Anthony Albanese has responded to right-wing advocacy group Advance as they attack the Prime Minister with ferocious attack ads.
Advance, which led the No campaign against Indigenous Voice to Parliament, is set to deal a further blow to Mr Albanese in the by-election for the Melbourne seat of Dunkley.
On Thursday, the lobby group took out a visually striking full-page advertisement in Melbourne tabloid the Herald Sun, featuring an image of a grumpy-looking Mr Albanese and directly accusing him of letting “rapists, pedophiles and murderers loose.” “.
“Albo, you opened the doors of the immigration detention center and freed 149 criminals,” the ad reads in striking red, black and white.
The full-page newspaper ad published by right-wing advocacy group Advance to influence voters in the Dunkley by-election.
“You paid lawyers to advocate for his release.”
The announcement refers to a High Court ruling in November that found the Australian government’s indefinite detention of refugees was unlawful because it gave politicians powers reserved for the courts.
As a result, 149 asylum seekers detained indefinitely, deemed too dangerous to be on the streets and with no other country to be deported to, have been released.
“Tell us, Prime Minister, how many are there in Dunkley?” We demand that you inform us before March 2,’ the announcement concludes, referring to the date of the by-elections,’ the announcement continues.
About 24 of the released detainees have been charged with new crimes since they were released.
Asked about Advance’s announcement on Melbourne radio station 3AW on Thursday, Albanese accused Advance Australia of fear-mongering and spreading misinformation.
“I think people will take a look at that ad, which is designed to scare and frighten people, and see it for what it is,” Albanese told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
‘Our top priority is keeping Australians safe. Australians know that this is a decision of the High Court of Australia and that governments must obey the law.
“It’s unfortunate because I don’t want Australia to go the American way, where there is so much polarization.
“We can have disagreements on certain issues, but we should always try to be respectful, try to talk about the facts, rather than just running a fear campaign.”
Advance defended the ad.
“It is both pathetic and frustrating that any kind of scrutiny of Anthony Albanese’s decisions is met with accusations of ‘misinformation’,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.
‘Your Labor government authorized and paid for lawyers to defend the release of these dangerous criminals from immigration detention. This is a fact.’
‘We know there are 40 on the loose in Victoria. This is also a fact.
“The idea that Australians aren’t allowed to ask how many live in their suburb is just ridiculous.”
The Albanese government’s Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, has given the go-ahead for the taxpayer-funded Australian Human Rights Commission to join a High Court legal case alleging that indefinite detention of immigrants It is illegal.
The documents show that on June 5, Dreyfus approved this, as long as it was clear that the Commission was acting on its own behalf, not on behalf of the government.
Advance’s ad has been condemned by asylum seeker advocates.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with fiancée Jodie Haydon) says Advance Australia’s ad aimed at him is an example of American-style polarizing politics.
This appears today in the Herald Sun, paid for by Advance Australia. “White supremacy is very much alive and well in Australia,” said Asylum Seeker Resource Center CEO Kon Karapanagiotis.
Craig Foster, a member of the Australian Multicultural Council and former footballer, accused the announcement of “plumbing new depths” that“This should not happen in a multicultural country,” he said.
Melbourne-based marketing and communications guru Adam Ferrier said political attack ads are increasing because they work.
“The human brain has what’s called a negativity bias, which means we pay more attention to negative stimuli than positive ones,” he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.
‘Donald Trump has taught us that you can say anything and as long as it gets attention, it works.
Craig Foster, a member of the Australian Multicultural Council and former footballer, accused Advance’s advert of “delving to new depths”.
Marketing and communications guru Adam Ferrier said negative political advertising is on the rise because it works.
Advance, which changed its name from Advance Australia in May, was reported to have $200,000 to spend on Dunkley of the $5.1 million in donations the group received last year.
The group used this war chest to finance the No campaign for the Indigenous Voice referendum to Parliament, which won a resounding victory in the October 14 referendum in which more than 60 percent of voters rejected the indigenous body.
Advance was formed by former Liberal staffer Gerard Benedet in 2018 as a counterweight to the left-wing group GetUp! and they have copied your eelectoral strategy of not defending a party but publishing negative advertisements against its political opponents.