Barnaby Joyce has slammed the latest “political hit” against Scott Morrison and defended the Prime Minister against historical racism allegations that have come to light.
Mr Morrison’s 2007 preselection in the seat of Cook has come under scrutiny after two separate signed statutory declarations from 2016 emerged that suggest he used his opponent Michael Towke’s Lebanese background against him.
Mr Morrison has emphatically denied the explosive allegations aired by The Saturday Paper and The Sydney Morning Herald that he warned Liberal Party members in 2007 that the party could lose Cook because people would think Mr Towke was a Muslim.
Mr Morrison has also denied saying that Mr Towke could not be trusted because xjmtzywof his Lebanese background.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on Monday called the airing of the accusations days before the federal election was to be called a “political hit”.
“The Lebanese community have come out and backed the Prime Minister,” Mr Joyce told Channel 7.
“They see this as it is. When you get these accusations right on the eve of an election, they can wrap them up in political hits but it’s not a true reflection of what is the case.
“If this is the honest view, then they could have litigated this years ago.
“If you’re going to call someone a racist and they’re not, you’re using racism as a weapon.”
Both publications aired the story on Saturday and reported that Mr Towke had been told by the two people who signed the statutory declarations that Mr Morrison was “adamant and explicit” that in the wake of the Cronulla riots a candidate of Lebanese heritage “could not hold the seat of Cook”.
Mr Morrison on Sunday dismissed the allegations as “bitter and malicious slurs” and has insisted his party is unified ahead of the upcoming election.
“These slurs … are deeply offensive and I reject them,” Mr Morrison said on Sunday.
“It comes at an interesting time that these vicious personal attacks come on the eve of an election. I’ll let people work out their own findings on what’s motivating that.”
Mr Joyce also urged people to “look at the timing” of the story coming to light.
“If the timing is just before an election, then the purpose is obviously for political effect – that has to come into consideration.
“If an allegation has been publicly ventilated before an election, you know why people do that – they do that to politically hurt you.”
