Time for Morrison to use “enough rope”

If he really wants to trounce Bill Shorten in the third debate, Prime Minister Scott Morrison should listen to his own advice and give the Opposition Leader “enough rope” to kill Labor’s chances, writes Miranda Devine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison held his own in the first two televised debates against Bill Shorten.

But he made the same mistake in each one, so let’s see if he does it again on Wednesday in the third debate at the National Press Club in Canberra.

The mistake he keeps making was not to follow his own advice to give the Opposition Leader “enough rope” to kill off Labor’s chances.

At a retirees’ forum in Perth last week the PM was asked, “Can you nail the bastard in three weeks?”

He replied: “Do any of you remember that show that Andrew Denton used to run? … It was called Enough Rope. Well that’s what I think I’ll give him.”

But in the first debate in Perth, Morrison did the opposite. Shorten was asked by moderator Lanai Scarr about his policy to make 50 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia be electric by 2030.

In the first debate, Morrison came to the aide of Shorten. Picture: Kym Smith

“The Nissan Leaf is one of the more popular electric vehicles on the market,” she said. “How much does that cost?”

Shorten didn’t know: “I haven’t bought a new car in a while so I couldn’t tell you.”

Scarr replied: “Shouldn’t you know how much that is going to cost?”

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It was a moment of embarrassment for the Opposition Leader which anyone employing the “enough rope” strategy would have left him to endure.

Instead, Morrison jumped in: “I can tell you it’s 28,000 bucks more for the same type of car.”

Shorten instantly was out of trouble. The debate turned in his favour then and there.

In the second debate, last Friday, in Brisbane, grandmother Kerry asked Shorten a question on religious freedom a that goes to the heart of Labor’s plan for radical cultural change: “What’s the Labor Party attitude to people who identify as Christians where their Biblical view might be unpopular?”

Shorten waffled: “People of faith are entitled to practice their faith and they’re entitled to their opinions. There should be freedom of religion on this country.”

MORE FROM MIRANDA DEVINE: Leaders debate starts hot and heavy as PM plays to strengths

But Kerry wasn’t satisfied so Shorten challenged her to state “what it is you can’t say”.

She mentioned abortion and then brought up embattled rugby star Israel Folau as an “example of someone talking about their religious beliefs, but getting thrown to the lions.”

Instead of giving Shorten enough rope to tell Kerry that Folau was a “bigot”, Morrison repeated his mistake.

The third debate must mark a turn for Morrison. Picture: AAP/David Clark

He jumped in and started talking about the Ruddock Review into religious freedom, prompting the obvious question from moderator David Speers about why the government didn’t get around to doing anything about it.

By jumping in, Morrison also highlighted his own weakness on Folau, which hasn’t improved since the second week of the campaign, when 72-year-old Ken Legg, a nursing home resident in Grovedale, Victoria, brought up the topic when he visited with the travelling media pack.

Legg said if Morrison “doesn’t want to be remembered as a dud in heavenly circles he should stand up for Israel Folau”.

But Morrison squibbed it then and he squibbed it on Friday night.

So again the heat went off Shorten, and back on Morrison.

Own goal number two.

Let’s hope he doesn’t make it a trifecta on Wednesday.

@mirandadevine