The real brains behind any election campaign sit far from the travelling circus of the leaders’ buses. Coalition insiders will tell you Scott Morrison’s “miracle” election win of 2019 was less a miracle than a brilliantly executed, disciplined and effective campaign.
Three years on — and with Morrison needing another miracle — the government is hoping to put together the same ingredients that went into 2019’s magic pudding, so much of the campaign infrastructure looks strikingly similar.
Once again, the Liberal and Nationals campaign headquarters is in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Milton. It’s in the electorate of Brisbane, a marginal seat Labor is pushing at, as it tries to break down the Coalition’s “maroon wall” (it holds 23 of Queensland’s 30 seats).
The influence of Crosby Textor, the Coalition-aligned political consulting shop founded by John Howard’s dark lord Sir Lynton Crosby, runs deep through Coalition HQ. CT’s Mike Turner will conduct internal polling. CT alum Andrew “Hirsty” Hirst, the Liberal Party’s federal director who masterminded the last campaign, is again running the show. He’s also brought back ex-CT guy Isaac Levido, who ran Boris Johnson’s landslide 2019 victory, and deputy federal director Simon Berger.
Filling out the Brisbane office is a smattering of staffers. Morrison’s chief of staff, John Kunkel, is on policy, and Michaelia Cash’s spinner, Guy Creighton, is heading media. Other ministerial flacks on the team include Kane Silom (Josh Frydenberg’s office), former political editor of Adelaide’s The Advertiser Sheradyn Holderhead (Anne Ruston’s office) and Dean Shachar (prime minister’s office).
What about Labor? In what could be some kind of laboured metaphor for the party’s shifting support base, it has traded Parramatta for the boujee, post-gentrification inner-Sydney enclave of Surry Hills.
Just a stone’s throw away in Chippendale are the offices of Campaign Edge, whose Dee Madigan will be behind the party’s advertising. She’s fresh from running a critical campaign for the South Australian Ambulance Employees Association which helped deliver Labor’s victory in the recent state election. YouGov and Redbridge are both involved with polling.
Leading Labor’s team is national secretary Paul Erickson, in charge of his first campaign. In 2019, The Australian tried to cancel him as a hard left Corbynista, but considering the generally modest tone of Labor’s campaign there was clearly not much to that attack. Penny Wong’s deputy chief of staff John Olenich is leading communications, and assistant national secretary Jen Light is looking after marginal seat strategy.
After a tough first week on the road for the opposition leader, Team Albo has its work cut out.
Meanwhile, Morrison and Albanese are joined on their whirlwind trip around the country with a cohort of insiders. For the prime minister it’s key confidant Yaron Finkelstein and chief spinner Andrew Carswell. Albanese is travelling with chief of staff Tim Gartrell (the brains behind Kevin ’07) and media adviser Liz Fitch.
Campaigns also have a way of promoting a handful of ministerial types on the rise. Last time the Coalition’s campaign spokesman was Simon Birmingham, now finance minister and one of the government’s go-to soundbite guys. This time, it’s Social Services Minister Anne Ruston who has the pleasure of staying behind in Parliament House as spokeswoman. She’s getting plenty of air time, and looks a shoo-in for next health minister if the government wins.
Labor is leaning on its housing spokesman Jason Clare and its finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher.
Expect to hear plenty from them over the next few weeks and in prominent roles should Albanese form government.
