Federal Election 2022: Morrison and Albanese hold first press conferences since May 21 poll date announced

The two political leaders vying for Australia’s top job have revealed what they will stand for. Have your say.

Australian voters have been asked to stick with the government they know as Prime Minister Scott Morrison angles an election fought on the economy and the nation’s footing in an uncertain global environment.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, starting significantly further ahead on the polls, has pitched Labor as the government with a “vision” to take the country forward.

Both leaders delivered their sharpened campaign lines in their first official press conference of the election, with Mr Morrison standing up in Parliament House and Mr Albanese in his Commonwealth office in Sydney.

SETTING THE SCENE

The Prime Minister began his speech professing his love for Australia, noting the tough challenges the country had faced while underlining the government’s record on avoiding the “nightmare scenario” that other nations had faced through the pandemic.

Mr Morrison, who in calling the election for May 21 set up a six-week campaign, said he understood “people are tired of politics” but the poll was important due to the “uncertainty ahead”.

He also said the election was about “you, not anyone else” — pre-empting an offensive campaign from Labor targeting the Prime Minister’s character.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese immediately framed the election as an “opportunity” for Australians to “come together and build a better future”.

Mr Albanese also noted the difficult “couple of years” and the strength of Australians in overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and natural disasters, but how those calamities had highlighted “vulnerabilities” in the economy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at his press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: AFP

WHY YOU SHOULD PICK US, NOT THEM

Central to the Prime Minister’s pitch was the strength of the economy under the Coalition, during the unprecedented events of the last three years and into the future.

A Coalition government had maintained a “strong economy”, steered Australia to a world-leading “economic recovery” and the largest “budget turnaround” in the last year — all of which would be “weakened” under a Labor government which “can’t manage money”.

“It’s a choice between a strong future and an uncertain one. It’s a choice between a Government you know and a Labor Opposition that you don’t,” Mr Morrison said.

While strong stewardship of the economy has been a traditional core asset of the Coalition, polling conducted for News Corp in four key seats found the two major parties were neck-and-neck when it comes to economic management among voters younger than 40.

The focus of Mr Albanese’s pitch was Labor’s “vision” for the future — including changes to childcare, aged care, wages growth and strengthening the manufacturing sector — and framing that against the Coalition’s lack of an agenda.

“This government doesn’t have an agenda for today, let alone a vision for tomorrow,” he said.

“We can and must do better.”

THE PLAN

The Prime Minister, armed with a federal budget less than a fortnight old, said “the plan” was about delivering tax relief, and investments in road, rail, dams, healthcare and essential services — all of which hinged on a “strong economy”.

“It’s a plan that keeps Australians safe by ensuring we continue the biggest rebuilding of our defence and security forces since World War II,” he said.

Mr Albanese, underlined Labor’s core policies around childcare, aged care, manufacturing, renewable energy, and housing.

“One of the things that strikes me is that the government had an opportunity in their budget to put forward a range of policies that were long term and all I saw was a budget, which they didn’t even talk about after 24 hours,” he said

“A budget that handed off one off payments, hoping that people would forget the cost of living pressures that they’re under on a constant basis.”

ROUNDING OFF THE EDGES

Mr Morrison also used his speech to pre-empt Labor’s offensive of his character, which has been a major point of attack from both the Opposition and people within the Prime Minister’s own ranks.

“Our Government is not perfect. We’ve never claimed to be, but we are upfront, and you may see some flaws,” he said.

“But you can also see what we have achieved for Australia in incredibly difficult times.”

The Opposition Leader, who has been referred to by Mr Morrison as a “blank page” and an unknown quantity despite being in parliament for longer, used his pitch to reintroduce himself to voters.

Mr Albanese spoke of growing up in housing commission with his mother as a young boy and how “overcoming adversity” drives him as a politician.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during his press conference in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

QUESTIONS

Both leaders took questions from the media after their respective pitches, though Mr Albanese — who has been criticised by the Prime Minister for dodging scrutiny — made a point of sticking around for longer.

The Prime Minister took just five minutes of questions, in which he confirmed he planned to remain in the top job for all of the next term should the Coalition win.

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