United Australia Party Leader Craig Kelly swept into Mount Gambier and Port Lincoln today, spruiking his policies in front of the party faithful and interested bystanders.

Key points:

  • UAP steps up election campaign in regional South Australia
  • Craig Kelly says people living in regional centres such as Mount Gambier should pay lower tax
  • Liberal MP Tony Pasin says UAP does not have the policies to bring down debt

After being egged in Melbourne earlier this month, the UAP leader’s regional visit occurred without incident.

Mr Kelly made a series of policy announcements aimed at reducing the cost of living for regional residents.

The high-profile politician said his new party gave residents an alternative to the major political parties.

He said UAP’s regional taxation plan, which would see regional residents pay a 20 per cent lower income tax rate, would stimulate regional cities such as Mount Gambier and attract population growth.

“It will really reinvigorate these towns. It will do it by putting more money in everyone’s pocket. Less government taxation, more money in your pocket. You’ll spend it more efficiently than we will as government,” Mr Kelly said.

He also believed it was “insane” people crammed into apartments given Australia’s sparsely populated land mass.

“We seem to want to cram everyone into high rise apartments in the city where they live in small little units on top of each other, like battery hens,” he said.

United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly speaks to the party faithful at Mount Gambier. (ABC South East SA: Leon Georgiou)

Mr Kelly said regional centres had a lower cost of living and greater housing affordability, ensuring young people could still achieve the great Australian dream of home ownership.

“Why wouldn’t you do so rather than be in the rat race of Sydney and Melbourne?

“It is an important change for our nation to … get away from the continued growth of Sydney and Melbourne to make sure these regional areas can be strengthened.

“And Mount Gambier is a place that would really benefit from that policy.”

Mr Kelly, who also criticised his former Liberal Party’s debt levels, said it was important to come to regional centres in Mount Gambier to promote UAP’s policies.

“Because these are the areas that are going benefit the most from those policies,” he said.

Asked who he is and why he joined the UAP, Mr Kelly described himself as a bloke who grew up in the suburbs of Sydney who believed in “freedom”.

UAP Mount Gambier push

Local UAP candidate for Barker, David Swiggs, said today’s policy announcements offered voters an alternative to the major parties heading into the election.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity to hear from perhaps a pretty reasonable third alternative for people, and hear some policies that are a bit different to the same old rhetoric that we’re getting,” he said.

“I mean, we know that Liberal and Labour have absolutely no policy to pay down debt, and we see that as a major issue.”

The Federal Liberal Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the department’s explanation didn’t “cut the mustard”.(ABC South East SA: Kate Hill )

Liberal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, hit back at the statement saying the national debt had been the result of circumstances beyond any government’s control.

“Over the next five years we will continue to grow the economy and improve the budget bottom line whilst simultaneously guaranteeing lower taxes for workers and small businesses.”