Coalition dismiss ALP ads attacking Malcolm Turnbull over his corporate past
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ALP attack ads slamming the Prime Minister over his corporate past have been branded as "attacking the man" by the Coalition.
"Who gives a rat's how much Malcolm Turnbull is worth?" LNP backbencher Scott Buchholz told AM.
The ads are a new strategy from Labor, which is trying to link Mr Turnbull's corporate past with his government's plans to cut the company tax rate for businesses with more than $50 million in turnover.
"This is not about one single individual and if the Labor Party want to make it about that, that just goes to show what their economic reform looks like," Mr Buchholz said.
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".
Labor also released analysis of Mr Turnbull's financial interests register showing he indirectly owns shares in 32 companies worth over $50 million.
"Who exactly is he looking after?" the ads asks.
"It's just another situation where Labor are attacking the man and not the policy," Mr Buchholz said.
But Shadow Employment Minister Brendan O'Connor said the ads are fair game.
"You can take Malcolm Turnbull out of the bank but you can't take the banker out of Malcolm Turnbull," he told the ABC.
"As the biggest shareholder in the parliament he will stand to make a very significant sum of money as a result of these proposals and that should be clear when the Prime Minister is advocating for such reforms."
And he says the coalition cannot cry foul over the personal nature of the ads.
"The Prime Minister all last week was giving character references to the federal opposition.
"Well the Prime Minister does not get to attack others without people fully understanding the implications of his corporate tax plan."
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, tax, turnbull-malcolm, federal-parliament, federal-government, australia
