Labor’s Jim Chalmers won the politics of the 2022 Treasurers’ election debate but Josh Frydenberg won on the numbers.
Like the debate between Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison Labor kept to the campaign slogans, appealed to voter at home and pushed the negative attack while the Coalition arguments were about the risk of changing to Labor, not trusting the ALP and pointing to obvious economic success during the pandemic.
Of course, the Treasurer and Shadow Treasurer were both bound by history and party policy – or lack of it – and there were no dramatic new announcements or even new approaches. Nor were there any mistakes.
Frydenberg’s argument was that the Coalition had saved jobs and businesses during the pandemic recession and was now withdrawing emergency support to cut spending and take pressure off debt, deficit, inflation and interest rates. He stuck by promised tax cuts and argued Labor couldn’t trusted not implement the $387 billion in new taxes promised at the last election.
He argued a tax cap would help “grow the economy’ and that: “We believe in the discipline of ensuring we don’t lift taxes beyond a certain amount. The Labor Party will not have that discipline.”
Chalmers’ theme was that the Coalition had a decade to make things better and Frydenberg was more interested in the 2019 election than the 2022 election.
“The defining issue of this election is the full-blown cost of living crisis which has emerged on the Morrison government’s watch,” he said.
“And neither a war in Europe in 2022 nor even a pandemic explains or excuses what has been almost a decade now of economic mismanagement,” he said.
But neither could offer anything new or substantial outside the slim offerings from both Labor and the Coalition and it essentially came down to don’t trust the other bloke.
Personally the debate was conducted civilly with mutual political respect and just perhaps with both having eyes to what the respective leadership positions will be after the election depending on the result.
A quiet, even sober, affair that won’t change the direction of the campaign nor will it hurt either protagonist.
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