There’s a maxim in media training that’s used to coach people to effectively deliver their messages: “Hold the salad, just serve up the meat.”
Almost a week into a listless Federal election campaign, precious little fibre has appeared on the plates of the Government or the Opposition.
Peter Dutton entered the fray with declining public polling and promising to unveil substantial policies. Voters have been taking a good, hard look at the alternative PM and in the first six days, but so far only Labor-generated negatives have been filling the vacuum.
Labor’s painting of Dutton as a lite version of Donald Trump who will slash public services and ban anybody from working from home is crude but effective.
In Australian political campaigns, countering attacks is the job of “attack dogs”. They’re senior front-benchers who are close to the leader, good with a media grab and across all portfolios.
Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash seems to have the job but has been sighted in media only sporadically. Campaign spokesperson Senator James Patterson is normally an incessant and articulate voice on national security but has been near invisible.
From a distance, that hat points to an Opposition too slow to react or one that’s being flooded by Government white noise.
Anthony Albanese’s belated positioning as an action man battening down hatches for a cyclone that turned into a rain dump a few weeks ago was opportunistic but a winner as Labor scored some big personal hits on Dutton.
The campaign has a long way to run but Labor has the upper hand in a plod towards likely minority government. Neither major party is riding a wave of public support.
Craig Regan, Senior Account Director, Primary Communication
