Scott Morrison goes bowling for a marginal seat

Scott Morrison has given a full day to campaigning with Sarah Henderson in the marginal seat of Corangamite.

Scott Morrison campaigns in Torquay with Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson, at the Torquay Bowls Club. Picture: Gary Ramage

Liberal MP Sarah Henderson, who holds a seat so marginal it is notionally Labor’s, has just five business days left to convince voters of Corangamite she should be re-elected before pre-polling opens, in what is shaping up to be one of the Coalition’s toughest fights.

Scott Morrison yesterday dedicated a full day to campaigning with Ms Henderson in Corangamite, southwest of Melbourne, attending a seniors forum in Drysdale, dropping in to an aged-care home in Grovedale and ending the afternoon at the waterside Torquay bowling club.

For the first time in the campaign, he donned a baseball cap and was happy to take off his shoes in Torquay to try his hand at bowls.

The Prime Minister was rather pleased with the result after hitting the jack — even if a little too hard — but failed to sink a pool ball in a game against aged-care residents at Luson The Vue earlier in the day.

Victorian Liberal sources said Ms Henderson could win the seat but acknowledged there were only 100 votes between it being Liberal or Labor after a redistribution shrunk her margin from 3.13 per cent to -0.03 per cent.

It would take a “huge effort” to withstand a statewide swing but Ms Henderson was viewed positively by voters in party research.

Once pre-poll opens on April 29 the party wants Ms Henderson at booths every day because that was the best point of sale with ­voters.

Mr Morrison used the seniors forum at the Springdale Community Centre to launch an election scare campaign over Labor’s franking credits crackdown, warning self-funded retirees Bill Shorten was coming after Australians’ money — starting with them.

Over-65s made up more than 30 per cent of Corangamite at the 2016 census.

Mr Morrison was given an easy time by attendees, with many of them Liberal Party members.

Ms Henderson’s office sent out an invitation to the event and flyers were also posted around the electorate.

“Every time Bill Shorten runs out of money in his own pocket he comes after the money in yours and he’s starting with you, he’s started with self-funded retirees,” Mr Morrison said.

“Fifty thousand pensioners (will be) hit by Labor’s retiree tax, not just self-funded retirees, not just those in self-managed super funds, I mean they’re getting hit by more than $10,000, but the average is about $2300 for all of those impacted.”