Hey, ho, let’s go: Albo and ScoMo face off in battle for undecided voters
The PM’s making curries, his opponent is quoting The Ramones. But don’t be fooled, they are both in a vicious fight for their futures - and the future of our country, writes James Morrow.
Federal Election
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Call it the battle of the daggy dads.
On Saturday night, before he flew to Canberra to meet the Governor-General, Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted an Instagram selfie of himself making Gujarati curries to celebrate the new free trade deal with India.
Less than 24 hours later Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, looking very pleased with himself, wrapped up his first official press conference of the campaign by quoting a 1976 vintage Ramones lyric: “Hey, ho, let’s go!”
Cringe-worthy?
Perhaps a little.
But also a sign that beneath the fights over tax and climate and China and everything else, the next forty or so days will be a fight between two men desperately trying to appeal to Australia’s normal centre.
Every major public opinion poll, plus a lot of private ones doing the rounds, say that there are more undecided “soft” voters out there than at any election in recent memory.
All the indicators show that Australians have their issues with Mr Morrison and his responses to the nearly Biblical challenges of drought and bushfire and plague he has had to deal with.
But they also seem unconvinced as yet by Mr Albanese, who despite literally decades in parliament remains something of a blank canvas despite the makeover and constant repeating of his Camperdown creation story.
This presents a risk for Labor, which has to strike the right balance between urgently courting the electorate and risking the sort of uncontrolled moments with the public that can make or break a campaign.
Remember, with the exception of two weeks of scrutiny over bullying and “mean girls” on the Labor benches in the wake of Kimberley Kitching’s death, Mr Albanese has hardly been tested.
It’s why, after enduring a near-voter experience in Perth last week the opposition leader was careful to stick to cuddling fluffy yellow chicks at the Easter Show Sunday.
And it is also why, in his press conference Sunday, Mr Albanese parried as many questions he could to attack the integrity and functionality of the Morrison government.
All this is much easier for Mr Morrison, who is a known quantity and whose message essentially boils down to “you may not always like me, but I will keep you safe and secure.”
Which, when you think about it, is a fairly dad-like thing to say.
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