It’s Friday the thirteenth, and within the spirit of this election typically feeling like a endless nightmare, we did get a spooky callback from past the grave – with marketing campaign 2022 visited by the ghosts of “the actual Julia” as Scott Morrison promised he’d change if re-elected.
Anthony Albanese, having fun with the sunshine from a ferry in dreamy tropical north Queensland, seemed to be brimming with confidence as he scoffed at Morrison’s claims.
The 2 leaders took turns evaluating themselves to varied building gear, earlier than the marketing campaign took some weird twists – the election narrative variously gatecrashed by a Kim Jong-un impersonator, then a Chinese language warship.
In between the chaos, Morrison squeezed in a cake and supporters sang him Glad Birthday as he turned 54. The one reward he’d actually care about at this level is a fast and dramatic turnaround within the polls.
The place the leaders have been
Morrison began in Chisholm, his most marginal Victorian seat (0.5%), to bolster the first-term MP Gladys Liu. They visited a microchip facility, the place he talked up a $50m enterprise and analysis partnership with Deakin College on manufacturing, hydrogen and recycling applied sciences.
Two main speaking factors out of his press convention: a rare mea culpa as he promised to “proceed to do higher”, and an interruption by a Kim Jong-un impersonator criticising Liu.
Morrison additionally introduced a seize bag of trade sweeteners, together with $15m for provide chain monitoring, $27m for semiconductor and water remedy chemical grants, and $53m for an animal well being innovation hub. He later dropped by a group centre in McEwen (Labor, 5.3%) the place he acquired a “blissful birthday” singalong inside, and an April Solar In Cuba singalong exterior.
Albanese went to Cairns, to the seat of Leichhardt (Coalition, 4.2%) to make a $194.5m announcement for Nice Barrier Reef safety packages. Taking a ferry to Fitzroy Island, he met a turtle and continued Labor’s formidable push to pinch Leichhardt off the veteran MP Warren Entsch.
He took a staged stroll alongside the seashore along with his entourage in tow, puncturing the peaceable vacation rest of sunbathers and paddle boarders by dragging a phalanx of photographers alongside the sand. Then it was as much as Darwin, which Albanese hasn’t but visited this marketing campaign (he was as a result of go the week he was struck down with Covid).
At the moment’s massive tales
Wages: The minimal wage rise continues to dominate, however the Coalition spokesperson Anne Ruston appeared to barely stroll again among the authorities’s criticisms of Albanese, saying they didn’t essentially oppose a 5.1% enhance – however extra that Labor had nominated a particular determine.
Labor’s training spokesperson, Tanya Plibersek, additionally barely repositioned Labor’s stance. She stated Labor would “welcome” a Honest Work Fee resolution to lift the speed by 5.1% – however stopped in need of saying her occasion would explicitly recommend that particular determine in its submission to the FWC.
‘An aggressive act’: Peter Dutton’s uncommon intrusion into the primary marketing campaign heralded a major announcement, with the Coalition revealing a Chinese language intelligence ship had been monitoring alongside the WA coast for every week. Requested why it took days for the federal government to announce this, Dutton stated it was on the name of defence officers. It seems whereas all on-water issues are confidential, some are apparently extra confidential than others.
Darude debacle: And a important replace to an necessary TikTok we introduced you yesterday – DJ Darude, the artist behind Sandstorm, has taken intention at Labor for utilizing his iconic dancefloor stomper in a pro-Albanese advert. After the ALP tried to reclaim the “free unit” insult as a time period of endearment (together with exhibiting Albo doing stereotypical free unit issues like [checks notes] patting canine and sitting in a radio studio), Darude teed off on Twitter with a facepalm emoji.
Quote of the day
I generally is a little bit of a bulldozer
– A quietly necessary vibe shift from Morrison, eight days out from polling day, going far additional than earlier than in admitting he’s made errors and promising to alter.
Albanese responded with considered one of his greatest strains of the entire marketing campaign, saying “a bulldozer wrecks issues … if I’m elected prime minister, I’ll construct issues”.
How social media noticed it
I’ve been cataloguing a bizarre pattern on social media of the Liberal and Labor events blatantly copying one another’s election memes. That is taking place near-daily at this level, however even I used to be blown away by what occurred final evening – with the key events placing out election memes depicting one another’s chief as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.
Labor was first off the mark, portraying Morrison because the film villain clutching a $1 coin to depict him as a penny-pincher over the minimal wage. The Liberals adopted just a few hours later, with actually one of the crucial wild social posts of this complete marketing campaign, a CGI animation of a shirtless Albanese (regardless that we expect it appears extra like Kevin Rudd) speaking to himself over coal and taxes.
After we famous the equivalent gags on Thursday evening, it grew to become a dialogue matter on Channel 9’s At the moment on Friday, with the ALP nationwide president, Wayne Swan, joking: “I don’t know what they’re ingesting and smoking over at Liberal HQ.”
The large image
Morrison turned 54 at the moment. Contemplating Albanese’s common jibes in regards to the minimal wage, holding up a shiny $1 gold coin for emphasis, we marvel how a lot the PM loved the little jar of chocolate cash subsequent to his chocolate cake.
Watch: ‘Kim Jong-Un’ gatecrashes PM presser
A Kim Jong-un impersonator stormed Morrison and Liu’s press convention in Chisholm, claiming the MP is a “communist candidate”. Morrison had left by this time, however the man – who gave his identify as Howard X – brought about a scene in entrance of the media pack.
A member of Morrison’s media employees demanded he go away, calling it “probably the most offensive factor I’ve ever seen in a marketing campaign”. Howard X continued yelling criticism, and later flipped off a double middle-finger to media exterior the constructing.
The Queensland Senate candidate and anti-Communist occasion activist Drew Pavlou claimed duty for the stunt. Earlier this week he interrupted a Chisholm group discussion board, shouting “Gladys Liu is taking cash from the Chinese language authorities” and throwing Chinese language foreign money on the ground.
Howard X describes himself as “the primary skilled Kim Jong Un Lookalike & impersonator on the earth”, and made worldwide headlines in 2019 when he stood alongside a Donald Trump impersonator at a stunt in Hanoi to coincide with the primary assembly between the 2 leaders.
Pay attention: Full Story’s marketing campaign catchup
Political commercials have gotten extra focused within the on-line age, however their capacity to steer voters can nonetheless fluctuate. Tory Shepherd joins Jane Lee to debate the advertisements of the 2022 marketing campaign.
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