Bill Shorten has written to Malcolm Turnbull demanding the public service briefings afforded to oppositions in election campaigns, because the prime minister has effectively named the election date – a tactic last tried by Tony Abbott when Julia Gillard “named the date” for the 2013 election eight months in advance.
Turnbull anticipated the tactic and for that reason was careful this week to say he “expected” the election to be held on July 2 but that the final decision would be taken by the governor general. It is understood the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will reject the opposition leader’s request.
Shorten wrote to Turnbull on Thursday pointing out that the “the pre-election period” began when the election date was announced, which Turnbull had done earlier this week.
“As the formal ‘pre-election period’ has officially commenced with the announcement of the election date, the opposition is entitled to briefings with departmental officials, as provided for by the guidelines (for pre-election consultation with officials by the opposition),” Shorten wrote.
“I will shortly contact the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Martin Parkinson, to arrange a time to meet with him in relation to opposition policy. I advise that my shadow ministers will also shortly be in touch with secretaries of relevant departments to meet with them in relation to opposition policy within their own portfolios.”
When Gillard named a September election date in January 2013, Abbott, the then opposition leader, also argued the decision triggered the Coalition’s access to public service consultations and the equal time provisions of the Broadcast Services Act.
The then secretary of the prime minister’s department ruled full access would be given six weeks before the official start of the campaign. But Gillard was deposed by Kevin Rudd before the access period began and Rudd did not recommit to her nominated election date.
But FreeTV, the peak body for commercial television networks, said at the time the sections of the Broadcasting Services Act covering election campaigns had been triggered.
