By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
LA TROBE sitting MP Jason Wood, who is likely to narrowly win his seat, has dumped on the Coalition’s “stupid” federal election campaign.
Mr Wood was “quietly confident” of victory with a 1300-vote lead on ALP rival Simon Curtis and more than 14,000 postal and pre-poll votes to be counted.
“History tells us that postal votes in country seats go more our way,” he said.
Mr Wood told Star News on 6 July he thought the Coalition should have done more to counter Labor’s Medicare-privatisation “scare campaign”, and ran harder on “unions and law-and-order”.
“We ran a positive campaign on the economy, technology, innovation … A scare campaign kills a positive campaign every day.
“We need to be more focused on families and their concerns, and countering scare campaigns.”
Mr Wood said some of the government’s controversial superannuation changes needed to be changed, as did the way Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office operated in campaigns.
Mr Wood said the office was a “closed shop” that over-ruled him on a “common-sense” election commitment – to match Mr Curtis’s $1 million pledge in May for a community learning and support centre at Berwick Secondary College.
It would tackle domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide prevention and respectful relationships.
“It was a worthwhile project and sadly the PM’s office didn’t have the heart and the political brains to support it.
“I’ve never experienced that before. In years gone by, under Howard, that would have been approved straightaway.”
Mr Wood said the “bucket of money” for election commitments was controlled centrally in Mr Turnbull’s office, but government ministers should have had more of a say.
“I was dark that up at the PM’s office, it was such a closed shop. That’s something the office has to change.”
Mr Wood praised “fantastic” people in the office who backed his call for a ban on cosmetic testing on animals and funding for a Monash Freeway upgrade.
Mr Wood said there was “no leadership talk” about Mr Turnbull’s position. He said Mr Turnbull had “my full support” and he just wanted “our government to do well”.
“I’ve known him since 2004. He knows I’ll raise this stupid campaign with him and I’ll be demanding changes.
“I’ve no doubt, knowing him, that when we get back things will change. Things have to change.
“I’ll be saying the same thing to all of my colleagues. It sadly needs to be made public otherwise nothing will change.”
Nevertheless, the south-east was set to benefit long-term from the government’s positive election pledges such as tourism, the O’Shea’s Road extension and technology and business hub, Mr Wood said.
“My role has been always to stick up and fight for my local community.”
