Battle for Boothby: Seacombe Heights voters don’t want ScoMo nor Albo as PM

Neither potential Prime Minister is up to the job of leading the country if you ask SA’s most marginal voters, yet only one in three can even name the opposition leader.

While health and the cost of living are high on the agenda, the “least bad” potential Prime Minister will win the federal election, according to Seacombe Heights voters.

The result of the Seacombe Heights booth within SA’s most marginal electorate of Boothby may well decide the seat, but a majority of voters polled by The Messenger either don’t like Scott Morrison or don’t know who the Opposition Leader is.

And they think neither of them are up to the task of leading the country.

While Mr Morrison edged Anthony Albanese 14 to 11 when it came to the preferred PM, 16 residents said neither were capable and a further seven were undecided.

Every Seacombe Height voters knew who ScoMo was, although some took creative licence with how to pronounce his name, while one-in-three respondents did not know who Mr Albanese was or could not name him.

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A similar poll conducted by The Advertiser in February, but encompassing a wider range of the Boothby electorate, found Labor were in the box position but the result could come down to the way undecided voters would swing.

A majority of respondents in that poll also chose neither Mr Morrison or Mr Albanese as PM and were either undecided or had no preference.

Oaklands Park resident, Ainsley Jessop doesn’t trust either party saying people had lost faith in the federal government.

Boothby voter Ainsley Jessop from Oaklands Park with dog Charlie. Picture: Tom Huntley

“Both parties make promises and when they can’t fulfil them, they say they weren’t given the appropriate information by the other party,” she said.

Ms Jessop, who has experienced homelessness, said mental health and homelessness were the most important issues facing Australia.

“I am one of the lucky ones,” she said, having witnessed people suffer at the hands of what Ms Jessop says is an exclusive system.

“People can’t get the proper (mental health) help because it costs a fortune and they can’t afford it, so they self medicate.”

Several voters at Seacombe Heights expressed their disillusionment with Australian politics and said the biggest challenge facing the country was flailing leadership underscore by a lack of political transparency.

That was the case for resident Anthony Stewart.

“I think the most pressing issue facing us at the moment is a lack of transparency in government,” he said.

Seacombe Heights voter Anthony Stewart. Picture: Supplied

Two male voters, who did not want to be named, admitted they would not vote at the federal election because they did not feel either of the major parties deserved to form government.

“I’m completely disillusioned with it all. There is no dignity in either of them (Mr Morrison or Mr Albanese),” the man said, insisting Mr Morrison’s name was written followed by d***head in brackets.

But the biggest concern facing Australia, according to voters from the bellwether booth, was health.

Off the back of a Labor state election victory heavily featuring huge health related promises, a federal Labor or Liberal government willing to stick their neck out to help SA’s troubled health system could take Boothby.

One-in-three respondents said health was the biggest issue facing Australia and a further seven said Covid-19 was still the most pressing problem.

The next most important issue was the cost of living, and its apparent unaffordability.

One-in-five respondents said Australia was becoming unaffordable and said they would be voting for the party they believed could lower the cost of living, or whichever presented a preferable policy in the election lead up.

Respondents were asked which major party they thought would be better equipped to handle three key federal government responsibilities: cost of living, economic management and national security.

Thirteen thought Labor were the most likely to bring down the cost of living, 12 thought neither were capable, 10 thought the Liberals were the party for the job, 10 were undecided and five did not know.

When it came to managing the economy almost 40 per cent of respondents favoured the Liberals, 12 thought Labor, 10 said neither were any good, nine were undecided and one did not know.

While the Liberals were favoured as the best equipped to handle national security for 15 respondents, 14 admitted they had no idea who was best. Only eight thought Labor could do the job six did not think either could and six were undecided.

Of the three key categories overall, 45 respondents favoured the Liberals, 33 chose Labor, 28 thought neither, 20 did not know and 25 were undecided.

Sixty-seven-year-old Kim Kara was one voter who favoured Liberal but epitomised a general lack of enthusiasm towards the prime ministerial candidates.

“The Liberals have done pretty well getting us through Covid,” she said.

“I don’t think anyone could have done better – as a country we’ve gotten through this as unscathed as we possibly could have.

“Scott Morrison isn’t perfect, but who is?”