Dutton’s ‘Me Too’ politics is bad for the Liberal brand

Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s attempt to neutralise Labor by matching them on every policy dollar for dollar only serves to undermine Coalition credibility, writes Joe Hildebrand

In the dying months of 2007, John Howard and the Coali­tion were facing the fight of their political lives.

After 11 years in power and with the unpopularity of WorkChoices hanging around the government’s neck like a millstone, Howard was well behind in the polls but nevertheless needed to call an election.

Even so, Labor was nervous. The veteran PM was arguably the wiliest politician of his generation.

In 1998, he had lost the popular vote but still scraped home, even on the back of a commitment to introduce a GST.

In 2001, it looked like Howard was again on the ropes, but then Tampa came along and he masterfully used it to wedge Labor as if he was wielding a log-splitter.

And in 2004, Labor under Mark Latham was stratospherically high in the polls – yes, remember that? – but Howard was able to steadily chip away at the then-popular MP by painting him as inexperienced and unreliable.

Peter Dutton’s (right) attempts to match Anthony Albanese’s (left) spending undermines the Coalition’s economic credentials. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In the end, the Coalition actually picked up seats in the lower house and won its first majority in the Senate – an extraordinary achievement for a fourth-term government.

And so, despite polls showing Labor ahead by up to a staggering 58-42 in 2007, the party under the then-squeaky clean leadership of Kevin Rudd was as nervous as the proverbial long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

And boy did Howard rock them.

Immediately after calling the election, he dropped a $35bn package ­delivering sweeping tax cuts to every Australian worker.

It was both blunt and brilliant and it sent Labor reeling. How could they counter-attack such a wildly popular move?

It quickly became clear. They couldn’t.

And so, after scrambling for their calculators, Labor did the smartest thing of the entire campaign. It simply backed the tax cuts.

Suddenly Howard’s biggest weapon was neutralised. From that equalised position, the PM and the Coalition never recovered.

The new modern era of “Me Too” politics had begun.

Two decades later, this election campaign is Me Too-ism on steroids – and it hasn’t even officially started yet.

When Labor announced its centrepiece $8.5bn to boost Medicare, it didn’t even last until lunchtime before the Opposition pledged to match every cent – despite neither side having much of an idea about where the money would actually come from.

Likewise the $150 power bill rebate dropped in the Sunday papers yesterday, which Peter Dutton had backed in by mid-morning.

Speed-wise, Usain Bolt himself would be proud.

In one way, of course, this is just politics 101. Neutralise the issues where your opponent is stronger – such as Medicare – so you can pick the battleground you want to fight on.

But herein lies the rub: Dutton’s strongest battleground is without doubt the economy.

The Coalition is consistently rated as a better economic manager than Labor, and is seen to be even more so in the midst of a prolonged cost-of-living crisis.

But anxiously rushing to match Labor dollar-for-dollar on every ­punter-friendly policy undermines the Opposition’s economic credibility, as many commentators have already lamented.

And of course it means that the ­Coalition cannot attack Labor for profligate spending if it is doing the same thing itself for fear of startling the horses.

And as an added bonus for Labor, external criticism of its spending also has the perverse purpose of reminding voters of all the goodies they’re getting.

Then Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd started the era of “me too” politics in 2007 in an attempt to nullify Prime Minister John Howard’s tax cuts. Picture: Patrick Hamilton

As an ALP campaign strategist once told me, there is nothing better than being accused of pork-barrelling – it’s a free ad for all the voters the party is targeting.

And so it’s no surprise that all the advance criticism of tomorrow’s Budget as being a pre-election spendathon has Labor types positively beaming.

“This new $150 power bill rebate is reckless and inflationary and an admission of energy policy failure!” one might thunder.

Meanwhile, the average punter just thinks: “Oh, I’m getting $150 off my power bill?”

And so while fiscal prudes might be recoiling in horror at savings not being banked and bottom lines not being met, the government will do whatever it takes to ease, mask or massage any financial pain that families are going through.

And as long as the Opposition is too scared to dish out any tough medicine, there will be nobody to stop them.

And so Labor look like they might finally have Peter Dutton’s measure in this ultimate game of Me Too politics.

After all, they invented it.

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