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Federal election 2022: Scott Morrison starts Perth blitz campaigning with Spud King Tony Galati

Peter Law and Kimberley CainesPerthNow
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VideoElection countdown with 7NEWS Political Editor Mark Riley.

Scott Morrison has begun the final day of the election race in Perth by campaigning alongside WA royalty — the Spud King.

The Prime Minister rubbed shoulders with Tony Galati at the George Burnett Leisure Centre in Karawara in the marginal seat of Swan.

The Spudshed boss gave Mr Morrison a ringing endorsement when he spoke to The West Australian on the hustings on Friday morning.

“With what we’ve gone through in the last four years with COVID, I think he’s done a pretty good job,” Mr Galati, who was wearing his trademark shorts and a singlet outfit, said.

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“I think it’s been good for Australia. Our employment has been the lowest ever, interest rates have been good. OK they are coming up a little bit now, but it’s still a good place to be.”

Mr Galati said while cost of living pressures were making life “a little bit hard at the moment”, he believed the Coalition Government had done an “excellent job”.

Asked what he thought of the PM, the Perthonality said he thought Mr Morrison was “a pretty good guy” and “a true Australian”.

As for his opinion of Labor leader Anthony Albanese? “No comment,” was the reply.

“I’m here to support the Morrison Government ... and if they go for (Albanese), it’s the unknown. We don’t know,” he added.

“At least we should be comfortable with what we’ve been experiencing in the last 10 years and Australia’s a good place to stick with what you know.”

Mr Galati, who said he had not donated to the Liberal Party at this election, lives in a $6.2 million mansion in Mosman Park, located in the Liberal-held seat of Curtin that is being challenged by teal independent Kate Chaney.

Mr Galati said he didn’t know much about Ms Chaney, who according to a poll for The West Australian this week has edged ahead of Liberal candidate Celia Hammond in a tight contest.

Mr Galati said he thought the Prime Minister had done a “pretty good job” over the last four years.
Camera IconMr Galati said he thought the Prime Minister had done a “pretty good job” over the last four years. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian

Swan is the Liberal-held seat considered most likely to fall to Labor, whose candidate is engineer Zaneta Mascarenhas.

While in the seat of Swan, the first stop on Mr Morrison’s trip to WA on the eve of the election, he made a $2.4 million commitment to upgrade the George Burnett Park.

“There’s been a lot of talk in this election campaign and over the last few years about whether these sorts of things are important,” Mr Morrison said.

“I think it is important that local members of parliament work with their communities, and that community comes to them and say this needs to get done to ensure that the amenity of local communities is preserved.

“Now the best people to make those decisions are your local representatives that you’ve supported - not people sitting over in Canberra that have probably never been here.”

During the remarks, Mr Morrison also mispronounced the Swan Liberal candidate’s name, before correcting himself. He called Kristy McSweeney “Kirsty” on one occasion.

“She’s done an absolutely wonderful job, Kirsty,” he said. “There’s a very long list of what Kristy has been able to achieve I can tell you.”

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