Crikey Campaign Scorecard: fear and loathing in Australia

WHO WON THE DAY?

Bernard Keane, Crikey politics editor: A mixed day for both sides. Labor’s Medicare lie is coming under increasing pressure, but it’s a bit like boats for the Coalition — as long as people are talking about health, Labor will be happy. And speaking of boats, they duly made an appearance via a concerted Coalition-News Corp (to the extent that they should any longer be regarded as separate) asylum seeker story. But Nine’s Lane Calcutt shoved a knife into the latter on Nine’s evening bulletin, noting how odd it was that suddenly the Coalition wanted to talk about boat arrivals. Such media scepticism toward the scare campaigns of both sides is very welcome. Scott Morrison’s disgusting equation of criticism of himself with homophobic bigotry, however, might have tipped the scales to a slight Labor win. Go back into witness protection, Treasurer — every time you venture out, you damage your political prospects yet further.

Jane Caro, author, social commentator and communications consultant: Both parties are running scare campaigns, but that’s a win for Labor. Malcolm dragging out the (cue scary music played on dog whistles here) boats smacks of fear (God, I might lose!). Bill resuscitating the privatisation of Medicare smacks of hope (shit, I might win!). And it’s showing. Bill looks like the cat that swallowed the cream — win or lose he has done well, while Malcolm looks terrible & the cold he is struggling with makes him look like the strain is getting to him. However, the real loser yesterday was Scomo. He takes the Grand Prix in this election so far (and it’s a highly competitive field) for the most self-revealing stuff-up. His attempt to claim equality of victimhood as a straight white male due to his religious beliefs with LGBTI Australians was gobsmacking in its ignorance, arrogance & insensitivity. Social media is having a field day at his expense for which he has no one to blame but himself.

Dr Zareh Ghazarian, political scientist, author and media commentator: The steam seems to have gone out of the campaign, but Penny Wong and Scott Morrison did their best to get the same-sex marriage plebiscite discussion back onto the agenda.

Dr Dennis Glover, veteran Labor speechwriter and fellow of Per Capita think tank: There’s something about the demeanour of the Prime Minister that suggests this is closer than the Liberal Party is letting on. The fact that Turnbull is prepared to trash his small-L liberal brand with another boat people scare campaign, especially after the race issue led to a political murder in Britain last week, shows he is at least a little bit worried. On the Medicare scare, will anyone believe the AMA’s claim yesterday that letting bankers get their mitts on the money stream at Medicare isn’t a softly-softly version of privatisation? In all my dealings with hospitals and doctors I have never once had to pay a single dollar for public treatment or chase up a rebate. Never. My American friends can’t believe it. ‘Don’t change a thing!’ they say. The current system works. But I do know bankers who will be laughing at the public’s credulity over letting them inside the hospitals. The problem for Labor is that it seldom wins elections where ‘saving Medicare’ is the top issue. This all reminds me a bit of 2001 without all the drama.

CASH TRACKER

It was the Nationals who had the big say in today’s spending, while Labor continues to catch its breath with another quiet day.

Coalition: 

• $240 million to boost agricultural viability.

Labor:

• Nada.

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Malcolm Turnbull: The PM is cashing in on the Victorian government’s dispute with the CFA by campaigning in the marginal seat of Corangamite, which was in Labor’s sights at the start of the election, but he now looks set to remain with the Coalition’s Sarah Henderson. Turnbull joined Henderson at a breakfast meeting with CFA volunteers, where he vowed to amend the Fair Work Act if returned to government, and was in turn told by a CFA member that they would be supporting him this election. He then headed to Geelong manufacturing business Quickstep Technologies to announce an investment package to support local jobs, as well as attack Labor’s record on border protection.

Bill Shorten: The Labor leader got up early for a morning run about Sydney Harbour before jumping on a plane to Adelaide, where he put South Australian jobs at the top of the agenda. He was much quieter about Medicare than he has been over the last few days, although other Labor figures have claimed children’s vaccination records will be sold off to private providers under a Liberal government. He also paid a visit to rail maintenance yards with Labor frontbencher Kate Ellis in her in her seat of Adelaide. South Australia could prove crucial to Shorten, with the Coalition expected to lose seats there, but whether it’s Labor or Nick Xenophon’s candidates that picks them up remains to be seen.

The Greens: Richard Di Natale was on ABC’s Radio National breakfast program where he told Fran Kelly of the need for stronger regulation around political donations. He said the Greens would act to change the rules around transparency and disclosure to ensure we avoid potential corruption from wealthy interest groups who donate to campaign funds. Di Natale will speak at the National Press Club this afternoon.

INDEPENDENT. ALWAYS.

Independent Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie has increased his attacks on Agriculture Minister and Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce. Wilkie has renewed calls for a ban on live exports in the wake of a report on last night’s ABC 7.30 program into the conditions on cattle export ships. He labelled Joyce as a “sadist” and called the people who control live export “monsters”.

Back to Victoria, and things still look pretty rosy for independent MP Cathy McGowan, who is having a charmed run during this campaign and looks set to firmly ensconce herself in the rural seat of Indi. After defeating Liberal Sophie Mirabella in a knife-edge vote in 2013, McGowan has opened a small but solid lead in recent polling. A frustrated Mirabella vented to Jon Faine on ABC radio, saying that she felt the audience at a recent community event was stacked against her.

ISENTIA DAILY LEADER INDEX

It was a clear win for Turnbull yesterday, TV and radio giving him a big edge over Shorten, but social media was a much tighter affair.

ZINGER OF THE DAY

MALSPLAIN OF THE DAY

WHERE’S TONY?

Tuesday’s scorecard reported that Tony Abbott is set to return to the frontbench and take the defence portfolio should the Coalition be successful in next week’s election. Now he’s come out and given the strongest indication that he will be back in the cabinet room: Sky News’ Andrew Bolt asked him directly if he was eyeing off the portfolio and he did everything except deny it. He also said he disagreed with Malcolm Turnbull’s recent use of the term”invasion” to describe white colonisation of Australia, saying he preferred the term “settlement”. Although he added a new word to the debate, saying he would also use “occupation”. Abbott’s frontbench chances suffered a fair blow this morning when Malcolm Turnbull told reporters he had no intention to change the ministry after the election.

#SCOMOPHOBIA 

Treasurer Scott Morrison delivered a powerful message about the abuse and bigotry he suffers in his role as a member of the elite political establishment. Morrison was responding to Labor Senator Penny Wong, who said that the proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage would lead to a proliferation of homophobic material.

“I understand the concern that Penny is raising I know it from personal experience, having been exposed to that hatred and bigotry for the views I’ve taken from others who have a different view to me.”

Morrison felt the sting of bullying only last year when alumni from his former school, Sydney Boys’ High, tried to have him uninvited from a fundraising event. They wrote a really nasty letter where they called him a human rights abuser and an embarrassment. Kids can be so cruel, Scott. Just remember, sticks and stones may break my bones, but accusations of condoning torture will never hurt me. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann was asked on Sky News if he’d suffered the same sort of bigotry or abuse as his Liberal counterpart. Probably sensing a soundbite in the making, he gave a much more bland, but much safer response.

BELLWETHERS LEADING US ASTRAY?

Recent polls suggest the bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro (held by every government since 1972) and its little brother Lindsay (held by every government since it was created in 1984) could be heading back to Labor on July 2. The Channel Seven ReachTEL polling puts Labor ahead 55-45 in Eden-Monaro and 54-46 in Lindsay, which would have Liberal insiders worried. Despite the numbers, most experts seem to think Bill Shorten is set to repeat Kim Beazley’s 1998 effort of winning the popular vote but failing to get the required number of seats to win the election.

THE SHIPS OF FEAR SAIL ON

Stop the boats and you’ll stop the votes — from swinging to Labor. The government, feeling the pinch after Labor’s “Mediscare” campaign, have drawn on their “old faithful”, and started to squeeze Labor’s border security pressure point. Malcolm Turnbull and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton both held press conferences to announce an asylum seeker boat had been intercepted and returned to Vietnam.

Dutton went on to remind Australians to remain vigilant about border protection and warned of the weaker policies a “divided” Labor government might bring. Since then, a picture appeared on the Facebook page of a group that opposes anti-bikie laws, which showed a number of bikies holding “Put the LNP last” signs outside Peter Dutton’s office. He quickly linked the bikies to the CFMEU and the Labor Party who he says are co-ordinating these protests.

THERE’S NO FAKING IT

Labor has countered the Liberal Party’s obviously fake, yet somehow also real, tradie with their very own blue-collar Aussie battler. Mark Hadley is a 50-year-old tradie who lost more than $200,000 in failed investments, which he told Bill Shorten was due to dodgy financial advice. Labor presented Hadley’s story to the media as part of their campaign for a royal commission into banking and financial institutions.

DJ ALBO ON THE DECKS

Cans of Melbourne Bitter were flowing at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne last night as senior Labor MP and former deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese cranked some rock anthems by Skyhooks and Iggy Pop to an adoring and eclectic crowd. It was good of Albo to take time out of his campaigning to attend the event, which was a fundraiser for the charity orgainisation Reclink. No word yet on whether the dispatch box in the House of Representatives will be replaced by Albo’s mixing desk, but we can hope.

GAFFE OF THE DAY

Liberal Party officials were quick to apologise to Lucy Turnbull for inappropriately using her position as the head of the Greater Western Sydney Commission to promote a Liberal Party fundraiser. She co-hosted the event, a $3000-a-head fundraiser, with Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash. Lucy Turnbull’s role is supposed to be completely separate from any political involvement or influence so party officials were also quick to assure all concerned that the money raised would be donated to charity. Note to the organisers: pissing off the boss’ wife isn’t generally a winning strategy.

QUIRK OF THE DAY

Most people kiss babies or pat dogs, but Barnaby does things his own way.

TWEET OF THE DAY

He kinda sounds like one, too.

TL;DR

Turnbull was in Geelong to try and cash in on the Victorian government’s dispute with the CFA and tell everyone that people smugglers will be back in business under Labor. Shorten went to Adelaide and talked Medicare again. Di Natale had his turn speaking at the National Press Club.