Scott Morrison makes virtue of poll rout, calls out Bill Shorten

PM Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives Chamber, Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Scott Morrison has chosen his first day of minority government to declare to Bill Shorten that the next election is going to be a “choice between me and you!”

In a parliamentary moment akin to Paul Keating’s threat to “do” John Hewson slowly and John Howard’s 2004 election call on voters to “trust” either him or Mark Latham, the Prime Minister sought to turn a devastating Victorian state election rout and an equally devastating Newspoll into a rallying call.

Facing the risk of defeat on the floor of parliament, confused messages over a national integrity commission, panic within Victorian Liberal ranks and continued Labor ascendancy in Newspoll, Morrison liken himself to the victorious Daniel Andrews — a “preferred leader” with a strong economy who is spending big on infrastructure. The Prime Minister also decided to make an issue of voter dissatisfaction with Shorten.

Turning the next election into a personal, presidential campaign has two challenges for Morrison: he cannot rely solely on personal standing but must create a broad strategy based on policy; and two, Shorten knows his unpopularity is factored in to the ALP vote, which is 10 points clear of the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis.