Downer challenges Labor to stand in Mayo

July 7, 2008, 7:39 am

Alexander Downer's Adelaide Hills-based seat of Mayo will be up for grabs when he retires July 14th.

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Retiring former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer has challenged Labor to put up a candidate in the by-election for the Adelaide Hills-based seat of Mayo he held for more than 24 years.

Mr Downer, 56, confirmed last week that he would retire from the seat on July 14.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday said Labor had not yet decided whether to run a candidate in the by-election. A date is yet to be set.

"I don't know about our opponents but the Australian Labor Party 's not made of money," Mr Rudd told ABC Television.

"Each time you run one of these elections or participate in it, that's another several hundred thousand dollars which gets spent in a campaign in a seat, which you've never held in the history of the federation.

"So you've got to work these things out, and we'll sort it out in due course."

Labor contested the recent by-election for the southeastern Victorian seat of Gippsland vacated by former Nationals minister Peter McGauran, but suffered a swing against it. And the government is starting to lose support in opinion polls.

Mr Downer said Labor should stand a candidate in Mayo.

"He's very confident that he's a very popular person and I think he should put that to the test," Mr Downer said, ABC Radio reported on Monday.

"If Mr Rudd doesn't run a candidate in Mayo, well then he's slinking away in a cowardly way and he should be prepared to face up to the judgment of the people of Australia whenever that judgment is called to be made.

"I think they're treating the people of Mayo with contempt if they're not prepared to run a candidate when they're the government of Australia."