{"id":125242,"date":"2015-10-28T22:49:28","date_gmt":"2015-10-28T12:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=125242"},"modified":"2020-11-09T20:43:40","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T10:43:40","slug":"odowd-rejects-fake-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/10\/28\/odowd-rejects-fake-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"O’Dowd Rejects ‘Fake Debate’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ken
Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd<\/figcaption><\/figure> October 28, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd has refused to take part in what he calls “a fake debate” over the China Australia Free Trade Agreement.<\/p>\n

Mr O’Dowd said unions campaigning against the FTA should “listen to their friends in the Labor Party”.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis campaign being waged by the ACTU against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is counter-productive to creating opportunities for Australian businesses and workers,\u201d Mr O\u2019Dowd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are now taking the childish and deceptive tactic of staging mock debates across the country, including in our region, falsely advertising that local MPs will appear opposite a union representative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr O\u2019Dowd said the ACTU was involved in a national campaign advertising “debates” between union representatives and local MPs on social media, distributing flyers, and conducting automated “robocalls” criticising MPs for not attending.<\/p>\n

He said he had never agreed to a debate because the FTA now had the support of the Federal Opposition which mades the debate concept “irrelevant”.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dI never accepted an invitation to attend this fake debate because the deal now has bipartisan support in the House,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis campaign is irrelevant and I will not accept an invitation to a debate that serves no purpose\u2026I will not humour the unions!<\/p>\n

\u201cI urge the unions to stop their rot and support an agreement that has clear benefits for Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

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