Analysis: Liberal lily-pad politics undermines efforts to cut through on Labor promises – ABC Online

Updated March 08, 2017 12:18:07

It is shaping as the Barnett Government's last roll of the electoral dice.

Later today, the WA Premier and Treasurer will front the media armed with their Treasury-assessed election costings, hoping to cast themselves as the trusted hand to guide the state back to a balanced budget and economic prosperity.

But for a government that pledged to fight the election on jobs and the economy, its campaign has looked more like lily-pad politics, skipping from issue to issue without a consistent message or clear core theme.

Some Liberals are understood to be increasingly frustrated by the lack of focus in their party's campaign message.

While Liberal campaign advertising has questioned the experience and credentials of Labor leader Mark McGowan, it has also traversed a wide range of issues from the renewable energy target to claims Labor is planning a swag of secret tax increases.

On the campaign trail, the messaging has been equally mixed. A joint media conference by the Premier and Treasurer last week seemed to flag a targeted attack on Labor's costings, and its unwillingness to submit them to Treasury.

But in the days preceding and following that media conference, the Premier's public pledges ranged from a tourist road to Balladonia and a boost to aquaculture, to sporting statues at the new stadium and an expansion of free public transport on public holidays.

Questioned about the Liberal campaign's apparent lack of focus, Mr Barnett denied it was out of touch with the voters' main concerns of jobs and economic security.

"No-one has made that comment to me, but can I say we have put out 70 policies. We have put out, from my experience, the most detailed agenda across every area," he said.

"A lot of that is about the growth in new sectors such as tourism, such as international relations, agriculture in particular."

By contrast, WA Labor has been relentless in its attack on the Barnett Government's plan to part-privatise Western Power, both in its advertising and on the campaign trail.

Mark McGowan was interviewed on the ABC 7.30 program on Monday night and appeared to be in a parallel universe as he all but ignored the questions from presenter Leigh Sales, and repeatedly returned to his campaign themes.

Asked about minor parties, he responded:

"Well, minor parties have always been around, and they've always attracted votes. But my role as the leader of the Labor Party is to set out a comprehensive agenda for Western Australia, and that's what we've done," he said.

"And it's based around jobs, not selling Western Power, our plan for health all of those sorts of initiatives are the sorts of things that we're standing for."

Asked about union election advertising, he responded:

"I don't know. I don't know the answer to the question."

"But there are important issues out there that all sorts of groups are advertising around. The sale of Western Power, which I oppose. Better funding for schools, which I support. Making sure that we have a decent approach to health and community safety and the like."

Mr Barnett spent most of the same day defending his party's preference deal with One Nation, and being increasingly frustrated by media questions about One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

"Look it is not what the West Australian public is talking about, the only people talking about Pauline Hanson, with great respect, are the media. No-one else is," he said.

Treasurer Mike Nahan dismissed questions suggesting the Liberal campaign had lacked an effective central theme to make up the ground on Labor in the last days before the election.

He said jobs and growth remain the Liberals key campaign issues and they would be reinforced with the release of the Liberal party election costings.

"It shows good government, focuses on what has to be done even if it's not necessarily popular. There's no flim-flam in our policies," he said.

He said the Liberals had a clear and credible plan to reduce debt and fund capital works through the part sale of Western Power, and would chart a path back to budget surplus by the end of the decade.

He said Labor had no plan.

"How do you reduce the deficit? How do you pay down debt? And how do you fund $5 billion in extra promises?" he said.

"If people fall for that, the warning I have for them is it's a one way street. After Saturday, they're stuck with him for four years."

Topics: government-and-politics, elections, wa

First posted March 08, 2017 08:44:19

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Analysis: Liberal lily-pad politics undermines efforts to cut through on Labor promises - ABC Online