Paul Starick | Daniel Wills analysis: Disciplined Shorten produces targeted Medicare policy

Daniel Wills and Paul Starick’s analysis of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s Budget reply speech and what it means for SA families.

• How Labor, Libs’ tax relief promises stack up

DISCIPLINED SHORTEN ON TARGET FOR POLICY TO LEAD PM RACE

By Paul Starick

Labor Leader Bill Shorten jogged for 10km before arriving at Parliament House just after 8am on Thursday, ahead of delivering a Budget reply speech he is widely expected to soon be able to adopt in government.

READ DANIEL WILLS’ ANALYSIS BELOW: Shorten’s pitch needs to find local flavour

His disciplined fitness regimen mirrors the laser-like focus Mr Shorten has shown on targeting issues and policies that resonate with voters as he seeks to win an election expected to be called within days.

Last night’s Budget reply speech, as expected, had Medicare reform at its heart. A disciplined approach to policy development and marketing resonates throughout the $2.3 billion plan to dramatically slash out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients.

Reform of this scale invites comparison to Labor turncoat Mark Latham’s disastrous 2004 Medicare Gold policy, which promised to take over all public and private hospital costs for people aged 75 and over.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten with Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek and Chris Bowen looking on before he delivered Budget reply. Photo: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

Unlike Mr Latham’s folly, Mr Shorten’s policy targets a sector of Medicare coverage, rather than foolishly attempting wholesale, radical change.

The Labor Leader is deploying proceeds raised from controversial changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing into a policy measure that is difficult to argue against, particularly in an emotive sense.

This is a pattern Mr Shorten has followed repeatedly, such as delivering the mantra that Labor would fund health and education rather than tax cuts for banks and the well-off.

Labor’s three-point Medicare plan to attack cancer targets costly MRI scans, specialist treatment and drugs.

“For so many people, cancer makes you sick and then paying for the treatment makes you poor,” Mr Shorten said.

Monica Hayes with her children Sienna and Boston at their home in Kurralta Park home on Thursday. Picture: Matt Loxton

The foundations of the Coalition’s election attack on Labor have already been well laid. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will seek an unlikely victory by decrying Labor’s economic record in office and plans to raise taxes.

His message is simple too. The Coalition has got the Budget back in the black, funding essential services while also delivering tax cuts because of financial discipline

This message would be much easier to sell if the Coalition had displayed similar leadership discipline. Mr Morrison leads a frontbench thinned by casualties of leadership switches. But the Coalition can point to a strong record of job creation, bringing the Budget under control and a plan to reduce net government debt.

This creates a clear contrast to Labor’s message. It concedes it is raising some taxes, which is being sold as taking tough decisions to rein in unsustainable measures that have favoured the well-off. Both the Budget and Mr Shorten’s reply have been supercharged by the looming election.

Even some Coalition insiders concede they are hoping for an honourable loss, rather than a wipe-out. Others point out that Mr Latham headed John Howard at the start of the 2004 campaign, after which he was thrashed.

The policy ground has been staked out with a clear divide, particularly on the economy.

The campaign awaits.

SHORTEN’S BIG PITCH WILL NEED TO FIND LOCAL FLAVOUR

By Daniel Wills

It’s a truism that all politics is local and, while federal Labor is dominating the argument about the need for the country to change course, it has left the Liberals room to say they are still the best choice for SA.

The Coalition’s pitch on Tuesday operated on two levels. The top line was a pitch of tax cuts for all, while the federal Budget detail was peppered with smaller projects like level crossing upgrades on Brighton and Torrens roads, as well as $2.7 billion for the final piece of the South Rd puzzle.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Thursday night made a broad pitch, promising health and education spending which would benefit SA but staying silent on infrastructure specifics that can convince wavering voters to get on board.

Boothby, held by Liberal MP Nicolle Flint in Adelaide’s inner south, is considered the only genuine SA marginal seat at play in this election and there’s widespread expectation that the starter’s gun will be fired in the coming days.

Bill Shorten with Labor candidate for Boothby, Nadia Clancy, at Springbank, Daws and Goodwood Rd intersection last month.

Some attention will be shown the fates of incumbent Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie in what’s becoming an Adelaide Hills fortress of Mayo and new Liberal face James Stevens in the east suburban Sturt, but both are strongly expected to get over the line as victors.

Doubtless, Labor will have building projects up its sleeve to announce between now and polling day. But, with a short sprint to the finishing line, Ms Flint has a strong headstart.

She also has access to the resources of a friendly Liberal state Government, which has promised to match the federal money to get South Rd moving and can do all the technical work to produce flash designs for the Hove rail crossing fix.

Liberals are already hitting the ground running with a sales pitch that only they can be trusted to bust congestion.

Polls have shown a rock solid trend of a national swing towards Labor, which has led by about 53-47 ever since the latest outbreak of Coalition instability and madness last year.

But few places know better than SA that’s its possible for well-run resourced local campaigns to fight against the tide.

SA Labor effectively won two state elections by throwing out the headline polls, which had them well behind, and focusing on the electorate maps.

Mr Shorten has made his big pitch to the country. Over the next month, he still has to narrow down to Hove, Edwardstown and Marion.