Andrew Hastie is the Liberal candidate for Canning.
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Ms Plibersek said Mr Hastie still had to defend Mr Abbott’s cuts to health, education and pensions and the doubling of the deficit. “If that means I care about the people and their issues, and not gossip from Canberra, than I will wear that as a badge of honour”, Mr Hastie said.
“You’ve got in Andrew Hastie a candidate who’s saying what happens in Canberra doesn’t matter to the people of Canning”.
“They built an Abbott-proof fence, as people have been saying around the electorate of Canning”.
Labor has sought to make out the Prime Minister is deliberately staying away from Canning because he is unpopular. “My opponent across the road has a sign up that says Born in Canning”, he said.
“We’re certainly expecting Labor to throw the kitchen sink at this seat in the last few weeks…because Labor want this seat”, he said.
Another cabinet minister told Sky News that Labor appeared to be “running dead” in Canning because they believe a bad result for the Liberals would see Prime Minister Tony Abbott rolled by his colleagues.
“I will be a thorn in the flesh to federal ministers and the state government when I represent the people of Canning”, the 32-year-old former SAS captain told reporters.
The Liberals hold the seat by 11.8 per cent. The byelection was caused by the death of popular member Don Randall, but several polls in the past fortnight show the Liberals clinging on with a 51 per cent to 49 per cent lead.
Mr Shorten dismissed this theory, as did Mr Abbott.
He added that he expected “an absolute blitz” from the Labor party and its candidate Matt Keogh as the campaign continued ahead of polling day on September 19.
“We’ll give it a red hot go”.
Senator Di Natale was campaigning in the electorate today with the party’s candidate, renewable energy advocate and lecturer Vanessa Rauland, who lives in Fremantle.
“I’m very busy on the ground – I don’t have time to take counsel from the east coast Twitterati”, Mr Hastie interjected.
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The prime minister launched Mr Hastie’s campaign 10 days ago before spending a week in indigenous communities in the Torres Strait and Cape York.
