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August 31st, 2013 
Tony Abbott in Townsville for today’s campaign with local liberal member Ewen Jones. Picture: Gary Ramage
Source: News Limited
BURQAS are confronting and should never be widespread on the streets of Australia, Tony Abbott says.
The Opposition Leader was responding to comments reportedly made by McMahon Liberal candidate Ray King that burqas are a “sign of oppression” and can be linked to criminality.
Mr Abbott described Mr Ray as a decorated police officer and “outstanding” candidate.
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He said he understood Mr King’s comments to be more about identifying people in policing situations, given their attire.
“I’ve been asked about the burqa on lots of occasions and whenever I’ve been asked about the burqa I’ve said that I find it a very confronting form of attire,” he said.
“Frankly it’s not the sort of attire that I’d like to see widespread in our streets.
“But this is a free country.
“Everyone’s entitled to make their choice and if people want to wear a burqa, it’s ultimately their business.”
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Earlier, Mr Abbott said he expects Labor to ramp up a “smear campaign” against the Coalition in the next week.
And it comes as a Newspoll published today in The Weekend Australian predicts a wipe-out for Labor.
Tony Abbott has taken his campaign to Townsville today with local member Ewen Jones. Picture: Gary Ramage
Source: News Limited
But Mr Abbott, who momentarily forgot he was in the north Queensland city of Townsville this morning and referred instead to Darwin at a press conference, is still predicting a close result on September 7.
He said polls would tighten sharply in the final week as politics got ugly.
“Mr Rudd is a very clever politician and the Labor Party are ruthless politicians … and we’re going to see plenty of low politics in the last week,” Mr Abbott said this morning.
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Mr Ray – former Liverpool police commander – is standing against Treasurer Chris Bowen who has called for him to answer questions, including explaining his links with disgraced detective Roger Rogerson, who reportedly attended the launch.
Mr Abbott said Mr King was an “outstanding” candidate.
“We’ve already seen a nasty smear campaign against all sorts of our members and candidates including that outstanding policeman Ray King in Sydney,” he said.
“It’s just contemptible the way the Treasurer of this country, who is constantly demanding honesty and integrity when it comes to budget figures, is making unsubstantiated smears against a great servant of the people of NSW.”
The latest Newspoll shows swings are expected against the Labor Government in its strongholds of western Sydney, coastal NSW and Melbourne.
The Rudd government looks set for defeat on September 7, with the marginal Victorian seats of La Trobe, Deakin and Corangamite expected to be claimed by the Coalition with a two-party preferred vote of 53 per cent to Labor’s 47 per cent.
The Newspoll shows the same voting percentages in the coastal NSW seats of Dobell, Robertson, Kingsford Smith, Page and Eden-Monaro.
A six per cent swing to the Coalition would leave Labor represented mostly only around Wollongong and Newcastle in coastal NSW.
The Coalition only needs to pick up six seats for a clear majority in Parliament, but the Newspoll suggests it could gain 20 seats just in NSW and Victoria.
Mr Rudd will tomorrow begin the final week of the election campaign with his official launch in Brisbane, where he will promise to build new industries to create jobs and claim the Opposition has a secret plan to cut jobs, education and health.
He begins his campaign in Darwin today.
Tony Abbott says he finds women in burqas on Australian streets confronting. Picture: AFP
Source: News Limited
Yesterday, Mr Rudd had a difficult day in Perth, where the visibly sweating Prime Minister struggled through a campaign event.
A young girl fainted as she stood with a group of supporters lined up behind Mr Rudd at a union office for a press conference and required first aid treatment.
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The lights went out when a staff member leaned on a light switch as Mr Rudd continued to insist there was a $10 billion hole in the Opposition’s costings, despite Treasury, the Department of Finance and the Parliamentary Budget Office undermining his attack by saying they had not costed those policies as Labor suggested.
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Mr Rudd demanded the Opposition release its documents to settle the row.
Mr Abbott said the top public servants had delivered the government a “slap in the face” but is not releasing his full costings until late next week.
– with AAP
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