PM’s pitch: young win with a strong economy

Young Australians have been put at the centre of Scott Morrison’s election pitch in his first set piece of the campaign.

Amalia Glastonbury, 12 months, wasn’t swallowing the Morrison manifesto in Brisbane yesterday. Mum Sophie was more impressed. Picture: Gary Ramage

Young Australians have been put at the centre of Scott Morrison’s election pitch, amid warnings the nation would be unable to combat youth suicide, eating disorders, and online bullying without a strong economy.

In the battleground state of Queensland, where the Prime Minister spent yesterday trying to sandbag the marginal Liberal seat of Petrie and the safer seat of Brisbane, Mr Morrison preached to the Liberal National Party faithful in what was effectively a soft campaign launch.

To a crowd that included wife Jenny and daughters Abbey, 11, and Lily, 9, Mr Morrison declared: “We have a big fight ahead of us, a very big fight ahead of us.

“We are so up for this because we know what’s at stake. Yes it’s the future for all Australians but the Australians I’m thinking of most I’ve got to tell you are these Australians, young Australians.

“For these young Australians I’m making this pledge, that we will build our economy to secure your future because people matter.”

Using a wireless mic as he walked around the stage, Mr Morrison said the Coalition formed government in 2013 with a “climate deficit” of 700 million abatement tonnes behind the Kyoto 2020 target, but had turned that around by 1.1 billion tonnes.

After failing to mention climate change in his opening campaign press conference, Mr Morrison told supporters to reject claims the Liberal and National parties were not investing in the environment.

“We are. We don’t just talk about it. We get it done,” he said. “We know that to take action on climate change doesn’t mean you have to take your economy out ­either at the same time. You don’t have to choose between your economy and your environment. You don’t have to choose between your job and the environment. You don’t have to choose between your car and the environment. You can have all of these things and we can’t allow Australians to be lulled into that lie which says you can’t.”

Mr Morrison singled out policies to help young Australians with eating disorders and combat youth suicide as key Coalition measures that would be achieved only with a strong economy.

He also pledged 250,000 of the 1.25 million extra jobs he planned to create in the next five years would be for young people, as he announced 10 new industry training hubs in regional areas with high youth unemployment.

A group of young people was strategically placed behind Mr Morrison for the TV cameras on an elevated stage with posters reading “lower taxes”, “better services”, “better roads”, “secure borders”, “more jobs”.

Mr Morrison’s appeal to young voters and their parents is aimed at countering Bill Shorten’s campaign to woo the youth vote.

In his budget reply speech, ­the Opposition Leader said intergenerational fairness must include “real action” on ­climate change.

Special guests at the Queensland rally included deputy Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg; cabinet ministers Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash, Karen Andrews and Peter Dutton; Nationals acting president and vice-president David Hutchinson and Michael O’Dwyer.