Election 2022: Leaders trade barbs over ‘scaremongering’

Scott Morrison has labelled Labor’s scare campaign about the cashless pension card ‘despicable’, but Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his comments.

Anthony Albanese on the attack at Tritium e-technology manufacturers in Murarrie, Brisbane, on Tuesday. Picture: Toby Zerna

Scott Morrison has accused Labor of running a scare campaign about the cashless debit card, labelling it “despicable’’ and a “complete and utter lie” but Anthony Albanese has doubled down on claims the government would extend the scheme to capture pensioners.

Entering its second week, the federal election campaign became bogged down in mud-slinging, with the Coalition and Labor each accusing the other of waging scare campaigns and telling lies.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister said the opposition had embarked on a telephone offensive to frighten senior citizens after Labor said the cashless debit card would be expanded to pensioners if the Morrison government were re-elected.

The ALP has based its accu­sations on a comment by Social Services Minister Anne Ruston, who said in 2020 “we are seeking to put all income management on the universal platform’’.

Mr Morrison struck out at Labor’s accusations and called on the Opposition Leader and opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers to show integrity.

“Anthony Albanese needs to come clear on this. He needs to rule this out, because it is not true,” Mr Morrison said in Perth. “Jim Chalmers, good old Sneaky Jim. He’s the one who’s been telling the lies. It was Jimmy Chalmers yesterday who was out pedalling this lie seeking to scare pensioners.”

Council of the Ageing chief executive Ian Yates said he had contacted Mr Albanese and the ALP to express concern about the tone of the debate after receiving assurance from Mr Morrison and Senator Ruston the cards would not be expanded to pensioners.

The opposition accused Energy Minister Angus Taylor of running a government scare campaign about the costings for the ALP’s energy policy.

Morrison government modelling reported on Tuesday estimated the cost of Labor’s plan to fast-track new poles and wires would add $560 to the average annual power bill by 2030.

Mr Albanese dismissed the analysis. “Angus Taylor can’t say what it’s based upon in interviews he’s given this morning. We did the hard yards on that,” the Labor leader said.

Labor’s climate and energy spokesman Chris Bowen said the government’s claim was “just the latest in more than a decade of climate scare campaigns from the Liberals.’’

“Labor’s climate and energy politics, including our plan to rewire Australia’s ageing electricity grid, have been modelled – not by Labor, but by the country’s top energy economists, RepuTex,” Mr Bowen said. “RepuTex finds that Rewiring the Nation will cut power prices by delivering the experts’ ­blueprint for the grid more cheaply, and by bringing low-cost renewables into the grid more quickly.”

Mr Chalmers slammed the ­figures as “dodgy numbers from a dodgy minister in a dodgy government … Angus Taylor has been forced into another absolutely humiliating admission today that the numbers he cooked up and put in the papers are complete and utter rubbish.”

Mr Albanese warned the government not to underestimate him, declaring he had been “underestimated my whole life … I haven’t got a leg up. I have fought for everything that I have got.”