Why Labor’s outrage at Scott Morrison’s ‘blessed’ comment is politically foolish

Daily Telegraph readers are overwhelmingly unoffended by a throwaway line said by Scott Morrison at last night’s leaders’ debate, which caused outrage among Labor supporters.

A throwaway line by Scott Morrison at last night’s leaders’ debate has caused outrage among Labor supporters – but Daily Telegraph readers have said quite the opposite.

More than 500 readers had their say in a poll conducted online, asking whether they were offended by Mr Morrison’s comment during the debate he said he was “blessed” his two daughters were not born with disabilities.

In a landslide vote, 90 per cent of readers said they weren’t offended by the prime minister’s words.

It comes as the word “blessed”, already seriously damaged by Facebook wine mums, is now getting another kicking thanks to Labor supporters desperate to square up with Scott Morrison.

At Wednesday night’s heated leaders’ debate at the Gabba, the prime minister took a question about the NDIS from a woman who has a son with autism.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Wednesday’s leaders’ debate. Picture: Jason Edwards / various sources / AFP)

Catherine Yeoman put an NDIS question to the prime minister at the leaders’ debate. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“Jenny and I have been blessed. We’ve got two children who haven’t had to go through that.”

Throwaway line? Anodyne statement? Not on your life.

Commentators and Twitter outrage merchants jumped on the comment, calling it insensitive, accusing him of saying that the woman at the debate’s child was not also a blessing and generally trying to whip up anger against the PM.

Frankly, the effort – continuing well into Thursday morning – to stitch Morrison up over this looks a bit desperate, to say nothing of ironic given Mr Albanese’s repeated call-outs for unity over division at the debate.

It suggests that the Labor camp is so traumatised by the gaffes of last week that they are aching for something they can point to and say, “Look! He made a mistake too!”

But it is also politically unwise.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lily. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The logic of politics is not that if your guy has made some blunders, pointing out the other guy’s blunders will even the score.

Wrong. It is that people will keep remembering what your guy did as the reason you are pointing it out.

Labor supporters looking to capitalise on the prime minister’s miscues at the debate would do better to focus on his accusation that Albanese was taking “China’s side” in criticising the government over its Solomon’s Island policy.

Of course that comes with its own risks for Labor – despite it also being the policy debate the country desperately needs.

Scott Morrison during the first debate of the federal election. Picture: Toby Zerna

Ultimately, though, the biggest problem with this attack line on Morrison is that it is incredibly tacky and sees Labor trying to leverage the experience of a family in a difficult circumstance for their own political gain.

NSW Senator Hollie Hughes, a Liberal who herself has a son with autism and who is a fierce advocate for people with disability, summed it up on 2GB Thursday morning.

Labor supporters are “missing the point”, she said.

To them, she had some simple advice.

“Go away! Stop politicising our experience if you’ve never been through it.”