‘Turnbull is right’: Katy Gallagher

“I think everyone who has watched Malcolm Turnbull since he became Prime Minister would have to say Labor is leading the policy debates,” Ms Gallagher said.

“We are leading in terms of education, leading in terms of housing affordability and in tax evasion we’ve been putting our policies out for the last year. These matters are important, they are important to the future of australia and that’s why we are campaigning on them.”

The Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness stopped in for a few brief questions at the forum, touching on recent NBN whistleblower raids and core issues in the lead up to the election.

She listed education, medicare, housing affordability, the economy and climate change among key constituent concerns.

“Malcolm Turnbull is right when he says it’s a very exciting time to be in an election campaign,” she said.

“Our core issues in this campaign really relate to the subject we are debating tonight,” she said.

“Labor has, in our decisions in this election campaign, wanted to put people first and we are doing that in our policies.”

She spoke in support of Labor candidate Aoife Champion’s campaign for Hume.

“I think it’s great to see a young woman put her hand up in a seat that’s not marginal but give it a shot and take it up to someone who is a minister in the Turnbull government. It’s not an easy job to do,” she said.