The banks of the river in Nowra today saw a media call that may well have caused more harm than good for the current Member for Gilmore Ann Sudmalis MP. At her side today was Scott Morrison who many we spoke to in Nowra believe was "wheeled" in to show support to the member knowing that her support from the electorate was fast deteriorating. A senior Liberal voter who spoke to us indicated he was still in support of Ann and confessed that it might just be Morrison, Turnbull, Dutton and Bishop with Abbott that was bringing the party into disrepute. He admitted that he winced along with everyone else when Morrison created his UnbelievaBill Joke making fun of Bill Shorten's name. "It is infantile and cheap and does the integrity of our party no favours". The Nowra riverside press conference was a poor choice with the Nowra Bridge in the background. With the traffic noise and the additional heckling that was coming from a vocal representation of South Coast Labor Council members dressed as Bankers and Pensioners standing nearby the press call did not go to plan for Sudmalis which ended in references to the proposed replacement Nowra Bridge as being a "bridge over troubled waters" and that she maybe "in troubled waters" herself. The elephant in the room, that was eventually revealed was the fact that she may well be under contest for pre-selection from .... a male. The Turnbull Government have enjoyed having Ann Sudmalis as one of their number of female members and have been under continued criticism that they are male-centric with less than satisfactory female representation. The possible loss of Ann Sudmalis to the female candidate ranks will not serve them well. Scott Morrison said a few interesting things today outside of his standard rhetoric. In regards to the pre-selection he said “It would be a bad thing for the Government if Ann Sudmalis was replaced by any other candidate". This comment might irk pre-selection candidate, Milton real estate Agent Grant Schultz when he hears it. Ann supported herself by adding that "there's no good reason to change the jockey on the horse" ... "so why flick the jockey off". The electorate of Eden Monaro, currently with Mike Kelly, had always been the Federal bellwether however today Scott Morrison predicted “A Labor win in Gilmore means Bill Shorten is the Prime Minster of Australia, that’s what it comes down to.” With that prediction and the numbers beginning to stack up against Ann Sudmalis Scott Morrison may have announced the outcome of the next Federal election today on the banks of the Shaolhaven. Earlier in the day members of the ACTU had given a gave a costumed raucous skit dressed as The Pensioners and The Bankers outside of the Seniors meeting that called on the Government to overturn their weekend penalty rates legislation of which Ann Sudmalis had supported and raised the issue of the NewStart allowances, crippling unemployment rates and that only the banks are better off in the most recent budget announcements. From the Seniors Forum they moved their theatre to the riverside and continued to Offer their "salute and cheers" to Scott Morrison for his "$17 billion generosity to banks" from under the comfort of a nearby tree.
Above: Mick and his "banker" mates with bottles of "Trickle Down" Champas says of the drop ... "It's a bit hard to swallow actually." Photos from Build a Better Future - Gilmore - Unions Shoalhaven "We're here to make a point in a humorous way on a serious issue". Meanwhile in the Nowra Mall Labor candidate Fiona Phillips was set up with her stall beside a funky jazz band and was doing a terrific trade of walk up hellos and enquiries while opposite and adjacent stands for the Liberal Party and the Jehovah Witnesses were less well attended.
