Election 2022: Don’t underestimate Scott Morrison, says Bill Shorten
The former ALP leader says Labor must learn the lessons of the last election ... don’t underestimate Scott Morrison as a campaigner or take the result for granted.
Bill Shorten says Labor must learn the lessons of the last election not to underestimate Scott Morrison as a campaigner or take the result for granted, as he put aside past disagreements and declared he and Anthony Albanese shared a mutual respect as leaders past and present.
“The key lesson for Labor is: don’t underestimate Scott Morrison and don’t count your chickens until they are hatched,” Mr Shorten told The Australian in an exclusive interview.
“We enter this election, according to the polls, ahead of (the Coalition) and I would just keep doing what we are doing.”
The former Labor leader said he had left his differences with Mr Albanese in the past, there was now “mutual respect” between the two, he welcomed being asked for advice and he was eager to again be a minister in a Labor government.
“We had our differences when we ran against each other for leader of the party in 2013 but I believe there is mutual respect,” Mr Shorten said. “We both have Labor’s best interests at heart. Very few people know what it’s like to lead the Labor Party and we are in that club together.
“I’m on Team Labor and I want Anthony Albanese to be the next prime minister of Australia. Our core message is a good message for Australia: a better future, not leaving anyone behind, more secure jobs. I think our fundamental economic formula is pretty sound, so just stick at it.”
Since Mr Albanese succeeded Mr Shorten as Labor leader after the 2019 election, the two have met a few times for one-on-one talks about policy and strategy. They recently had a more relaxed discussion over dinner on Valentine’s Day and talked about their families and fitness regimes.
“They have been good meetings,” Mr Shorten said. “He occasionally has been good enough to ask about my experience as a former leader and any insights. We have a very strong topic in common that is the failings of Scott Morrison so they have been very constructive discussions.”
As a former leader, Mr Shorten hopes to be a sounding board in government like Jim Scullin was for John Curtin in the 1940s and play a key role in government like Bill Hayden played for Bob Hawke in the 1980s. Simon Crean, another former opposition leader, served as a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
“John Curtin lent upon Jim Scullin and I think Scullin stayed another 16 years after he was prime minister,” he said.
“(Alexander) Downer served (John) Howard as foreign minister. And Bill Hayden is a perfect example. The point about former leader roles is that constructively they can add a level of experience to a government.”
Mr Shorten served as Labor’s leader from 2013 to 2019 and has been the party’s spokesman for the NDIS and government services since the last election. He is keen to hold the portfolio in government and ensure Australians living with a disability are involved in the “co-design” of any changes to the scheme.
“I would love to continue the work from opposition into government about getting the NDIS back on track,” he said. “I’m very committed. We are going to unveil our disability policy soon. It is now a $23bn scheme with 503,000 people receiving packages. It is one of the few areas where the commonwealth is in direct service delivery.”
The comments from Mr Shorten come after the death of his close friend and colleague Kimberley Kitching, and concern about how she was treated within Labor’s Victorian branch, which had not re-endorsed her preselection, and by Labor’s Senate leadership.
“I know if she were here with us still, all her energy and activism and enthusiasm and the powerful force of her personality would have been dedicated to a Labor victory in May,” Mr Shorten said at her funeral. “Kimberley would want everyone in her Labor family to channel their grief, gather their strength and move onwards from here together.”
The eulogy was widely interpreted within Labor as drawing a line under party division.
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