Labor channels Whitlam as Morrison stresses trust and stability

Bill Shorten has sought to re-energise Labor’s election campaign with some razzmatazz and a return to the rhetoric of envy and intergenerational theft while spectacularly linking to Gough Whitlam and his “big target and crash or crash through” 1972 agenda.

Riffing on Whitlam’s historically successful “It’s Time” theme, the Opposition Leader reached back 47 years to 1972 and asked “the men and women of Australia to vote for change”.

In the face of tightening polls in marginal seats and concessions from Labor frontbenchers there could be a hung parliament, Shorten sought to reinvigorate the ALP campaign by revisiting attacks on the ­Coalition and its “allies” — the “top end of town”; “millionaires on the back of yachts”; tax dodgers; big banks; “people with six houses”; and “flat earthers”.

He chose a rousing speech to the Labor faithful in a highly orchestrated, controlled atmosphere with lots of applause, cheering and standing ovations but directed the message at young voters — the new battleground — in keeping with his theme of intergenerational theft and aware that early polling was favouring the Coalition.

Both sides are also aware of the unusually high rate of “undecideds” who will determine seats all over the country depending on which way they break tomorrow.

In western Sydney’s Blacktown where Whitlam launched his successful 1972 campaign, it was an event for the Labor base and ­designed to capture the evening television news as the political ­advertising blackout hit.

“On May 18th, we ask you to vote for new ideas, for new equality of opportunity. We ask you to vote for new purpose and new energy in a new decade,’’ Shorten said.

“And we ask you to vote for the new vision, the new stability and the new determination of a new Labor government.’’

But old scores were there to be settled with “big banks and big business, multinationals and tax minimisers, employers who rely on wage theft, real estate agents defending their commissions and polluters”.

This was a rousing, colourful event as Shorten identified with Whitlam’s vision for huge change as Labor offers the most radical agenda from an ­opposition in decades. The downside in such close identification is that Whitlam’s ­vision and crash-through approach led to a crash that will worry older Australians, although they seem to be a demographic in which the ALP has lost hope and is looking instead to build enthusiasm among younger voters.

More than 300km down the Hume Highway, Scott Morrison ended his formal campaign as he started — appealing for trust, offering hope for ­“decent, working” Australians and offering detailed support for his ­argument that good economic management is the answer for ­reducing debt and deficit, ensuring the funding of health and ­education.

In an adjustment to the themes and trends of the final days of the campaign, the Prime Minister moved to head off Shorten’s call of “It’s Time” by declaring now “is not the time for change” and enhancing his pitch to young voters.

Morrison has polished his message and delivery during the campaign and clearly believes trends are in the Coalition’s favour. As he set out his own ­experience as a young man during the “recession we had to have”, Morrison transferred his economic message for all voters into one for the young.

He described Labor’s promises to look at raising Newstart allowances as a “cruel hoax” and proffered the opportunity for a “good job” and indexed increases in the allowance while highlighting the Coalition’s policy of providing the means of first-home buyers to get a house with a 5 per cent deposit.

He declared his “passion” about people as he attacked Shorten’s tax plans as a threat to the economy. He obviously believes his message is working because he hasn’t changed one iota of the economic emphasis since he started five weeks ago.