Hello, and welcome to the very first of our campaign catchups – basically our take on what is important and what has happened – good, bad and ugly – on the election trail every day.
In a nutshell
Thursday is an unusual day to kick off an election campaign, but the good news is we got there. Finally. Fin-ally.
The sun came up. Scott Morrison drove to Government House. Eight minutes after arriving, he departed, and less than an hour later, set out the Coalition’s re-election platform, announcing the nation would head to the polls on 18 May.
Shortly after that, he was on the road in western Sydney, in one of the NSW Labor seats the Liberals are hopeful of winning. Morrison’s election pep talk was very much focussed on the Coalition plan for Australia as a whole, with the economy front and centre. “We live in the best country in the world,” he said from the prime minister’s courtyard in Parliament House.
“But to secure your future, the road ahead depends on a strong economy. And that’s why there is so much at stake at this election”. All on the talking points. Gold star from campaign headquarters.
By contrast Bill Shorten, who late yesterday afternoon became so convinced the election would be called today that he headed back home to Victoria, spent the morning going for a run (dutifully recorded on Instagram of course) and with his family, making his first campaign speech from a family home in Michael Sukkar’s electorate of Deakin. Shorten’s speech was much more focussed on the individual.
“Australia is a great country and we can make it an even greater country, if we make sure that no one gets left behind,” he said, from Mitcham.
“This election is about you, the Australian people, it’s about you, your family, your health. Labor has got a plan because we’re united, we have a vision and we’ve got a talented team.”
Morrison says the election is about the future and a “fair go for those who have a go”. Shorten says it’s about having a united team and lessening inequality.
Messages you’ll be hearing again and again over the next 37 days. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Elsewhere on the trail
It’s very early days and Labor stuck pretty close to Bill Shorten’s home in Victoria, with Scott Morrison also not straying too far, making western Sydney the first stop. Both choices are very telling – Labor believes it is in with a chance in at least five Victorian seats, while the Coalition is hoping to pick up Lindsay.
Elsewhere, MPs lined up for a fight. “Team Tony” was officially launched, and Penny Wong was deployed to the South Australian seat of Boothby, which Labor is hoping to take from the Liberals’ Nicolle Flint.
The big picture
Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Required reading
If you’re looking to brush up on your election trivia, or just genuinely confused by what’s going on, here are some good reads:
•Katharine Murphy’s essay on the great contender – Bill Shorten
•What are the battleground seats – where will it all be won, and lost
•Everything you wanted to know about the election – but were too afraid to ask
And a required look: a great interactive map of every seat in the country
Tweet of the day
The election has been called #auspol #politas #AustraliaVotes pic.twitter.com/AgDrDkbX1m
— Helen Polley (@polley_helen) April 11, 2019
What next?
Friday is the day it all really gets started. Victoria and Queensland will continue to be the focus, so pay attention to where the leaders decide to spend their first full day campaigning – it’s going to say a lot.
