FORTY days and forty nights. That’s the long and grinding timeline ahead for Australia’s 2022 federal election, with campaigning expect to be a tough battle throughout.
Just as in the Bible, 40 days is shorthand for “a long time” – the great flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness being tempted by the devil; and 40 days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to the ascension of Jesus.
As leader, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has witnessed not only floods, but fires and a pandemic, has spent time in the wilderness – he is lagging in the polls and in personal approval ratings because of his perceived bullying and attitude towards women – and may be praying for a political resurrection as he begins campaigning.
After visiting the governor general, allowing the 40-day campaign to begin, Mr Morrison headed to a marginal New South Wales seat that had been swept by the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20.
He admitted his government had not been perfect, but the choice was between a “government that you know and that has been delivering and a Labor opposition that you don’t”.
“This election is about you – no one else,” the PM said.
“It’s a choice between a strong economy and a Labor opposition that would weaken it.
“It’s a choice between an economic recovery that is leading the world and a Labor opposition that would weaken it and risk it.”
Notice the emphasis on choice and economic security. No mention by name of his opponent, Labor leader Anthony Albanese – who is ahead in the polls – and who the PM hopes Australian voters will consider as an unknown risk.
For Mr Albanese, the campaign task is shaping as a long struggle to keep pressure on the PM and making it a referendum on the Liberal-National Coalition government, that he maintains doesn’t deserve to be re-elected for a fourth term.
“Australians deserve better. This government doesn’t have an agenda for today, let alone a vision for tomorrow,” Mr Albanese told a media conference on Day 1 of campaigning in Sydney.
He said while he was anticipating a scare campaign about a change of government – saying “fear can be a powerful emotion” – he was hopeful he would appeal to a sense of optimism.
“If I have the honour of serving as your prime minister, I can promise you this: I will lead with integrity and I will treat you with respect.
“I will restore faith in our political system by getting rid of the waste and rorts, and establishing a strong anti-corruption commission.
“I won’t go missing when the going gets tough.
“I will lead a government that repays and rewards your hard work. A government that reflects the decency and compassion and courage of the Australian people.”
“I say to my fellow Australians, this is our time, our time to seize the opportunities that are before us, our time to create a better future where no one is held back and no one is left behind,” he said.
Cost of living pressures, circling national security threats and a renewed spotlight on climate change from devastating flooding are all current flashpoints for voters.
Which of these issues will dominate the next 40 days?
The head of Catholic Social Services Australia, Francis Sullivan said neither major party had demonstrated any clear and focused policies to alleviate the systemic plight of people living on the fringes.
Mr Sullivan referred to the entrenched poverty, loss of opportunity and inequality faced daily by nearly three million Australians.
“We should never forget these same people are our neighbours, our families and our friends who, because of misfortune or birthright, struggle when the rest of us are sharing in the benefits of our country’s prosperity,” he Sullivan said.
“In six weeks the Australian community will get to make a choice between one or other of the major parties that can demonstrate it is able and willing to address the long-term systemic causes of hardship and poverty that millions of Australians live with every day.
“The NDIS, social and emergency housing, domestic and family violence, the plight of Indigenous communities, entrenched poverty are all major challenges that should be front and centre of the policy agendas of both the Coalition and Labor.”
The St Vincent de Paul Society has raised similar concerns for Australians in real need.
After last week’s budget announcements, the Society’s national president Claire Victory expressed concerns for “band-aid solutions that won’t lift 774,00 Australian kids out of poverty and won’t help struggling families”.
“Housing is also a major issue – despite a $17.9 billion commitment to infrastructure there’s a lack of focus on the nation’s housing crisis, which the Government’s own National Infrastructure Plan 2021 identified as requiring significantly more investment,” Ms Victory said.
“As our members across Australia well know, cost of living pressures are rising rapidly.
“Affording healthy food, paying the rent and utility bills, and putting fuel in the car impact disproportionately on people who are already struggling day to day.
“While politicians tell us the unemployment rate is low, let’s remember that employment is defined as working one hour or more in the reference week.
“Under-employment, job insecurity and low wages are a huge issue for everyday Australians. At Vinnies we continually see the hardships this causes.”
To win the May 21 election either Labor or the Coalition will need to claim more than half the 151 seats in the Federal House of Representatives.
This means Labor would likely need to win at least seven further seats to form a majority government at the election.
The current makeup is 60 Liberal-held seats, 16 for the Nationals and 68 for Labor.
