Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlines his election strategy: Jobs, national security and a fair go
SCOTT Morrison survived his first Question Time as Prime Minister unscathed yesterday — deflecting Labor attacks and rallying his troops while also laying out a three point plan to win the election, with a focus on jobs, not handouts.
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SCOTT Morrison has laid out his three-pronged strategy to retain government — keeping the economy strong, keeping Australians safe and keeping the country together.
In his first Question Time as Prime Minister, Mr Morrison absorbed Labor’s opening offensive without Opposition Leader Bill Shorten landing a punch.
The new PM took a leaf out of his beloved Sharks’ playbook and gave his team of MPs a pep talk before hitting the Parliament floor for the first time since the Coalition’s leadership upheavals.
Mr Morrison declared the “curtain’s down on that performance” of disunity and said that division within the Coalition did not “hold a candle” to Labor and its record of leadership squabbling.
In a pitch reminiscent of former prime minister Tony Abbott’s simple slogan approach, Mr Morrison declared: “Keeping our economy strong. Keeping Australians safe and keeping Australians together. That’s my plan and Australians will be backing it.”
Mr Morrison laid out the achievements of the government, focusing on jobs growth, before accusing Mr Shorten of having “no plan”.
“We believe in a country where people come to make a contribution and not take one. We believe the best form of welfare is a job,” he said.
“Ninety-five thousand, five hundred people got a job in 2017-18. That is the strongest jobs growth in 30 years for young people.
“If you can’t guarantee a strong economy, everything he (Mr Shorten) says, every promise he makes is not believable. It’s not believable because he can’t pay for it and he doesn’t believe in the things that underpin any of the promises that he makes.”
Picking up on his “love all Australians” message from last week, Mr Morrison explained the importance of being “together” and used the drought as an example.
“In this country, we look after our mates and we are looking after our farmers and the rural towns,” he said.
“We believe in the social safety net which says Australians back their mates.”
With all eyes on Question Time, Mr Morrison used it to flesh out his election agenda after having spent the past two weeks cutting off the barnacles left from Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership.
He has dumped plans to increase the pension age to 70 and last night Cabinet was expected to rubber-stamp his decision to junk the National Energy Guarantee.
And, in a sign that the public was open to a leadership change, this week’s Newspoll results show the new PM leads as the preferred prime minister over Mr Shorten by 42 to 36 per cent after two weeks on the road selling himself as the average daggy dad.
But the Coalition still trails Labor 44 per cent to 56 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis, which would cause an electoral wipe-out.
Mr Shorten’s first question was simple and designed to throw Mr Morrison.
“My question’s to the Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull is no longer Prime Minister of Australia. Why?” Mr Shorten asked.
But Mr Morrison was prepared and responded: “John Howard used to say something quite simple and that is the privilege of serving as the leader of your parliamentary party is the decision of your parliamentary party.”
He went further: “It was many years ago I can recall, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, where I was listening to a presentation from General Norman Schwartzkopf and he said this: ‘When placed in command, take charge’.
“That’s what I propose to do, take charge to ensure that we continue the stable government that has delivered the strong economy that has seen a million people come into work since we were elected in 2013.”
The first government question was directed to Mr Morrison, asking about his action on the drought, which he has made his top priority.
Labor is using this sitting week to test his thin majority in Parliament, with Mr Turnbull leaving him one seat short after quitting. Labor frontbencher Tony Burke Labor attempted to ask each of the ministers who had flip-flopped on their support for Mr Turnbull to explain whether they had misled Parliament, but the questions were shut down by Speaker Tony Smith.
Three ministers who supported Peter Dutton in the leadership spill — Greg Hunt, Angus Taylor and Michael Keenan — were asked who they supported on each day during the week of the leadership chaos.