Gillard should apologise to the North Shore

‘Julia Gillard should apologise to the people of Sydney’s North Shore’, Member for Bradfield Paul Fletcher said today.

Attacking the Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott today, Ms Gillard said, ‘Mr Abbott’s got to get off Sydney’s North Shore and go and talk to some real families and get himself in the real world’.

‘The suggestion that the North Shore is not in the real world and not populated by real families is offensive’, Mr Fletcher said.

‘The communities of Sydney’s North Shore – including my constituents in Bradfield – are as diverse and multifaceted as those anywhere else in Australia’.

‘The stereotype of the North Shore as some kind of Anglo-Celtic Island of privilege is decades out of date’.

 ‘Just a few days ago I attended the ANZAC Day service at a local public school where over 80 percent of students are from a non English speaking background’.

 ‘The community I represent is as diverse as wider Australia’.

 ‘Australians are entitled to have a Prime Minister for the entire nation. When the present Prime Minister casually writes off an entire community – as she has done today with Sydney’s North Shore – we obviously do not have such a Prime Minister’.