MP caught in numbers game

By Michael Newhouse
DERRIMUT MP Telmo Languiller’s re-election campaign was delivered an embarrassing blow last week after his office was forced to apologise for sending out incorrect emergency information to residents as part of a pre-election information drive.
Last week Mr Languiller said he was sorry for “any inconvenience” caused after his electorate office distributed campaign fridge magnets that included incorrect emergency service numbers for Sunshine Police, Lifeline and Poison Information.
“Due to a printing error, three phone numbers on my fridge magnet delivered to Derrimut residents recently were incorrect,” Mr Languiller wrote in a pamphlet delivered to residents last week.
The magnets, which were dropped in letterboxes around the electorate earlier this month, formed part of Mr Languiller re-election campaign, and are a common way for candidates and MPs to promote themselves around their electorate.
But residents were outraged at what they said was a half-hearted response from the MP, and called for all the offending magnets to be recalled at once, saying they pose a real risk to anyone who may need to use any of the three emergency numbers.
“The fact that they just put out a pamphlet and just left it at that is an absolute disgrace,” said Darlene Reilly, president of the Sunshine Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association (SunRAA).
Mr Languiller said he would do what is necessary to make sure the community was kept safe, saying his office was planning to put out another statement sometime in the next week or two, and that he would consider asking residents to hand back any of the incorrect magnets.
“If there are any good suggestions that are reasonable I will welcome them,” he said.
“It’s a mistake and I think it’s important.”
Brimbank City councillor Costas Socratous, who works in Mr Languiller’s Sunshine West electoral office, said he was not involved in producing the magnets.
“It is a concern … but I don’t want to comment about this,” Mr Socratous said.
Liberal candidate for Derrimut Charles Tran said an apology was not good enough.
“It’s their duty of care, and they’ve breached that duty of care,” he said.
Staff members at Mr Languiller’s office would not comment about how the mistake happened, or on how many magnets were sent out.
The correct emergency services numbers are: Sunshine Police 9313 3333, Lifeline 13 11 14, Poisons Information Centre 13 11 26.

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