A knock on the Governor General’s door at the crack of dawn, a quick conversation with Sir Peter Cosgrove and Prime Minister Scott Morrison emerges to announce a federal election.
This morning I visited the Governor-General to advise him to call an election on 18 May. pic.twitter.com/jEunOOBxwR
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 10, 2019
So, Australians will go to the polls on 18 May after Mr Morrison dissolved the 46th Parliament.
He formally announced the election date in the forecourt of Parliament House at 8.30am.
.@ScottMorrisonMP: This morning I visited the Governor-General here in Canberra and he accepted my advice for an election to be held on 18 May.
MORE: https://t.co/OpL8k5vCsb #AusVotes19 pic.twitter.com/oeDx3UmmUl
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 10, 2019
Is his party ready for the uphill battle many are predicting?
The Liberals are behind Labor in the latest Newspoll, but believe that by limiting expected losses in Victoria and targeting on-the-fence voters in NSW and Tasmania, they may still have a shot at winning.
It’s a big ask. Labor needs just seven seats to form a government.
Based on current numbers, Labor may pick up around 10 seats – more than enough to claim a majority in the House of Representatives.
However, ALP strategists aren’t expecting the landslide some have predicted.
The hot tip was that the PM would call the election last Sunday. Labor claims the Government put off that announcement so it could legally use taxpayer funds to pay for advertising policies.
Labor may be on to something. Mr Morrison has landed the first electioneering punch with his first taxpayer-funded Liberal Party election advertisement, My vision for Australia, released last night.
He has called on Australians to look forward a decade, rather than focusing on the present.
“The real question is, what country do you want to live in for the next 10 years?” Mr Morrison says in the advertisement.
“It has taken us 12 years to get the budget back on track. You change the Government, you change the course of the country, and it takes a long time to get it back on track.”
The message from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is blunt and to the point.
“Six years of instability, six years, three prime ministers. Time’s up,” he said.
Both parties seem to be focused on the economy, as well as pushing tax cuts and spending on healthcare and infrastructure. But as we’ve already reported, older Australians are largely being ignored. Almost four in 10 respondents to our Friday Flash Poll: Who do you trust? say they feel ignored by both parties, but concede that healthcare is the one area that may sway their vote.
Which policies would you like to see each party take to the Federal Election? Tell us in the comments below.
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