Welcome to your weekly election wrap
As the 2022 Federal Election gets underway, we’re introducing our special election e-newsletter series to keep you updated and informed about all the key issues. From major policy announcements to key seat analysis, you’ll have all the information you need as the campaign evolves.
In this edition:
- Who went where: Leader’s diary
- Labor refocuses on health after rocky start
- PM sells his record on jobs and the economy
Who went where: Leaders’ diary
Having called the election on Sunday, the Prime Minister started the official first day of the campaign in the bushfire-affected marginal seat of Gilmore on the NSW South Coast before focusing on marginal seats in Western Sydney – a key target area for both the Government and Opposition.
He made a stop in Geelong on Wednesday, where Liberal candidate Stephanie Asher is trying to win back the seat of Corangamite for the Liberals.
Next stop was Tasmania, a state that performed strongly for the Liberal Party in 2019 and where it is expected the PM will spend a significant amount of time.
He stopped briefly in Melbourne for Good Friday (a non-campaigning day for both Leaders), before spending the weekend at home in Sydney.
The Leader of the Opposition chose to kick off Labor’s campaign in Tasmania, where he spent two days campaigning with Labor candidates hoping to pick up one of the Liberals’ marginal seats.
He was in Melbourne on Wednesday to address the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, before heading to the Hunter Valley in NSW where Labor is focused on hanging onto seats which swung heavily to the Coalition in 2019.
Albanese then made his way to Queensland, where he saw out the week in the Cairns-based seat of Leichhardt. Held by the Coalition’s Warren Entsch, Labor is hopeful of securing an upset win here with second-time candidate Elida Faith.
Labor refocuses on health after rocky start
The Leader of the Opposition had a less-than-ideal start to the campaign, after failing to answer basic economic questions from the travelling press pack on day one in Tasmania.
While Labor has downplayed the fact Albanese couldn’t recall the national unemployment rate or official cash rate, the Coalition seized on the mistake to bolster their argument that the long time MP is ill-prepared to be Prime Minister.
With Albanese’s economic credentials under pressure, on Tuesday the Labor campaign tried unsuccessfully to steer the narrative back to traditional Labor issues such as health, announcing changes to Medicare-subsidised regional telehealth services.
The Leader of the Opposition then fronted an adoring crowd of nurses and midwives in Melbourne on Wednesday to announce that a Labor Government would establish 50 Urgent Care Clinics, designed to ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.
Labor’s campaign moved on to the Hunter on Thursday, where Albanese announced the first of their Urgent Care Clinics at Cessnock in retiring MP Joel Fitzgibbon’s seat.
After a day off campaigning to observe Good Friday, the Leader of the Opposition was back on the hustings in Far North Queensland on Saturday, focusing on climate change and government integrity. He announced a Labor Government would legislate a National Anti-Corruption Commission before the end of the year – a policy central to their pre-election pitch to voters but one that’s unlikely to sway votes in key seats such as Leichhardt in Cairns.
Labor’s health spokesperson Mark Butler was sent out on Easter Sunday to sell Labor’s Urgent Care Clinics policy, which has come under some criticism from the health sector for lack of detail and consultation. He defended the announcement of clinics in marginal NSW and Tasmanian seats and said the centres would be allocated to areas of highest need, in consultation with the Department and Primary Health Networks.
PM sells his record on jobs and the economy
Gifted a dream start to the Coalition’s re-election campaign after Albanese’s missteps on day one, the PM spent Monday and Tuesday with candidates in marginal NSW seats talking up his Government’s record on economic management and employment.
He pledged the creation of a further 1.3 million jobs over the next five years should the Coalition be re-elected, while committing to further Commonwealth assistance for the NSW flood recovery.
Wednesday’s fuel security announcement in Geelong was a chance for the PM to spruik his cost of living package and position the Government as defenders of Australia’s sovereignty.
In Tasmania, the focus was on government support for the forestry industry – a crucial industry and major employer in the island state. The PM’s Tasmanian itinerary was cut short after a car accident involving his security team, and he was back in Melbourne on Friday to attend Good Friday services.
In Sydney on Saturday, the PM paid a visit to the Royal Easter Show to announce support for agricultural shows and field days, before an Easter Sunday visit to a children’s hospital to commit $270m to make diabetes treatment more affordable which was quickly matched by Labor.
The announcement was made alongside the PM’s pick for Health Minister should the Coalition be returned to Government, with Senator Anne Ruston to replace the retiring Greg Hunt.