2016-06-23
Malcolm Turnbull has revived Tony Abbott's 'stop the boats' scare campaign on the eve of the Federal Election, to the disappointment of moderate and progressive voters across the country, the Australian Greens have said.
"The Prime Minister is getting desperate and is breathing life back into Tony Abbott's favourite scare campaign," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"It's disappointing to watch Malcolm Turnbull pull the rip-cord and deploy a 'stop the boats' scare campaign on the eve of this election.
"The Ghost of Abbott's reign has been haunting Malcolm Turnbull, but now we see the new Prime Minister gleefully tearing chapters from his old foes' playbook.
"After years of an enforced media blackout under Operation Sovereign Borders, the government now can't wait to use boat arrivals for their own cynical political gain.
"Voters would be forgiven for thinking it was Groundhog Day as Abbott's tired old lines from 2013 are trotted out once again.
"Thousands of Australians who hope Mr Turnbull would be a different type of Prime Minister to Abbott will be deeply disappointed to hear him speak in such an alarmist way about this issue."
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