Malcolm Farr: Why Scott Morrison is always so lonely
While Bill Shorten has surrounded himself with an all-star cast on his campaign trail, the Prime Minister has cut a lonely figure. Here’s why.
Analysis
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It’s the campaign loneliness of the accidental prime minister and Scott Morrison has had to carry that burden.
And Labor has been keen to highlight it.
An interesting element of the official Liberal campaign launch at the weekend will be how planners hope to overcome the appearance of a leader working in isolation.
Mr Morrison has shown remarkable endurance on a non-stop campaigning regime which probably will leave him exhausted by the night of May 18.
He is doing it with a shortage of fresh policies, money and top level travel companions, apart from wife Jen.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has been at Liberal campaign HQ in Brisbane and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has been a Canberra-based spokesman.
But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Health Minister Greg Hunt have been manning the ramparts of their home electorates where they are under threat.
And of course there is no Malcolm Turnbull or Julie Bishop who have quit Parliament.
Their absences are a further reminder of Liberal turmoil last August when a leadership clash suddenly and unexpectedly saw Mr Morrison become prime minister.
Others of his ministry have kept low profiles.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has rarely been seen and Environment Minister Melissa Price
never.
By contrast, Bill Shorten has had an ALP travelling all-stars troupe including Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese.
Labor’s shadow health minister Catherine King spent two weeks straight with Mr Shorten, as the ALP builds on promises of greater health funding.
Shadow treasure has been almost a daily feature of the Labor campaign.
The Labor strategy has been to promote a carefully cultivated front of unity and coherence, of stability and continuity -- both in its policies and its personnel.
It is difficult for Mr Morrison to do the same.
At the weekend the Liberal launch will be the final big showcase of whatever the party believes is most attractive to voters.
It might require elaborate staging to present unity as one of those attractions.
Originally published as Malcolm Farr: Why Scott Morrison is always so lonely
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