Labor gaffes kick off election campaign, but Coalition weaknesses still exposed

Here we go. The first day of what will be a gruelling six weeks on the campaign trail began on an inauspicious note for Labor. Faced with a series of predictable gotcha questions, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese floundered.

Kicking off the campaign hustings in the ultra-marginal seat of Bass, held by rebellious Liberal Bridget Archer, Albanese couldn’t name the current cash rate.

“Over the coming period, the Reserve Bank has said that there will be multiple interest rate increases regardless of who is in government,” he said.

Then he was stumped on a follow-up about the unemployment rate.

“The national unemployment rate at the moment is… I think it’s five point… four… sorry, I’m not sure what it is.”

It’s hardly a unique error. At the National Press Club earlier this year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison couldn’t name the price of petrol, milk and rapid antigen tests, despite campaigning on reducing the cost of living.

But Albo’s miss could prove costly under the constant media glare of the campaign, particularly with the Coalition hammering the opposition leader on his “never having held a Treasury portfolio” and relentlessly trying to frame Labor as incompetent on handling of the economy.

In light of another Newspoll showing a slight drop in Labor’s primary vote, it’s another sign that despite the opposition’s strong position, there’s still plenty of time ’til election day. Unforced errors like this one over the six-week stretch might be a struggling government’s best hope at holding on.

“Earlier today, I made a mistake. I’m human. But when I make a mistake, I’ll ‘fess up to it, and I’ll set about correcting that mistake. I won’t blame someone else, I’ll accept responsibility,” Albanese later said.

Elsewhere the prime minister faced pressure of his own, over the future of the permanently embattled Alan Tudge, who stood down from the ministry last year over an alleged abusive relationship with staffer Rachelle Miller. Tudge denies the allegations.

While Stuart Robert is currently acting Education Minister, Morrison maintained Tudge is still “technically” in cabinet, and there’s nothing barring his return. In March, Morrison claimed Tudge was not seeking a return to the frontbench. Now his tune has changed. Meanwhile, Miller is set to receive a $500,000 taxpayer-funded settlement in the fallout.

“I can’t confirm that payment. I don’t have any visibility on those issues,” Morrison said.

Morrison started the campaign in Gilmore, which former NSW Liberal minister Andrew Constance is trying to win from Labor. It’s a part of the country still scarred by the Black Summer bushfires, a time when Morrison’s tin-eared, evasive response (he literally fled to Hawaii on a secret holiday) caused fury around the country.

At the time, Constance said Morrison got the welcome he deserved from angry Cobargo residents. Asked about those comments, Constance deflected, saying the community just wanted to hear positive stuff. 

Aside from the predictable attacks on Labor, Morrison also had time for a bit of anti-trans culture warring. He praised efforts by Tasmanian Senator Claire Chandler and Warringah candidate Katherine Deves to ban transgender women from women’s sports, and hinted that he could introduce legislation on this in a potential future term.

On the whole, not a dream start for Albanese and Labor. But politically unpopular culture warring and the festering sore of Tudge reflect a government with many weaknesses. There’s a long way to go.