Election 2022: John Howard happy to show them how to do it

John Howard has been on election campaigns for 68 years, yet at 82 he shows no signs of slowing down, visiting seats in every state except Tasmania.

John Howard makes an impression in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong while campaigning with Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday. Picture: Aaron Francis

John Howard has been on election campaigns for 68 years, longer than Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have been alive, yet at 82 he shows no signs of slowing down, visiting seats in every state except Tasmania.

The former prime minister is being dispatched to seats where he’s considered most effective. “I go where I am asked to go,” he said. “The least I can do is to help the Liberal Party during an election campaign. I owe everything I have achieved to the Liberal Party.”

He was speaking on Tuesday in Melbourne after helping Gladys Liu in the “tough seat” of Chisholm and Josh Frydenberg, who is under threat in Kooyong from “those so-called independents”.

“I’ve been involved campaigns for a very, very long time, but what is different about this one is that it is very hard to pick,” he said.

Mr Howard began campaigning a few weeks before the election was called. He has been to marginal Labor and Liberal seats as an attack weapon against ALP MPs and as a shield for ­Coalition candidates in tight contests.

Scott Morrison said Mr Howard was a “pillar of wisdom, strength and encouragement, untiring in his support – not just to me and Josh, but across our whole team”.

Mr Howard was asked to go to the Sydney seat of Parramatta where Liberals believe there is a chance the former adviser to Kevin Rudd, Andrew Charlton, could lose.

Despite the assumptions of a Labor victory in the South Australian seat of Boothby Mr Howard said he was impressed with the recognition factor of Liberal candidate Rachel Swift and would not be surprised to see a victory against the odds.

“Of all the new candidates she was better known on the street than anyone else,” he said.

On Tuesday he spent an hour with Ms Liu in Chisholm. “I got the impression it is going to be tough,” he said. “There’s no point in pretending otherwise. But she’s dug herself in as best she can.”

He was also with the Treasurer in Kooyong. “This election is different because we have had to campaign against these so-called independents and that’s why I am in Kooyong,” he said. “Normally you wouldn’t come to Kooyong, no disrespect to the people of ­Kooyong.”