Who says the Coalition has lost touch? Nationals leader Mark Vaile took to the streets of Tweed Heads on a skateboard today, sporting a backwards cap and shiny white runners.
After pledging $100,000 for a new skate park in the marginal Labor seat of Richmond, the 51-year-old deputy PM awkwardly jumped onto a board to impress a group of local teenagers.
According the The Age, the response was positive:
"It's pretty good that he gets out there to have a go," Mark Coombes, 19, said.
Damien Wyatt, 16, also of Tweed Heads, described Mr Vaile's technique as "all right".
"I didn't think he was going to fall off because he didn't go that fast," he said.
Mr Vaile did not fall on the fairly flat terrain but said he had "lost a lot of bark" skateboarding over the years.
Speaking in the lingo, Mr Vaile was more than happy to chat about one of his favourite pastimes.
"What we used to do is get a piece of five or seven ply, you took rollers off a pair of roller-skates, and bolt them on the bottom and hope for the best, vastly different to these (skateboards)," he told the youths.
Mr Vaile said it was important for the youth in Tweed Heads to have somewhere to "hang-out" together and skate.
Unfortunately for Vaile, it wasn't enough to influence the youngsters' votes. Mark Coombes said that he would still vote for Kevin Rudd later this month.
"I just don't like John Howard that much."
Click the video tab above to watch Vaile's rare display of skating prowess.
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