AIOFP kicks off marginal seat campaign

In a communication sent to parliamentarians on Wednesday, AIOFP executive director Peter Johnston said the association would begin campaigning in the marginal seat of Casey, in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs, next week.

The seat is held by current speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith, who has been the local member since 2001, on a 4.5 per cent margin.

Mr Johnston said the association would engage with the 186 advisers living in the electorate representing between 18,000 and 36,000 clients, or around 10 per cent of Casey’s population, calling on them to vote against Mr Smith if he continued to support the government’s advice reforms.

“This is the first step in the process of demonstrating to all politicians that our industry’s 20,000 advisers and circa 4 million clients have a strong commercial and political relationship that should not be underestimated,” he said.

“We are not against the professionalisation of our industry and support the concept of FASEA. It is the unconscionable treatment of experienced advisers that has led to broken families, suicides and destroyed practice values influenced by vested interests that has happened on this government’s watch – this is what we are angry about.   

“We have been appallingly treated over the past eight years and will not hesitate to protect our position.”

The news follows the AIOFP’s announcement of its campaign, which would cover the marginal seats of Chisholm, Bass, Longman, Wentworth, Braddon, Swan, Boothby and Casey, in February.

With the Coalition holding some seats by as little as an 0.5 per cent margin, and down to a two person majority in the House of Representatives following the defection of NSW MP Craig Kelly to the cross-bench, the association hopes to galvanise support for a reduction in red tape as a key political issue in the upcoming federal election.

“We want these politicians going back to ‘head office’ assisting our cause through fear of losing their seat,” Mr Johnston said in February.

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Lifeline, 13 11 14, www.lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service, 1300 659 467, www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
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