Federal election 2022 gaffes trump policy amid blunder-prone poll

The federal election campaigns’ crucial fumbles remind voters no matter their pick, there’s gaffes by the gallon.

Anthony Albanese has made the bizarre claim that Australia’s borders are “closed”, capping off a federal election campaign that will be remembered as much for its gaffes as its policy debates.

The statement came during a Wednesday morning interview with the ABC’s Lisa Millar who asked Mr Albanese if Australia’s historically low unemployment figures proved Scott Morrison’s case that the Coalition was a better manager of the economy.

“Our borders are closed, Lisa. Our borders are closed,” Mr Albanese said, despite Australia’s borders reopening to international visitors three months ago.

“People are doing it tough. That’s having an impact on employment figures. We know that that’s the case … and we want an economy that works for people, not people working for the economy,” he continued.

Mr Albanese later claimed that he meant to say that the borders “were” closed, a policy which Labor supported throughout the pandemic, however not before the clip was widely shared.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to locals on May 19, 2022 at the Whitemore Tennis Club in Northern Lyons in Tasmania, Australia. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake

Liberal sources said that there was a strong possibility the incident would be used in last minute online campaigns, which are still permitted despite the ban on political ads on radio and TV.

Gaffes and slip-ups have been a hallmark of the Labor campaign, with Mr Albanese opening his campaign unable to name the unemployment rate or the cash rate when pressed by reporters.

A later incident saw him unable to name the six pillars of his NDIS policy, which led to an Adviser handing him a piece of paper containing the key points in front of the cameras.

However Labor supporters are quick to point out that Scott Morrison has made his share of mistakes on the hustings.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese shake hands during the third leaders' debate at Seven Network Studios, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Picture: Mick Tsikas

A week into the campaign Mr Morrison appeared to think he was in parliament when speaking to reporters, peppering an announcement about health with the phrase, “Mister Speaker”.

At the Sky News People’s Forum Debate, Mr Morrison copped criticism when he said “Jenny and I have been blessed, we’ve got two children who haven’t had to go through that”, in response to a question from an audience member with an autistic son.

However Liberal senator Hollie Hughes, who also has a son with autism, defended Mr Morrison from his critics saying, “There are times you don’t feel particularly blessed” but that his critics should “find something substantial to be upset about.”

When asked later if incidents such as Wednesday’s comments about borders might lead some voters to question if he was up to the job, Mr Albanese said, “I would ask, is this government up to anything?”

“All this government has is little games, they don’t have a plan for the future,” he said.

Originally published as Federal election 2022 gaffes trump policy amid blunder-prone poll