion views are unfit to manipulate.”
Johnson mentioned Cherish Life was working in “quite a few electorates” beside Macquarie.
Stoker, the assistant legal professional normal and assistant minister for girls, addressed Cherish Life’s occasion March for Life in Brisbane on 29 April, saying she needed to “construct a tradition of life”.
“It baffles me that some individuals have questioned whether or not I’m an acceptable particular person to function assistant minister for girls as a result of I’m pro-life. They counsel there may be some battle between the roles,” Stoker mentioned on the time.
“However there isn’t a battle in desirous to assist girls and essentially the most weak in our neighborhood.”
Requested about Stoker’s attendance on the rally, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, mentioned in early Could, “It’s a free nation.” Guardian Australia contacted Stoker’s workplace for remark.
Cherish Life states on its web site it has “no political alignment or affiliation”. Johnson has posted pictures on Fb of herself wearing a shirt bearing the branding of Coalition MP Bert van Manen and handing out LNP how-to-vote playing cards in 2019.
On its web site, Cherish Life recommends supporters vote within the Senate for One Nation candidate and former LNP member Christensen, and Coalition senators Canavan and Stoker. Within the decrease home, Cherish Life praises Katter’s Australian get together as “the highest-ranking get together for all times, adopted by One Nation”, however singled out LNP members Luke Howarth and Terry Younger as being “sturdy and constant pro-life [politicians]”.
Canavan, who additionally attended the March for Life, instructed Guardian Australia: “I believe we’d like extra funding [for] hospitals so [we] can scale back ready occasions for essential surgical procedures not abortions.”
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