Battlelines define a contest over hearts and minds in first leaders debate

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition leader Bill Shorten shake hands before the Perth debate. Picture: NIC ELLIS/THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

Bill Shorten won the heart and Scott Morrison won the head in the leaders’ first debate of the 2019 election campaign.

The Opposition Leader directed his best shots at Labor’s appeal to cancer sufferers, low-paid workers and fighting climate change, while the Prime Minister nailed Labor’s inability to put a cost on its greenhouse gas emissions policy and, face-to-face with Shorten, cemented Labor’s tax bill at $378 billion.

Neither leader made a bad error and both played to their scripts of the first two weeks of the campaign.

Morrison harped on the need for a strong economy to pay for ­essential services and reduce debt while Shorten unapologetically talked about raising taxes to pay for his plans to raise wages and spend billions on health and education.

Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten during the first leaders forum. Picture: 7 News

A slightly nervous Morrison started well and was on message with his broad approach of a return to budget surplus ensuring a strong economy being able to pay for essential services.

He also questioned Labor’s ability to manage the economy and keep Australia’s borders secure. A more animated, more entertaining Shorten was forced to make the key concessions that he couldn’t put a number on the cost of Labor’s 45 per cent emissions-reduction scheme to the economy and had to accept that Labor’s last border protection policies were epic failures.

Shorten realised his earlier campaign errors on the cost of climate change and emphasis on electric cars had to be confronted. He simply declared “it’s not possible” to put a number on the cost of Labor’s emissions target while dismissing as a “gotcha” a question on the price of electric cars. He also took a strategic decision on border protection, conceded Labor’s policies on illegal boat arrivals had failed and, like Kevin Rudd in 2007, said his Labor government would “turn back the boats”.

But Shorten’s hand signals — a double thumbs up and clowning eight fingers in the air — gave him an emotional edge and a connection on Labor’s strengths of “doing something” about climate change, giving a “fair go” to workers with stagnant wages and not being afraid to tax “the top end of town” to give low-income earners better services and wage rises.

Morrison prosecuted his case on Labor’s record of economic management and border protection but was left without positive alternatives to Shorten’s billions in giveaways on health and wages. He also had to carry the load of Liberal leadership changes and disunity.