Federal election 22 analysis: Two words Scott Morrison refused to say at his campaign launch

The Prime Minister spoke for nearly an hour at his campaign launch – but two words he’s used many times over the past few weeks went unsaid.

Did you notice the two words left unsaid by Scott Morrison in his 50-minute campaign launch speech?

The Prime Minister did not mention Anthony Albanese by name. After a five-week all-out assault on the Labor leader, it was a significant shift in strategy for the government with just six days until the election.

Sure, Morrison made passing references to his opponent’s weaknesses, as he continued to frame the terms of the choice Australians are facing at polling booths across the country.

But for the first time since he kickstarted the campaign, Morrison put aside his opposition-style tactics, instead offering a positive vision for the future centred around his most ambitious policy announcement of the campaign.

Scott Morrison with his fire Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lily. Picture: Jason Edwards

Allowing first home buyers to tap into their superannuation savings is an idea that has been kicked around by Liberal backbenchers for years.

Until Sunday, Morrison had stood firmly against it, in line with criticisms made by Liberal heavyweights including Peter Costello, Malcolm Turnbull and Mathias Cormann.

Their argument, backed by leading economists, was that putting more money in the pockets of buyers would force up house prices and send more of their savings straight into the pockets of sellers. This logic is difficult to dispute. So why did Morrison change his mind?

The Liberal MPs pushing the policy led by Tim Wilson — who is at serious risk of losing his seat to a teal independent — rightly identified that their party faced an existential threat if a generation of Australians were locked out of the housing market.

Without owning a home, young people are far less likely to become conservatives, because they would have nothing to conserve.

Giving them access to their super savings to pull together a deposit can change all that. It is certainly more appealing than splitting the costs of a first home with the government, as Labor is proposing.

As Morrison proclaimed on Sunday, this will be a “game-changer for thousands of Australian families”. Of course, that is only true if they vote for him.

This policy gives him a chance to change people’s minds. With cost of living the central issue of the campaign, it is a positive plan that will appeal to younger voters who might never have thought to vote Liberal, as well their parents who were considering abandoning the Coalition.

“I am seeking a second term because I am just warming up,” Morrison said.

We will know on Saturday whether he left his run too late.