Gray slams Liberals

Brand MHR Gary Gray slammed Premier Colin Barnett and the Liberal Government as ‘‘cowardly’’ and ‘‘dishonest’’ and insisted the Liberals should be taken to task for misleading advertising.

Mr Gray landed the latest blow in the tit-for-tat battle between the Labor and Liberal parties played out in Brand.

The Liberal Party has placed several prominent advertisements in recent weeks accusing Mr Gray of voting for higher prices, as a result of the carbon tax.

Mr Gray, in turn, released material this week with newspaper articles detailing price rises, which he said were brought to the electorate by Brand Liberal candidate Donna Gordin, South Metropolitan MLC Phil Edman and Mr Barnett.

He called for ‘‘more truth in political advertising’’ after Liberals suggested rises in electricity, gas and water were the result of carbon pricing.

‘‘It is cowardly and dishonest of the Liberals to disguise the fact that power and water increases have risen as a result of decisions made by the Barnett Government,’’ Mr Gray said.

‘‘Here is the truth of the increases, electricity has risen 3.5 per cent this year and 62 per cent since 2008 when the Barnett Government was elected.’’

Mr Gray said gas and water had both risen exponentially without any compensation and hit out at claims he had voted for ‘‘even higher prices’’.

‘‘What I have been voting for is a clean energy future, and for compensation packages that will benefit families,’’ he said.

‘‘The Liberal Party should concentrate on ways to better manage power and water so that its exorbitant costs, which are clearly hurting West Australian families, can be brought down.’’

Liberal Party State director Ben Morton said Mr Gray voted for the carbon tax and should not be trying to hide from the fact this had placed an additional burden on the families in his electorate.