Morrison promises gear shift in campaign’s final week
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has launched the Liberals’ election campaign vowing to change his governing style as the country moves on from the pandemic, with a policy to allow first-home buyers to dip into their retirement savings as one of his key re-election pitches.
Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Launching the campaign in Queensland – one of only two states in which Roy Morgan polling shows the Coalition is in front – Morrison said a re-elected Coalition government would take a “very different approach” to governing compared to that seen over the past three years.
“We stand on the edge of a new era of opportunity. Better days are now ahead. But we cannot take them for granted,” the Prime Minister told the audience of about 300 party faithful at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Sunday.
“I also know Australians, they’re tired of politics. It’s been an exhausting time and they’ve certainly had enough of governments telling them how to live their lives, and I agree.
“If re-elected, you will see me as your Prime Minister, our government and our nation hit that extra gear needed to secure our nation’s future for those better days, to make things truly better, to step up beyond where we are today and put this pandemic behind us.”
Although much of the campaign launch was focused on the past, including the rolling out of JobKeeper, the creation of new trade apprenticeships and the decline in unemployment, Morrison spent the second half of his speech detailing a “big plan” for the future.
“I’m seeking a second term because I’m just warming up,” he said to raucous applause.
The Coalition hoped to use the campaign launch to shore up support after recent polling pointed to an expected defeat next Saturday.
The standout announcement was a Coalition pledge to allow first-home buyers to unlock up to 40 per cent of their superannuation, up to a maximum value of $50,000, to use as a deposit on a home.
Called the Super Home Buyer Scheme, the policy would apply to new and existing homes, with the invested amount and a share of any capital gain to be returned to home buyers’ superannuation funds once they sell their property.
The policy idea was previously spruiked by Liberal MPs including Tim Wilson, who is at risk of defeat in his seat of Goldstein, but it failed to get up under former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
This article was first published by The New Daily, read the original article here.
