Editorial: Morrison versus Albanese as Australia advances to the polls

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, left, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the House of Representatives chamber. Photo / Getty Images

EDITORIAL

Australia faces a mad month of politics ahead after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a federal election for May 21.

Morrison's ruling coalition holds 76 seats in the House of Representatives - the bare minimum necessary to retain power and polls suggest a change of government, with the opposition Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, tipped to take office.

It should not be forgotten however that centre-right Morrison won a "miracle" victory in 2019, despite similarly pessimistic polls.

Morrison is painting Albanese as an unknown quotient, attempting to strike the fear of uncertainty into the hearts of voters. "It's a choice between a government you know and a Labor opposition that you don't," he says.

Much of the election will a head-to-head battle between the men. On the policies section of the Labor Party website, Albanese paints the situation as being first and foremost about Morrison being unable to "roll his sleeves up" when the going gets tough. "From the bushfires to the bungled vaccine rollout to not securing enough rapid tests, Morrison's mistakes have held Australians back."

A potential change of Australian government may give rise to some hopes In New Zealand of easing the so-called 501 deportations from the country but there's no reason to believe the con-air flights will instantly be grounded. Albanese was asked about the issue in 2019 after the New Zealand Prime Minister raised the "corrosive" policy with Morrison. He told AAP Labor had no plans to change it.

"We think that the balance is essentially right ... We don't want to see this to be a partisan debate."

Still, not all hope is lost. Current Labor deputy leader Kristina Keneally has argued for rolling back the notorious "character test" - which defines law-breakers as undesirables.

The home affairs spokeswoman Keneally also wanted to remove the retrospectivity of the process so it couldn't be used for offences dating back decades. She has also said offences are defined too broadly, claiming individuals can be ousted for "low-level offending" involving no jail time.

The American-born senator has also sought to review the authority of the Immigration Minister to overrule courts and proceed with deportations.

Morrison has pounced on her qualms, saying, "Keneally wants people who have been convicted of domestic violence to stay in the country because the judge gave them a soft sentence."

If re-elected, Morrison is likely to press on with making deportations even easier with the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2021. The overriding fact is the 501 policy is popular with Australians across the political spectrum.

Given Albanese's previous stance and his blinkered focus on Morrison, the policy is unlikely to figure in his priorities. What will, by all predictions, is a fair dinkum, toe-to-toe verbal slugfest between two Australians who have every chance of winning.