SUBJECT: Electorate of Bowman being treated with contempt by the LNP.

DONISHA DUFF, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR BOWMAN: I'm here today as the Labor candidate for Bowman, recognising that the LNP has selected their candidate, Henry Pike. I'm standing up because he seems to be the same make and model as the last incumbent that ran for the LNP. And I think we're sick of having representation that are abusers and harass women. As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, and in the week of NAIDOC Week, I'm standing up and representing the people of Bowman, my community, to actually say we have had enough. It is time that the LNP were voted out. And I'm putting my hand up as Labor candidate for Bowman to step up and be voted in. I'll hand over to Albo now.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks very much. I'm very proud that Donisha Duff is the Labor candidate for Bowman. She represents a complete contrast with what the voters of Bowman have had to put up with for some time. We know that the local MP, Andrew Laming, has harassed his own constituents online, and indeed, around the community. Taking photos on an unauthorised basis, he has harassed the state MP, Kim Richards, and made inappropriate comments on Facebook. Scott Morrison continues to defend Andrew Laming and continues to say that he should be kept as a chair of a parliamentary committee, as well as continuing to sit in the LNP Party room. Now, Scott Morrison said that he wanted a woman to replace Andrew Laming as the LNP candidate in Bowman. What we have is Henry Pike. Someone who has also drawn a great deal of opposition on the basis of his attitude to women that was exposed during the preselection campaign. There were five candidates in this preselection. Five women and one bloke. And of course, the LNP chose Henry Pike. And as a result, LNP members are walking away from the Liberal National Party. LNP President, Secretary and other officeholders of the Liberal National Party in Bowman have resigned as a result of this preselection outcome. Well, there is a way in which it can be stopped. A way in which Bowman can have a representative in which they can be proud. And that's by voting for Donisha Duff at the next election. And we will continue to campaign each and every day to say that the people of Bowman deserve better. They deserve better than the contempt in which they've been treated by the Liberal National Party.

JOURNALIST: There were five candidates for the preselection, one male. Are you surprised that they picked Henry Pike considering the revelations about him that had come out a few days prior?

ALBANESE: Well, it's an extraordinary decision. But it shows that the local Liberal National Party are not representative. This is a party that has been stacked by extreme elements who control this preselection, which is why the Liberal National Party officeholders themselves have walked away from their own party, have walked away from Scott Morrison. And Scott Morrison has just stood back and allowed this to happen. 

JOURNALIST: We know that the margin in Bowman at the last election was 10 per cent. The LNP members that you've mentioned that have resigned say they don't think there is a path to victory in that seat. Does that fill you with confidence?

ALBANESE: Well, it does. You have the LNP local President, local Secretary, local officeholders, saying they can't see a path to victory for the Liberal National Party in Bowman. Now, if the Liberal National Party's own branch leaders are saying that, then that sends a message to the electorate of Bowman, which is, 'Vote Labor, vote for Donisha Duff'. She will be a representative of whom you can be proud. She'll be genuine about representing the interests of the people of Bowman, the interests of improving their living standards, looking after their security at work, looking after their local environment, looking after the local community. It's very clear that this self-indulgent Liberal National Party is acting like they don't care what the electorate thinks. The electorate, quite clearly, have given us feedback that they've had enough of the representation of Andrew Laming. And now they've been treated with contempt with Andrew Laming 2.0. That's what this candidate represents. Andrew Laming 2.0 continuing to be imposed on the people of Bowman. Thanks.

ENDS