Opinion: Prime Minister Scott Morrison warms to climate change policy sell

As Scott Morrison checks off his policy list ahead of the federal election, this week he will start spruiking his answer to energy and climate change, writes Renee Viellaris.

IN a matter of weeks, the Morrison Government will enter a caretaker period.

Convention has it that the Government will avoid making major policy decisions, making significant appointments or entering into major contracts.

The election date of mid-May means time is getting tight for Scott Morrison.

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The April Budget will be the foundation for Morrison’s bid for re-election. He will argue the Coalition has created a strong economy to pay for essential services but will embark on prudent spending, that it has delivered the first surplus in a decade, that its policies keep Australians and their borders safe, plus he will outline new programs to help families and communities stay together.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison needs to convince the public he accepts the science of climate change. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

Morrison is also checking off his policy list. This week he will start spruiking his answer to energy and climate change, one of the last major policies the Government remains weak on.

Recently, Morrison met with Environment Minister Melissa Price, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Health Minister Greg Hunt to talk climate change policy. He later met separately with Hunt and Frydenberg.

Hunt, a former environment minister, is credited with legitimising the Coalition’s climate policies under the Abbott government.

A policy wonk at heart, Hunt has always known there is a disconnect between those who accept climate change science and are willing, or can, afford to pay more.

While Morrison has taken advice, this will be the PM’s policy and his sell.

Morrison needs to convince the public he accepts the science (using the words “believe in climate science” is silly because it has a religious undertone) and that the mechanisms he introduces are credible without stinging householders’ hip pockets.

Importantly, he cannot risk a split between moderates and the right in his party.

This is a significant test for Morrison. The Government will not be able to out-green Labor on environmental policy. His policy will not aim to steal votes from Labor or the Greens but to ensure his candidates and Government have an answer to such a significant issue.

There’s also a cautionary tale about appointments to Cabinet. So sensitive is the Coalition on women representation that it made the wrong call on appointing Price to Cabinet. She is not up to the job and now the Government is paying the cost.

The Coalition made the wrong call by appointing Melissa Price to the Environment portfolio. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

When Morrison officially fires the starter’s gun after the Budget, the Government’s campaign material will focus on past achievements, such as jobs growth, and will take aim at Labor’s “$200 billion in new taxes” (compared to the Government’s already legislated tax cuts) and “irresponsible and rushed” asylum seeker laws, plus the Coalition’s vision for the future.

And on a micro level, Morrison will try to win the next election, roundabout by roundabout.

Infrastructure big and small will be a feature of the campaign.

Parliament has now risen until April. The Government is happy about this because Shorten has the upper hand in Parliament given the tight numbers and the crossbench has sided mostly with Labor on contentious policy.

Despite the Helloworld issue engulfing Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and US Ambassador Joe Hockey (less scandal but more of a perception issue and underscoring why Labor termed the phrase “Sloppy Joe” when referring to Hockey when he was in Parliament), Labor did not win the past sitting fortnight.

For all the commentary that the Government was facing two weeks of political slaughter, it did not eventuate. This is in part because Morrison has much better political instincts than Malcolm Turnbull.

Many voters don’t follow the blow-by-blow wins or losses of political parties. They only tend to follow policy debate if they are directly impacted but they pick up on a vibe.

The vibe is not good for the Liberal National Party brand or Bill Shorten as a leader and it’s unlikely this can be shifted before the election.

That’s why at the election Shorten will use wife Chloe and senior women in his party as much as possible, and that the LNP branding will shrink on bunting that will scream the name of popular local MPs.

Morrison and Shorten have political stamina and will not stop campaigning until election day, which is about 13 weeks away.