Scott Morrison clearly wants to fight a tough blokes’ khaki election campaign, complete with blunt assaults on Labor for being “soft” on China. But his determination to project the Coalition’s ability to combat external threats to Australia’s security can’t protect him from a more subtle internal threat to the Liberals’ electoral security.

His vulnerability is in part due to the withdrawal of support by women, especially professional women, from the Liberal Party in general and this Prime Minister in particular.