Election 2019: no-fuss start to federal campaign

We already have reasons to be thankful for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, writes Caroline Overington. Picture: Kym Smith

• Federal Election 2019 Full Coverage

It’s day one of the 2019 election, and already we have reasons to be thankful for Scott Morrison.

He boarded a jet late last night, and went and saw the Governor-General before you’d brushed your teeth.

There was no hanging around, waiting for C1 to set off, flag fluttering, which was good, because who doesn’t hate that nonsense?

Toying with people, like the election is a game that must be won, and not a moment for Australians to seriously consider their position.

The meeting between Morrison and Peter Cosgrove took less than eight minutes, and that was it: we’re off, and it’s on, and there goes the tumultuous 45th parliament, sucked back into the black hole of history.

Morrison looks crisp as cornflakes at his press conference: bright white shirt, pale blue tie.

“I believe we must win this election,” he said, before going through all the things wrong with the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments.

Where Whitlam went with: “It’s Time!” Morrison’s message seems to be: “You know what? It’s really not.”

In his mind, they’re just getting started on fixing a mess of Labor’s making.

The budget is only now projected to return to surplus.

Morrison’s opening statement was all about the strong economy, and rather economical on the power struggles with the Coalition.

“Vote for Bill Shorten, you’ll get Bill Shorten,” he said.

“Vote for me, you get me.”

Ahem.

The nation voted for Abbott, and got Turnbull. They voted for Turnbull and got Morrison, whose government must now come from behind, literally.

They are in a rather odd position, having to win a seat, to gain a majority.

Before us all looms campaign that will include Anzac Day, Easter and Mother’s Day.

Yes, you can expect all of those occasions to be put to good use: you’ll see egg hunts, and Diggers, and Quentin having breakfast in bed (OK, maybe not that last one).

One key line from the press conference: “Vote Labor once, you pay for it for a decade,” Morrison said.

They’ll pay for it, too: a decade in the wilderness looms if they lose.