The people of Canning are getting a lot of attention at the moment, with the byelection following the death of Liberal MP Don Randall set for September 19. This means that they are lucky enough to receive election paraphernalia while the rest of us only get catalogues and bills in the mail. A tipster received this from Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie and promptly sent it to us. The front page of Hastie’s missive features many photos of the former SAS commander, but not a single woman. In the letter (which helpfully also includes a postal vote application — we know where they are going), tells voters:

“My first priority on overseas army missions was always the welfare of my troops and their families back home. If given the honour my first priority in Canning will be to deliver on the needs of local people to help them get ahead.”

The back page of the letter does feature a few photos of women, including Hastie’s wife and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. There’s no mention of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, or that Hastie would be part of the Abbot government if elected. It’s already been reported that Abbott has so far been MIA during the campaign — although Bishop, Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull are all expected to campaign in the electorate.

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