Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes time on election call

Voters won’t be going to the polls until at least May 18, as Scott Morrison buys himself more time.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison grabs a beer while attending a Shute Shield rugby match in Sydney. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Australian voters won’t be going to the polls until at least May 18, as Scott Morrison buys himself more time to sell his economic and national security messages.

Labor has accused the Prime Minister of delaying a federal election in order to splurge on a further taxpayer-funded advertising.

Mr Morrison is not intending to visit the Governor General today and May 18 now appears to be the most likely date for a federal poll.

While the election will not be called today, Mr Morrison and Bill Shorten are expected to criss-cross around the country this week to sell their election messages.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg confirmed there would be government advertising running this week, but would not provide a figure on how much it will cost taxpayers.

“We’ll continue to spend on government advertising, just like the Labor Party spent $500 million on advertising,” he told ABC News today.

“Money is being spent in accordance with approved processes and that’s transparent. But what we won’t do is spend $100,000 like Labor did on three fake kitchens.

“There’s no haste. There’s no delay. We are confident in our budget plan and we are explaining that and unpacking that to the people of Australia. But Bill Shorten’s already measuring up the curtains in The Lodge, and my message to him is don’t go and buy the curtains.”

Opposition frontbencher Anthony Albanese said reports a May 11 poll date had been ruled due to disruption upcoming holidays would have on pre-polling were “just absurd.”

“The only reason why this is occurring is so that they continue their rollout of taxpayer-funded advertising, advertising in my electorate are paying for each and every day,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“They’ve spent $200m on taxpayer-funded advertising since January of last year, and they’re spending around $680,000 a day on advertising.

“And what are they advertising? They are advertising infrastructure that they’re not actually building, they’re advertising tax cuts that they’re not actually delivering. and education that they’re not actually providing support for. This is a farce.”

.@AlboMP: The idea that the govt hasn't called the election for May 11 because pre-polling three weeks beforehand is on a public holiday is absurd.

MORE: https://t.co/XNPZ9AXrBy #SpeersOnSunday pic.twitter.com/DF4lWlhufA

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 6, 2019

A delay of one week will also allow the Coalition to continue making a range of important decisions before the election forces the government into caretaker mode, including signing off on the long-awaited environmental assessment on the Adani coal mine.

The Australian revealed last week that Environment Department officials had rubber-stamped the groundwater management plan for the mine on Monday.

But the government will be faced to endure another week of Senate estimates, where Labor is likely to attack the Coalition on a range of issues.

“All these guys (reporters) think I’m going to Canberra in the morning,” Mr Morrison told onlookers at the first grade rugby union season opener in his Sydney seat of Cook on Saturday.

Great fun at the 1st grade rugby union season opener in my home electorate of Cook this afternoon. Enjoyed meeting all the kids & their families there. pic.twitter.com/9br5SW2dni

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 6, 2019

Despite the delay, Liberal strategists and staff have begun arriving at their campaign headquarters in Brisbane while Labor staffers are setting up their base in Parramatta in western Sydney.

Voters will continue to be bombarded with government advertising, with 15 campaigns approved by an independent board since January at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of $47 million.

The delay will also allow candidates to roll out taxpayer-funded material promoting tax cuts, road and rail spending and a one-off payment covering power bills of pensioners and welfare recipients.

Bill Shorten says Labor is ready for whenever Mr Morrison calls the election. The Labor leader told reporters in Launceston the government had given up governing.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the election timing was up to the prime minister. “It will be made in due course. An election will soon be upon us, but the contest will be very clear,” he said.

Mr Morrison attended an NRL match on Saturday night which his team the Cronulla Sharks lost to the Parramatta Eels 12-24.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison cheers on the Sharks at ANZ Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

He’s expected to attend his local church on Sunday.

An average of opinion polls puts Labor ahead of the coalition 53-47 on a two- party preferred basis, which would deliver Mr Shorten a comfortable majority. Half the Senate is up for re-election, with a number of crossbenchers expected to lose their seats while the major parties consolidate their numbers. Meanwhile, the Liberal National Party preselected marketing expert Angie Bell as its candidate for the safe Gold Coast seat of Moncrieff, being vacated by former minister Steve Ciobo.

Advertising the advance guard

Labor’s election attack ads will be rolled out this weekend as the cashed-up party kicks off its election campaign.

The opposition campaign headquarters in Parramatta, western Sydney, will be set up this weekend, including its central planning unit and travelling party ahead of next month’s election.

Sources say the party is focusing on hyper-local advertising in regional TV markets and on social media platforms in marginal seats, specifically in Queensland regional centres including Townsville and on the NSW south coast.

Facebook advertisements being launched on Bill Shorten’s page and seen by The Weekend Australian focus on government cuts to schools and hospitals.

The graphic invites users to “like” Mr Shorten’s Facebook page if they support Labor’s plan to “invest in more beds, doctors and nurses”, “deliver new Medicare-funded MRI machines to the suburbs and regions”, “stop the Liberals’ cuts to Medicare”, “support better schools, not bigger tax loopholes for the top end of town”and“reverse cuts to penalty rates”.

Labor’s coffers have grown significantly in the past week after nearly 500 people attended its $1700-a-head budget reply dinner in Canberra on Thursday. It’s thought to be the biggest fundraiser ever thrown by a Labor ­opposition.

Sources say Labor plans to focus a large part of its spend on pre-roll video ads and catch-up TV, which are cheaper than regular television advertising and provide a captured audience.

Unlike social media, where users tend to scroll past still advertisements, users can’t fast forward or skip most video ads.

Coalition sources were coy about the party’s campaign plans, saying only that an advertising campaign would be ready to go soon after the election was called.

The Weekend Australian understands the Coalition has significantly less money to spend in marginal seats, where MPs predict big spending by Labor, the unions and left-wing lobby group GetUp.

As well as traditional ad spends, Liberal campaign sources say there is a beefed up digital team planned for its headquarters.

The Prime Minister earlier this week joined Snapchat and in February created an account on Chinese social media giant WeChat.

Liberals say the PM’s increase in social media since January shows the party’s messaging is cutting through. The PM has nearly 81,500 fewer likes than Mr Shorten on Facebook, but in the past week he has nudged ahead on Instagram, hitting 40,000 followers.

- with Alice Workman