Good morning, this is Naaman Zhou bringing you a special election edition of the morning mail for Saturday 11 May.
The week that was
They buried the hatchet on Sunday – all of them. For the cameras at least. At Labor’s campaign launch Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard smiled like 2010 never happened. Paul Keating and Bob Hawke had tea and co-wrote an opinion piece, as if 1991 hadn’t either.
Keating stole the show, and the next day’s headlines. He surprised the ABC’s Andrew Probyn and Jane Norman live on air, re-energised an election lacking proper rhetoric, and gave the Coalition some talking points when he called Australia’s security agency heads “nutters” who had “all gone berko”.
On Monday, Morrison fronted 7.30 and Shorten faced Q&A. It was the latter that had more staying power, first with Shorten’s heartfelt tribute to his mother on the night, then with his response on Wednesday after the Daily Telegraph attacked him for it.
In Albury, an egg hit the prime minister’s head but it did not crack. He and Shorten debated for the last time, where the most interesting takeaway was that Melissa Price’s job is safe. On Friday, Labor’s costings came out. By then they were on the planes. For those last few days, with the set-pieces nearly done, the leaders spent their time scurrying, north and south, bedding down, getting ready for the final stretch.
The big issue
Perhaps the biggest issue there could be – the end of the world – elbowed its way into this election, briefly at least. On Monday, the UN released its report that human society was under threat from the unprecedented collapse of natural life. On Tuesday, Morrison said he had been “taking action”, but couldn’t say what. On Wednesday, agriculture minister David Littleproud admitted the report “scared him”.
A Lowy poll revealed Australians overwhelmingly agree the climate is the number one threat to the nation. Three experts declared the government’s response “not adequate”. There may not have been answers, but there were questions. Every time Morrison fronted the press pack, they asked: Where was environment minister Melissa Price?
On the ground
Gay Alcorn talked to the people of Higgins – the three-cornered, inner-Melbourne contest where the Liberal vote collapsed in the state election, and it feels like everything is up for grabs.
Three corners? Paul Karp raises you four. In Gilmore on NSW’s south coast, it’s a tussle between Liberal, National, ex-Liberal now running as an independent, and Labor. It’s a dirty, contentious campaign with even more grievances than candidates.
Good week for…
Australian mums. The legacy of Dr Ann Shorten sparked its own hashtag on Wednesday, with hundreds of Australians sharing stories of the discrimination their mothers faced, the opportunities they missed, and what they overcame. The discussion shone a light on gender, race and age discrimination, and a generation of “strong and clever” women who didn’t get the chances they deserved.
Bad week for…
Jay Dessi, Gurpal Singh, Tony Pecora and probably half a dozen others we’ve already forgotten. The candidate cleanout continued. Dessi, the Greens candidate in the seat of Lalor, quit over offensive social media posts, closely followed by the Liberal Singh in Scullin, for comments about rape victims, and Pecora, imaginatively, for questioning the truth about the 11 September terrorist attacks, among other things.
Meme warfare
Alex Dyson, a former Triple J radio host now running as an independent for Wannon in Victoria, explained his policies through interpretive dance.
ABC legend Shaun Micallef: “It’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen and the policy statement’s not bad either.”
Campaign dog of the week
Eva the democracy sausage is Adelaide’s greatest psephologist. She is the seer of the south, the guru of the River Torrens. Where Eva goes, the nation follows, demanding pats. There’s a week left to go, but she is easily the best campaign dog of this election.
Eva is a dachshund, dressed in a hot dog bun, who eats sausages out of a bowl with candidates’ faces on them – Paul-the-Octopus-style. Currently employed by AdelaideNow, she tipped the winner of last year’s SA state election.
On Wednesday, Eva anointed Georgina Downer as the next MP for Mayo. This is despite the incumbent Rebekha Sharkie having won a thumping victory at last year’s byelection, and boasting a healthy lead in the latest poll. The doubters think she’s lost it. Eva is quietly confident. If true, expect to see her hosting the ABC’s election coverage in three years, working the touch screen the way it should be done.
They said it
The egg appears to have struck the prime minister on the head.
In case you missed it in the Guardian
Gabrielle Chan has the story of the campaign. It’s best enjoyed with the shortest preamble. So here it is. Arson in Armidale.
Cassie Flanagan Willanski was in a cafe in Warringah, and then Tony Abbott bet her $100 that the climate would not change.
Paul Karp has been looking into section 44 test cases – from a dual citizenship question over Labor’s Shireen Morris in the marginal seat of Deakin, to a “pecuniary interest” claim over the Liberals’ Katie Allen in the seat of Higgins, to Liberal candidate Mina Zaki in the safe Labor seat of Canberra.
Who are the people on my Senate ballot and what is the one-line summary of what they want? Luke Henriques-Gomes knows.
And Julie Bishop, flying under the radar, has been busy propping the whole campaign up. Sarah Martin has the story.
What we read elsewhere
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Jacqueline Maley unmasked “Chicken Man” – an avian phantom who follows independent Zali Steggall around Warringah with negative billboards. Analysis of his footwear shows a 99% match with a local Liberal party volunteer. But the man denies he is the feathered figure, and a Liberal spokesman told Maley “the brand of sneakers ... is a common one”.
What do the polls say?
Not much of a shift. Monday’s Newspoll had Labor still beating the Coalition 51-49 – the same as last week – but with a one point drop in its primary vote. Shorten’s rating as preferred prime minister dropped slightly by two points. Ipsos on the same day put the two-party-preferred split at 52-48. The Guardian’s Essential poll also showed Labor’s primary vote falling, but still gave it a 52-48 lead. All movements, of course, within the margin for error.
Coming up
The final week. The Coalition will hold its official launch on Sunday. Greens leader Richard Di Natale, Labor deputy Tanya Plibersek, Liberal senator Simon Birmingham and independent Helen Haines will be on Q&A on Monday. The finish line looms. Before you know it, it’ll be Saturday 18 May.
