WestConnex, asylum seekers and pressure from the Greens: Backchat interview with Labor MPs

June 7th 2016

Labor FBi

“It’s called gentrification. Put simply, the area’s changing.”

Last week, Labor frontbenchers Jason Clare, Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese visited the FBi Radio studios to announce their policy to restore government funding recently cut to digital community radio.

While they were here, they sat down with Backchat‘s Heidi Pett. She asked them a number of tough questions on Sydney’s WestConnex motorway and the threat Labor faces from The Greens in the inner-city for the July 2 election.

Have a listen below.

 

Albanese stated that his seat of Grayndler is now at threat from The Greens due to the wave of gentrification sweeping the inner-west.

“What you have is people living in houses that have previously been occupied by Greek, Italian or Portuguese families and ‘professionals’ moving in.

“These are people who don’t need ‘the state.'”

Meanwhile, deputy ALP leader Tanya Plibersek pointed towards The Greens’ ability to intensely focus their resources into a small number of seats where the demographics favour them.

“We’re the Labor Party, we campaign in 150 electorates across Australia.

“The Greens target Anthony’s seat, my seat, a couple of seats in Melbourne, and maybe one or two in Brisbane.”

Osman Faruqi, former Greens staffer and guest host of Backchat, made light of the Greens-Labor fight with a reference to News Corp’s “Save Albo” campaign.

“He responded to your question, Heidi, on the WestConnex, by saying ‘well you shouldn’t listen to what’s in the Daily Telegraph.’ 

“I’m not sure that’s where you get your information from … and it’s also the paper that declared that everyone needed to ‘Save Albanese.’

If we shouldn’t listen to them – then I think he might be putting himself in some strife.”

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Contributor

Oscar is Backchat‘s digital producer.

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