Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull’s high-risk poll strategy
PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed yesterday he would seek a July 2 double-dissolution election over the issue of union corruption.
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PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed yesterday he would seek a July 2 double-dissolution election over the issue of union corruption.
In what is being seen as a high-risk strategy, Mr Turnbull told parliament he would call a joint sitting of both houses after the election to pass the government’s bill to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which was rejected for the second time by the Senate on Monday providing the trigger for the double dissolution.
However, senior government sources said if the Coalition lost as many seats as some polls are suggesting, the Prime Minister could find he doesn’t have the numbers to get the bill through a joint sitting — rendering his election tactic pointless.
In case there was any doubt the campaign had begun, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten yesterday unveiled his election slogan, claiming Labor would “put people first”.
But Mr Turnbull said he wouldn’t put the government into “caretaker mode” until after the May 3 Budget when he will seek the Governor-General’s consent to dissolve both houses of parliament.
The Opposition has cried foul over this tactic, saying it is unfair that the government can use the power and resources of incumbency for at least another three weeks, giving it an early tactical advantage.
The Opposition has also demanded the government cease making major appointments for the next 73 days.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Turnbull denied the campaign had begun. It wasn’t until he stood up in Question Time that he confirmed his intention to wait until after the May 3 Budget to advise the Governor-General of a July 2 poll date.
His foxing was exacerbated by Cabinet ministers Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne failing to confirm when the election would be.
“The media says that the election campaign has commenced,” Mr Turnbull told his party room.
“We will be going into the caretaker period beginning when the House and Senate are dissolved.”
Visiting a construction site in Canberra, Mr Turnbull said: “A double-dissolution election is about giving the people their say. It means it’s an occasion when the House and the Senate can’t agree persistently, and so then everyone goes to the polls and the Australian people have their say.
“When we win the election as I believe we will, we will return and the reforms to registered organisations and the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission will be made law.
“And what that will do is protect jobs, it will drive economic growth. Every lever of our policy is focused on driving economic growth.
“Australians know they can trust the Coalition because we have a track record to prove it.
“We’re seeing strong jobs growth — 300,000 last year. 26,000 last month. Strong GDP growth. Business confidence up.”
Mr Shorten said as far as he was concerned, the election campaign had already begun.
“Despite all the tactics and games of the government which has seen the parliament with absolutely nothing to consider today, Labor is ready for this election,” he said
“The choices couldn’t be any clearer between Labor and Liberal. Labor has positive policies that put people first. The Liberal Party seems intent upon defending vested interests and the big banks.”
LOYALTY OF LIBERALS IN QUESTION AFTER LEAK
Daniel Meers
MALCOLM Turnbull’s election campaign has been rocked by a damaging leak just hours after the double-dissolution trigger was pulled yesterday.
In a clear sign deep divisions remain within the federal Coalition after the Liberal leadership change last year, scripts for a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to spin government measures to increase taxes by $16 billion in the May 3 federal Budget were leaked to the media.
It is claimed the Budget will grow the economy by $16 billion over the next four years by cracking down on multinational companies which don’t pay tax and by making changes to superannuation concessions.
Some senior conservatives yesterday claimed the measures, on face value, look more like Labor Party policy than Coalition policy.
Senior ministers yesterday claimed there had been no Cabinet discussions about increasing revenue by $16 billion, but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to rule out using taxpayer funds to sell the government’s message before the caretaker period begins.
“No decisions have been taken in that regard,” he said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the leak showed the government was still in a state of civil war over the leadership spill in which Mr Turnbull ousted former prime minister Tony Abbott in a ballot last September.
“Mr Turnbull can’t even execute the start of an election properly,’’ Mr Shorten said.
“This shows that they are a divided government.
“The one thing we know, after the next election is that the Liberal Party will still be at war with each other.”
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen took the opportunity to go overboard in his criticism by describing it as the biggest budget leak since 1980.
“First day of the election campaign and Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison are being undermined by a leak from within,’’ he said.
“A leak of the Budget — what would count as the biggest Budget leak since 1980.
“We see details of the Budget leaked.
“Scripts of ads being leaked.
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