EXCLUSIVE: 'All my mates are laughing at me': We find the 'Fake Tradie' from the election ad - and he's a REAL welder who drives a Commodore ute and lives in a modest house on a main road
- The 'fake tradie' is a real tradesman in Sydney's north shore
- He said his friends thought it was 'hilarious' and were 'all laughing'
- Andrew MacRae, 50, featured in Liberal party ad wearing high-vis
- He said Bill Shorten wanted to 'go to war' with everyone
- #FakeTradie trended after the advertisement was aired on Sunday night
- Twitter and unions wrongly accused voiceover artist of being #FakeTradie
He was mocked on social media for his performance in a Liberal Party campaign commercial, with users picking over every detail - from his gold armband to his silver watch.
But Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal the 'Fake Tradie' is the real deal: a ute-driving metalworker and former electrical supervisor who lives in a modest red-brick house on a main road in Sydney's Lane Cove.
Speaking outside his home on his way to work on Tuesday morning, Andrew MacRae, 50, insisted he was a tradesperson - even showing his NSW government contractor's licence to prove the point.
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The man who featured in the Liberal party ad wearing high-vis is Andrew MacRae (right) a ute-driving metalworker and former electrical supervisor, who spoke to Daily Mail Australia's Daniel Piotrowski
Speaking outside his home on his way to work on Tuesday morning, Andrew MacRae insisted he was a tradesperson - even showing his NSW government contractor's licence to prove the point
Mr MacRae said his friends thought the whole thing was 'hilarious'.
'They're all laughing,' he said out the window of his utility vehicle, chuckling good-naturedly.
Friend Domenico Coviello said Mr MacRae was a Liberal supporter as expected: 'He's definitely betting for the Blues on the Liberal side.
'He's a real tradie - he'd be a fitter-turner [metalworker] but he's an all rounder. He's a good bloke.'
Mr Coviello agreed the advertisement did look fake.
'He does something in the voice and they've dressed him up - he doesn't normally dress like that.
'It looks very fake - it's a TV shoot you know, it's not a real site situation'.
Mr MacRae said his friends thought the whole thing was 'hilarious'. 'They're all laughing,' he said out the window of his utility vehicle, chuckling good-naturedly
Mr MacRae's friend Domenico Coviello said he had 'no idea' if the 50-year-old owned an investment property (pictured: the home he lives on Sydney's north shore)
He said he had 'no idea' whether Mr MacRae owned an investment property - as was mentioned in the advertisement - but said 'I doubt it'.
Mr MacRae has been the owner of a sole-trading company called 'Teamwork Maintenance' for 20 years and is a licensed metal fabricator.
He finished a welding course in 2012 and in the 1990s worked as a mechanical supervisor for the condiments company, Masterfoods.
In addition to working in metal by trade, Mr MacRae also has connections to the real estate industry.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Coalition campaign for further comment.
Mr MacRae's advertisement kicked off a social media frenzy on Monday, with #FakeTradie trending around the country and top union officials even falsely accusing a Sydney voiceover artist of the same name as being the man on TV.
The commercial - which is widely run during prime time - features Mr MacRae dressed in a high-vis vest and clutching a mug of tea as he says Labor leader Bill Shorten wants to go to war with various groups, including miners, the bank and even Mr MacRae himself.
'Bill Shorten even wants to go to war with me. Someone who just wants to get ahead through an investment property.
'I reckon we should just stick it through, and stick with the current mob for a while.'
Mr MacRae has owned a sole-trading company called 'Teamwork Maintenance' for about 20 years and is a licensed metal fabricator
Friend Domenico Coviello (left) said Mr MacRae (right) was a Liberal supporter as expected: 'He's definitely betting for the Blues on the Liberal side'
The Liberal party advertisement was aired on Sunday night and began trending for assumptions it featured a 'fake tradie'
Mr MacRae declined to answer further questions, saying he had signed an agreement with the New South Wales Liberal Party.
'I've signed a contract not to talk to the media', he said, before driving off from the home where he lives with a housemate.
A neighbour said they believed the property is a rental.
A Liberal Party spokesman had insisted Mr MacRae was a 'real tradie' after '#FakeTradie' went viral earlier this week.
The Sydney voiceover artist with the same name told Daily Mail Australia on Monday he'd had a 'very sleepless night' over the confusion.
'It's a case of mistaken identity,' Mr MacRae said. 'Did I do something when I was in a coma?'
Many viewers pulled apart the advertisement, accusing the 'fake tradie' of wearing a $7,250 TAG Heuer watch and claiming he breached safety regulations by wearing a silver bracelet onsite.
The advertisement was widely mocked on Monday, with satirical Twitter accounts and memes flooding the internet.
When he arrived home from work on Tuesday evening, the tradesman thanked media members outside his house 'for coming to meet the real 'fake tradie''. He also explained how he ended up in the Liberal Party commercial, explaining he had done some work at the advertising agency behind the commercial
The advertisement was widely mocked on social media, with #FakeTradie trending on Twitter on Monday
The advertisement was widely mocked on Twitter. 'He just wants a fair go dinki di VB shannon noll BBQ crack at negatively gearing his 5th home,' a union wrote
A satirical 'Fake Tradie' Twitter account was created on Sunday night to mock the advertisement
'Time for smoko. Popping over to the shopes to pick up a meat pie, a chocolate milk, and a couple of investment properties,' @FakeTradie wrote
Viewers had accused the man of being a 'fake tradie' and claimed he was wearing a $7,250 TAG Heuer watch
Sydney voiceover artist Andrew MacRae (pictured) had been wrongly accused of being the 'fake tradie'
A union for Australian manufacturing workers said they 'think we have found #faketradie'
Mr MacRae wrote on Twitter on Monday: 'Dear all, It's not me. I'm not in the ad. I didn't voice the ad. I had nothing to do with the ad'
A spokesperson for the Coalition on Monday told Daily Mail Australia the man in the advertisement is a tradesman (stock image of Mr Turnbull pictured)
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