Labor vows not to employ Libs 'arrogant' phone spam - News - Communications

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Labor vows not to employ Libs 'arrogant' phone spam

By AAP
October 05, 2004
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Labor-vows-not-to-employ-Libs-arrogant-phone-spam/0,130061791,139161689,00.htm

The New South Wales Australian Labor Party says Prime Minister John Howard's use of pre-recorded phone messages is arrogant and insensitive and has pledged not to adopt the same approach.

ALP NSW general secretary Mark Arbib said the US-style campaign tactic, where voters were called with a recorded message from Howard, was disrespectful.

"It is arrogant and insensitive to use computers to make thousands of calls delivering recorded messages," he said.

"Voters who are upset by this use of American-style political campaigning techniques will have the opportunity on Saturday to leave their own message at polling booths for John Howard."

Arbib linked the strategy to contentious spam e-mail campaigns that Howard and other Liberal members have been sending voters via a company run by the prime minister's son Tim Howard.

"This does nothing to improve public confidence in politicians and the electoral process," Arbib said.

"Labor's approach is not to spam voters or to use recorded messages to try and get their votes. People deserve a greater level of respect than that.

"Our approach in campaigns is to make sure people have the opportunity to have their say as well as get details of what Labor's policies are."

A Liberal campaign spokesman today said Howard's son was not involved in the phone message campaign.

"There is no involvement of Tim Howard on this one," he said.

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