Federal Election 2022: Peter Law: Scott Morrison’s ideological thinking to target Australians find a voice

Scott Morrison is fighting for re-election in Australia’s outer suburbs, appealing to the “aspirational” voters he hopes can save the Government. On Monday, that suburb was Springfield Rise, an estate in the Queensland electorate of Blair which the Coalition is trying to snatch from Labor. It is where the Prime Minister has come to spruik his plan to let first-home buyers access up to $50,000 of their superannuation towards a deposit. “We’re in the very heart of first-home buyer territory,” the LNP’s local candidate tells the travelling media pack. Reporters want to know if the Coalition has modelled the impact of its Super Home Buyer scheme on house prices, but Morrison won’t give a direct answer. Glossing over the implications for the economy, he instead uses the policy as a vehicle to highlight to voters what he sees as the difference between Liberal and Labor. The Coalition will “put you in the driver’s seat”, the PM says, in control of your future, your money and where it’s invested. Labor will never let you do that, he adds, because they want to “keep your money in someone else’s control”. The super-for-housing scheme is simple in its design, but these remarks show the thinking behind it is ideological. After two years of government interference in people’s lives, Morrison believes it’s time to “put the pandemic behind us” and let Australians make “their own decisions”. It’s a message that’s not just targeted at those struggling to save for a deposit, but to all the voters who delivered his “miracle” win three years ago.