Federal election 2016: 'Fake tradie' Andrew MacRae reveals how he got the gig

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Days after he went viral as the "fake tradie" in a Liberal Party election campaign advertisement, Sydney metalworker Andrew MacRae has revealed how he got the gig.

On Tuesday night, the unwitting election star handled his newfound fame with grace, shaking hands with reporters and chatting congenially after arriving home "knackered" from work. As the sun set at his single-storey brick home at Lane Cove on Sydney's lower North Shore, he approached his home, spotted the media pack, drove past and then circled back, sitting in the driveway idling for around five minutes as he spoke on the phone.

'It's hilarious'. Real tradie Andrew MacRae arrives at his home in Lane Cove. Photo: Wolter Peeters

When he emerged from his black Holden ute, he seemed bemused. "Thanks for coming to meet the real 'fake tradie'," he said. 

Mr MacRae, who says he works as a tradesman all over Sydney, came to national attention after appearing in the recent ad. However, he says he is not a member of the Liberal party and was chosen to appear because he has done tradesman work at the advertising agency which put together the 30-second TV spot.

"Because I do property maintenance, the advertising agency is one of my clients. They said 'hey, would you like to do an ad' and I said 'why not'," Mr Macrae said, clutching his car keys.

Sydney tradesman Andrew MacRae is the Liberal Party's 'fake tradie' Photo: Supplied

"It's amazing. I can't believe how well an ad can work. 

"I've been cracking up. My friends have been cracking up. I'm finding it hilarious."

In the ad, he says he is concerned about Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's attacks on the big banks, mining companies and the ability of Australians to own an investment property.

After it went to air on Sunday, the ad attracted near-immediate derision on social media with voters describing its star as fake, pointing to his expensive watch and silver bracelet, incorrect safety gear and the presence of a ceramic coffee cup on a work site.

"Let me get this right, Mr Shorten wants to go to war with my bank? He wants to go to war with our miners?", Mr MacRae says in the ad. "Bill Shorten wants to go war with someone like me, who just wants to get ahead with an investment property. I reckon we should just see it through and stick with the current mob for a while."

Speaking outside his home Tuesday morning, Mr MacRae had shown the Daily Mail Australia his NSW government contractor licence as evidence he was a genuine tradesman. The 50-year-old said he was the owner of the company Teamwork Maintenance and was a licensed metal fabricator and former electrical supervisor.

The business is registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission at a home address in Lane Cove but does not have a website, advertising or social media profile.

Mr MacRae seemed amused by his "five minutes of fame".

"As you can see, I'm the real deal. I've just got home from work, I'm knackered, I've been working hard all day," he said.

"It's interesting, all the haters, hating a normal guy like me."

A Coalition campaign spokesman hit back at criticism of the ad on Tuesday.

"We are very pleased that people are talking about this ad, which highlights the risks of Bill Shorten's war on business," he said in a statement.

"The tradie is real, unlike Mr Shorten's claims about Medicare."

The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union dismissed the ad in a post on Twitter: "He just wants a fair-go. dinki-di, VB, cricket, Shannon Noll, BBQ crack at negatively gearing his 5th home #faketradie".

Mr Shorten had responded to the ad while campaigning in Melbourne on Tuesday before it was revealed Mr MacRae was a qualified tradesman. 

"The problem with the Liberal ad is exactly the same problem with Mr Turnbull – Australians can spot a fake when they see one," he said. 

A friend of Mr MacRae, Domenico Coviello, in confirming Mr MacRae was a tradesman and a Liberal supporter, agreed the ad looked fake.  

"He does something in the voice and they've dressed him up – he doesn't normally dress like that," he said.

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