|
May 2, 2025
Friday 2 May 2025
Lachlan Leeming
The Courier Mail
The Coalition has launched a pre-election day salvo at the teals, accusing them of "dubious political tactics" throughout the five-week campaign.
Liberal Senator and Coalition campaign spokesman James Paterson fired the volley after numerous missteps and controversies chased up by candidates backed by the Climate 200 funding juggernaut.
This includes Kooyong MP Monique Ryan's husband having to apologise after tearing down Liberal signage, Bradfield candidate Nicolette Boele's volunteers illegally strapping corflutes to power poles, and multiple members being backed by players who made their fortunes in fossil fuels - something opposed in parliament by the Teals.
"Voters across Australia are waking up to the teal political scam," Coalition spokesman Mr Paterson said.
"In this campaign, they've been exposed sexually harassing apprentice hairdressers, stealing opponents' signs using dodgy push polling, taking donations from oil and gas investors and abandoning their Jewish constituents during an antisemitism crisis.
"No amount of money from their rich Climate 200 backers or dubious political tactics can cover up their record of betraying their electorates."
The attack comes as Opposition leader Peter Dutton makes a last-minute assault on a number of teal seats, in a bid to reverse the losses the Liberals had inflected on them by the independent movement in 2022.
On Sunday Mr Dutton visited Mackellar, on Sydney's northern beaches, followed by Kooyong in Melbourne Wednesday.
It's been a rocky campaign for the teals backed by Simon Holmes A Court's Climate 200 funding movement.
Mr Holmes A Court himself has appealed directly to cashed up donors to keep tipping millions into the movement.
Climate 200 spokesman claimed their multimillion-dollar campaign had been built on "honesty".
Dr Ryan and Ms Boele were contacted for moment.