Labor ad blitz on Turnbull integrity

FEDERAL Labor has defended new attack ads singling out the wealth of Malcolm Turnbull as the Opposition ramps up its attack over government plans for a big business tax cut.

The ads state the Prime Minister has “millions invested in funds which hold shares in dozens of big businesses which would benefit from the tax cut”.

“He always sides with the millionaires and the multinationals over middle Australia,” an “entirely comfortable” Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers told ABC radio yesterday.

“We are entirely within our rights to point that out to people.”

Labor also released an analysis of Mr Turnbull’s financial interests register showing he indirectly owns shares in 32 companies worth more than $50 million.

“Who exactly is he looking after?” the ads ask.

Another senior Labor MP argues the Coalition can’t cry foul over the personal nature of the ads.

“As the biggest shareholder in the Parliament he will stand to make a very significant sum of money as a result of these proposals,” Brendan O’Connor said.

“You can take Malcolm Turnbull out of the bank but you can’t take the banker out of Malcolm Turnbull.” He said the Prime Minister should “stand up to scrutiny and not have such a glass jaw”.

Government senator John Williams slammed the Labor ads as “appalling”, labelling their inference as “supreme socialism”.

For his part Mr Turnbull accused Labor of turning on everything it once stood for.

“They want to attack me having a quid,” he said in Canberra.

“They want to attack me and Lucy for working hard, investing, having a go, making money, paying plenty of tax, giving back to the community.” He said old Labor leaders would be “horrified” by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s politics of envy and mean-spirited negativity.

The Government has said it wants the Senate to vote on the company tax cuts this week, but so far it does not have the numbers for them to pass.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she would not support the cuts unless the Government “really target multinationals”.

Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff said his party remained unconvinced about the corporate tax cuts.

THEY WANT TO ATTACK ME AND LUCY FOR WORKING HARD, INVESTING, HAVING A GO, MAKING MONEY, PAYING PLENTY OF TAX…

MALCOLM TURNBULL