Shorten divides to conquer in class-warfare attacks

Bill Shorten has intensified his attack on retirees, property investors, and big business.

Bill Shorten delivers his final major campaign speech in Sydney’s Blacktown yesterday. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten has intensified his ­attack on retirees, property investors, big business and the wealthy in a speech on the eve of the election, as both sides warned of a tightening contest in an ­implicit message to voters not to deliver the third minority government in Australia in just 10 years.

In a rally cry designed to lock in Labor’s base, with an estimated 10 per cent of voters yet to decide who they will support, the Opposition Leader used his final campaign pitch to a gathering of party faithful to draw even greater contrast between Labor and the “vested interests” of the Liberal Party.

But it was deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek who launched the most strident assault on those she described as “tax dodgers” and multiple homeowners.

“In the end it comes down to this: who do you want to see celebrating on Saturday night?” Ms Plibersek asked of the crowd at the same hall where Gough Whitlam delivered his historic “It’s Time” address.

“Will it be the big banks and tax dodgers, or teachers and nurses? Will it be people who own six houses already, or young couples buying their first home. Will it be the people who want a refund on tax they haven’t paid, or pensioners who need dental care?

“Who do we want to win the day on Saturday? The sceptics, the deniers, the flat earthers when it comes to climate change or the farmers and the families who want to protect our environment?”

Mr Shorten used his speech to accuse the Coalition of being ­“servants to the same vested interests”, including big banks, tax minimisers, employers who “rely on exploitation and wage theft as a business model”, “real estate agents sponsoring scare campaigns to defend their commissions”, multinationals and polluters who “prefer to pocket a payment than clean-up their act”.

Scott Morrison used his official pre-election speech to argue now was not time to change government and took a swipe at Mr Shorten’s reference to the Whitlam era.

“Let me tell you what it’s time for,” the Prime Minister told the National Press Club in Canberra.

“It’s time to create 1.25 million new jobs and that’s what our economic plan outlines. It’s time to see 250,000 more small and family businesses created in this country … It’s time to continue to deliver the tax relief that Australians deserve.

If Australians give me an ­opportunity on Saturday, they can be absolutely assured that I will burn for you every day, every ­single day, so you can achieve your ambitions, your aspirations, your desires.”

A senior Liberal strategist said last night the contest was now “hand-to-hand” combat in a handful of marginal seats across the country. With no issue galvanising the nation behind one side or the other, Coalition and Labor campaign teams have moved resources into a dozen or so seats that are being fought on a range of different issues. “It is quite unusual,” the Liberal strategist said.

“Rather than a tale of two cities, it’s more like a tale of seven cities.”

Senior Labor frontbenchers have admitted publicly this week that Labor could be limited to forming only minority government as the polls point to a tightening race. Coalition officials believe that its best chance of retaining power would likely be as a minority government.

Mr Morrison attempted to shift from negative campaigning to a positive vision for the future ­underpinned by his $500 million first-home buyers scheme.

Mr Shorten was last night preparing to ­campaign in Brisbane today, with key southeast Queensland seats — including Brisbane, Petrie, Forde and Longman — considered in play. Mr Morrison yesterday unveiled $500,000 in funding for an indoor cricket training centre in the marginal seat of Longman, held on a margin of 0.8 per cent by Labor’s Susan Lamb.