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My Election.
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John Stanley Adam Sims David Oldfield Alison Carabine Cameron Murphy
 
Adam Sims our Southern Cross Canberra Political reporter is covering the My Election campaign with the leaders as they battle toward November 24. Adam has been covering politics for several years and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the election campaign.

Wipeout ahead? Mon, 19 Nov 2007

Waking up to another opinion poll showing Labor still well ahead would be depressing enough for Coalition supporters.

That it is just a week before the election makes it worse. That the two stories dominating the day are both positives for Labor would just about make even the hardest of Coalition hard heads despair.

First the poll... the Nielson has mirrored Newspoll and Galaxy coming in at 54-46 in favour of the ALP two party preferred. The government has clawed back some support through the campaign, but with the election fast approaching voters are not flooding back anywhere near quick enough.

On these numbers Labor wins easily. They put the PM's seat is jeopardy and Malcolm Turnbull's long coveted political career may be finished after just one term.

But it's not just the polls the Government has to worry about. They need clean air to sell their message. The Prime Minister is doing his best telling anyone who will listen of the dangers to the economy Labor represents, but it's being drowned out.

Today, Tony Abbott has popped his head up again (the heart -on-sleeve politician hasn't had the best of campaigns). This time starring in a video recording, which Labor says shows him admitting the Government's I/R laws strip protections from workers. He was quickly out claiming Labor, which handed the recording to media outlets, doctored the tape. His claims are being denied by the Opposition. Julia Gillard says Labor handed a tape of the entire function, where Abbott made the comments, to the media and if anything was edited or doctored it wasn't by ALP HQ.

Who did what when isn't really a help for the Government. The story keeps Workchoices in the news and that can't be good for them.

The other story is about an Auditor-General's report into the much-maligned regional partnerships programme. Labor has long accused the Government of using the fund to pork barrel marginal seats. The AG report pretty much confirms their suspicions.

John Howard is defending the Government's handling of the scheme - he can't do much else - but the Opposition is having a field day. And the PM's efforts haven't been helped by Deputy PM Mark Vaile, who has suggested the report was released now to cause maximum embarrasment for the Coalition. Hinting the Auditor-General isn't independent is not a particularly good look.

So another day gone in the election campaign and another day lost for the Government. Senior Ministers are still publically confident about their chances of turning around the polls... coming back for a remarkable win. It's going to take an extraordinarily big effort and day's like today can't happen again.

Ground shifts on Climate Change. Tue, 30 Oct 2007

Of the major parties, Labor owns the climate change issue. They're the ones who have consistently stated Australia should sign up to Kyoto, consistently argued about how vital it is to combat, while consistently pursuing the Government over its failure to act.

It's coincided with global warming becoming a mainstream issue. And it's helped boost support for Labor among voters. Sure, Kevin Rudd's elevation to leader, Iraq, the 'it's time' factor are all very important, but climate change matters too.

One of the worst images for the Government in the past term was gravelly voiced Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane standing up in Parliament and dismissing nobel prize and oscar-winning Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" as simple entertainment. Agree with what's in the documentary or not, it tapped into a wave of concern and discontent about the issue. The Coalition was seen as flat-footed at best, completely negligent at worst.

But the PM has slowly tried to turn it around. He's announced an emissions trading scheme, a climate change fund, more money for renewable energy, and a commitment to pursue what he calls an agreement 'beyond-Kyoto'.

He's now being helped by Peter Garrett - Labor's Shadow Environment Minister. The former Midnight Oil frontman has had a rough year. Forced to cop the US increasing its presence at Pine Gap, he's also had to watch as Labor agreed to expand uranium mining and build a polluting pulp mill. Not the favourite positions of a man who once headed up the Conservation Foundation.

But at least he had climate change. Well, until now.

He's been dragged into line after saying Labor would sign up to a post-Kyoto deal, even if it doesn't include major emitters like China and India. Kevin Rudd endorsed the position too, so you'd think he'd be on safe ground.

But not anymore. The Opposition Leader - reacting to bad headlines and Coalition attacks - has hung Garrett out to dry. He says Australia would only commit to a new deal if developing countries and the major emitters were involved. If Garrett wants to share the experience of his leader bashing him up in public for just stating Labor policy, he could call Robert McClelland.

The rub of all this is the Coalition can make hay. It didn't take the Prime Minister long to pop his head up and welcome Mr RUDD's comments, saying Labor now agrees with him on climate change. Yes, that's right - the Opposition is following the Government's lead on the issue.

So much for Labor having the climate change vote locked up.

No lawn bowls for the pensioners' friend.... Thu, 25 Oct 2007

I doubt any voter would begrudge the Coalition's policy of boosting the utilities allowance being paid to aged pensioners from

107 dollars a year to 500.

The move to also extend the benefit to carers and those on disability support pensions should also be supported.

Isn't this what strong economic times should mean - money for some of Australia's most vulnerable people.

I'm with the PM, when he says those who worry about the inflationary pressures of the policy shouldn't be listened to.

But the question really is... why has it taken so long? How have the aged coped on just the pension and one hundred extra bucks a year to pay for electricity, water etc.? Seniors' groups have cautiously welcomed the plan, but are still pushing for an extra thirty dollars a week in the pension. It will be interesting to see if Labor simply says 'me too' to this... or goes that one step further.

Mr Howard made the announcement in the Liberals knife-edge marginal seat of Kingston in Adelaide. The event so shrouded in secrecy the man driving the press bus was being given directions over the phone. The traveling media pack, of course, was told nothing.

Local crews who needed to attend to rush the tapes back for the evening news had to find their way by receiving regular updates by those on the bus - "we're going down this road now, heading South, try and catch up". Welcome to the election campaign!

We finally arrived. The venue a bowling club. A more stereotypical place for a pensions announcement I don't think exists. Mr HOWARD enjoyed himself mingling with the patrons. But there was no chance the generous offer by one of a roll on the green was ever going to be accepted. A 68 year old Prime Minister announcing a boost to pensions playing lawn bowls - the PM's media minders would have had a fit.

Secrecy, Streetwalks & Sausage Sizzles on the Campaign Trail Thu, 18 Oct 2007

The election caravan is micro-managed to within an inch of its life. And in fairness to the journos involved... it has very little to do with them. Both camps are so eager to get one up on the other during the campaign the lack of information flowing to those reporting it is extraordinary.
 
I was in Queensland today following the Prime Minister. The only details I received about what was happening was when I, along with about 30 of my colleagues, was herded onto a bus at 9am. By the way everyone, we were informed, we're going to Australia's largest private hospital in KEVIN RUDD's seat in 20 minutes. Thanks for that!
 
But the campaign isn't about me or the other journos who report it. It's about the leaders. And it was great to see both get out among real voters today.
 
Mr HOWARD after mingling with doctors and patients at the hospital attended a community barbeque on Bribie Island. 'God's waiting room' is how one of my colleagues described it. The terminology confirmed when Government frontbencher MAL BROUGH - the local MP - told the gathering, with his 68-year old leader alongside, that Bribie Island has more older people per capita in the country.
 
Mr HOWARD expertly baulked the obvious comparison... lapping up the attention and speaking candidly with some of the locals who were raising genuine beefs about the Government.
 
The Opposition Leader was also out pressing the flesh.
Doing his first street walk of the campaign. Always fraught with danger, this one went off without a hitch.
 
In a follow up to my last post... Mr RUDD has agreed to the debate. He had little choice. He says he'll still be pushing for at least another two to be held as election day draws closer. A couple of polls out tomorrow... should reveal how the tax plan has gone down in the electorate. Let's see if the Coalition is back in the game.