The “fake tradie” mocked for his appearance in a Liberal party campaign commercial has been identified – and is “the real deal”, media report.
In the 30-second clip, the true-blue, fair-dinkum Aussie tradesman accuses the Labor leader, Bill Shorten, of seeking to “go to war” with him and urges undecided voters “to stick with the current mob for the while” while posing on a construction site littered with workplace safety risks.
Twitter users delighted in pointing out each safety hazard, with questions about the tradesman’s authenticity prompting #faketradie to trend on Sunday.
This is so bad it is a work of art. #FakeTradie https://t.co/h3RfEHhDVu
— Drew (@andrewwhiteau) June 19, 2016
the Courier Mail has done an incredibly detailed fact-check infographic on the #faketradie pic.twitter.com/6biDoe7eg3
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) June 20, 2016
Is that a Rolex #FakeTradie is wearing?
— Dr Misty-Eyed (@ChristineEwing7) June 19, 2016
Is the hand saw a backup for the circular saw? #faketradie pic.twitter.com/DIZCQmUhAx
— Dave Krantz (@weskrantz) June 19, 2016
#faketradie this guy is anOHS nightmare!
— Jackie (@aussiejackie) June 19, 2016
Be like fake tradie
Lose your arm when your gold bracelet gets caught in your circular saw
Those are some clean hands! #faketradie pic.twitter.com/owDI8tAlcn
— MacsinSpace (@MacsInSpace) June 19, 2016
Cup: $1.62
— Wolf Cocklin (@wolfcat) June 20, 2016
High Vis: $10.63
Rolex Watch $7000
A whole expensive ad campaign
mocked for ever:
PRICELESS#faketradie pic.twitter.com/kJljpPWfJh
At least two parody accounts, @FakeTradie and @RealFakeTradie, had been set up fewer than 24 hours after the ad first aired.
Those Libs have read the #faketradie playbook. Whatever goes wrong, just keep blaming the bloke who was on-site before you.
— Fake Tradie (@FakeTradie) June 20, 2016
Look lads. I'm just a knock around bloke who likes a beer, a punt and a diversified stock portfolio. Go easy! #FakeTradie
— Fake Tradie (@realfaketradie) June 19, 2016
But continued speculation was put to bed on Tuesday when the Daily Mail identified the man in the advertisement as Andrew MacRae, 50, “the real deal – a ute-driving metalworker and former electrical supervisor”.
Presenting his New South Wales government contractor’s licence as proof of his tradie credentials, MacRae said his friends thought the whole debacle was “hilarious”.
One friend, Domenico Coviello, confirmed to the Daily Mail that MacRae was a Liberal party supporter and not only a “real tradie” – and “an all-rounder” at that – but also “a good bloke”.
MacRae lives in a “modest red-brick house on a main road in Sydney’s Lane Cove” where the median price of a three-bedroom property is $1.475m, though his home is believed to be rented.
He refused to answer further questions and said he had signed a contract with the NSW Liberal party not to talk to the media.
Doubts about the tradesman’s authenticity spilled over to the campaign trail on Monday, with Bill Shorten stating that the problem with the ad was “exactly the same problem” as that with Malcolm Turnbull: “Australians can spot a fake when they see one.”
But a Liberal spokesman said the man was “real, unlike Mr Shorten’s claims about Medicare” – and that the party was “very pleased that people are talking about this ad”.
The social media-fuelled hunt for the tradie’s identity led to another Andrew MacRae, a voiceover artist, who denied involvement in the advertisement on Twitter on Monday.
Dear all,
— Andrew MacRae (@MedinaVoice) June 20, 2016
It's not me. I'm not in the ad. I didn't voice the ad. I had nothing to do with the ad.#faketradie
He later repeated the clarification on The Project.
Big thanks to @theprojecttv for helping to clear up I'm not the #faketradie. Still got mates asking me to build their back decks though.
— Andrew MacRae (@MedinaVoice) June 21, 2016
The Sydney-based popular culture website Junkee presented the clip to tradesman, all of whom expressed scepticism, aroused in particular by the man’s mug of coffee.
“It’s hard to get a coffee cup like that on a site,” said one.
“He’s not a tradie,” said another. “What’s he doing drinking coffee on the job?”
We asked some real tradies what they think of #FakeTradie. They were not complimentary.https://t.co/MKZlzOWH4G
— Junkee (@junkeedotcom) June 20, 2016
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union took a similar approach with its clip for social media.
