The govt was that on the nose for ages all any Opposition had to do
was present at the election and win! The norm is for govt's to lose
rather than Oppositions winning on their merits.
The Opposition went radical and did something that is not usually done
and presented a smorgasbord of confusing reform policies which made
it an easy target. All of a sudden as judgement day came instead of voters
focussing on the dysfunction of the LNP who were on their third PM,
they began to ponder about Labors raft of policies.
Retirees were wondering whether franking credits would be an issue for them
even if they received no franked dividends. Pensioners were made to think
that most of them might lose money.
Homeowners including those with sizeable mortgages were hearing negative
gearing could devalue their main asset, and investors including some on low to
medium income were worried about potential impacts. The inheritance tax scare
also played into a potential sense of loss albeit it was not true.
In Qld Labor should have been more definitive about Adani one way or the other and
offered sound re-assurances to those reliant on coal mining.
I have no doubt that it was actually as un-losable an election as could be
for the Opposition and only a major stuff upof its own could alter that.
It did!
The focus turned to the mish mash of policies and it swayed about 2%
of voters who were possibly contemplating switching to Labor this time round,
into sticking with the coalition giving it its win.
If Labor had only offered tax cuts to low and middle income earners and promised
to do something about increasing wages they probably would have won on just that.
If on top they offered their policy of extending medicare to better cover cancer treatment
as well as improving access and cost defrayal for dental treatment for pensioners they would
have won in a landslide imo.
Instead they chose to hit tax concessions to fund initiatives and to bring an earlier budget
surplus. The public are not into austerity measures and no way should Labor have allowed itself
to be seen as the Party imposing austerity.
On a more positive note leadership tensions should no longer be an issue to whichever Party
forms govt in the future, as both Labor and Liberal have made it almost impossible to ditch
the leader during the term of any govt. So Morrison won’t have to watch his back unlike what
applied to Turnbull. Dutton will lol have to settle down as Morrison outfoxed him for the leadership
and who instigated changing the rules to preclude any future knifings.
Will it translate to better govt? We will have to wait and see.
