20 June, 2016 11:00
CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Not even 12 hours since its release, Malcolm Turnbull’s new campaign ad is under fire for featuring a ‘tradesman’ speaking in Queen’s English.
The new campaign, which showcases a NIDA-trained thespian pretending to be a blue-collar ‘battler’ has been gone viral today under the hashtag #FakeTradie.
Speaking to The Betoota Advocate this morning, Turnbull says he wasn’t 100% convinced the advertisement would appeal to the Australia aspirational class, and that he has since sacked the media staffers responsible for the campaign video.
“There’s a lot of different people I need to appeal to as Prime Minister. I already have the banking sector sorted, but it’s the droves of jilted middle class Australians that I really need to target,”
BELOW: Malcolm Turnbull's distressingly contrived campaign ad
“My predecessor had a much better time talking to these people, all he had to do was create a sentiment of Hanson-era xenophobia. I’ve made a point of not saying ‘boats’ as much in this election,”
“But yes, I am still struggling with this messaging as you can imagine. The people behind this video have been let go,”
Turnbull says he has searched far and wide for the right voice when it comes to appealing to non-private school educated people who work with their hands.
“I even went down to the Sydney Roosters HQ in Bondi. Unfortunately Bouris says he’s having the same problem. We’ve all forgotten how to talk to these people. They are a fascinating sub-culture,”
“After speaking with several of my National Party colleagues, I resolved to hire a handful of ex-ZOO magazine staffers. They seemed to have this market sorted out,”
“Barnaby got me hooked on the filth years ago. During that whole Depp saga, he came in with a ZOO and said ‘get a load of the norcs on this one’ as he showed me a suggestive centrefold of Amber Heard,”
The iconic lads mag, Zoo Weekly, officially announced it’s closure on the 17th September 2015 . The closure encompassed all platforms: print, website and social media assets and took effect from Monday 12 October 2015 – after the publication was criticised for increasingly insensitive content. Including a feature article on “the list of Australia’s sexiest Asylum Seekers”.
ZOO MAGAZINE was heavily criticised for this particular ANZAC special
Prior to their closure, Turnbull says his staffers had often briefed him on each weekly release, prior to dealing with middle class people.
“My media advisor quizzed me on pub ammo each time I put on my high-vis vest. But now that the magazine is no longer in circulation, I’ve had to actually hire these writers myself.
The Turnbull campaign is now expected to feature far more voyeuristic imagery and hilarious sporting accidents – but will it be enough.
Malcolm says he hopes so.
“Hopefully we can get an actual tradesmen to endorse us. I’ll have to have a chat to Lucy, I think someone’s coming over this afternoon to fix gates.”
