With 48% of voters paying little or no attention to the campaign, according to an Essential poll, Senator Kim Carr, a former Labor minister, takes a look at how the two major parties have performed in what he describes as an uninspiring campaign.

Kim Carr

With Easter and Anzac Day approaching, what has so far been an uninspiring election campaign will grind to a halt as the country takes a holiday break.

It has become increasingly difficult to attract public attention to domestic politics, even without the distraction of holidays, as President Donald Trump continues to steal most of the available oxygen.

Public confidence and trust in public institutions and expert opinion is at an all-time low. Consequently, party political campaigns have concentrated on shoring up base support, rather than on persuading voters that the political players have a long-term plan for the future of the country.

Cynicism and apathy are reinforced by an ever-expanding list of campaign promises unsupported by a broader case for reform.

Pollsters tell us that many people simply do not believe that the headline commitments made will materialise. That assumes everyone is, in fact, listening.

Labor’s campaign on health policy and initiatives has seen a consolidation of its vote over the past two months. However, it is important to remember that the party’s primary vote has not substantially lifted. A one- or two-point increase, however, could make all the difference.

It is a measure of the times that political pundits and insiders alike would consider it a big achievement if Labor matches its record low primary vote from 2022.

The net effect of this consolidation is that a majority Labor government after the election still remains unlikely, even though the prospects have improved slightly since the campaign began.

Labor has got the message that its traditional supporters have felt taken for granted. Positive changes for workers, wages and conditions emphasised early in the campaign highlight Labor’s awareness of the problem.

The “Made in Australia; Buy Australian” rhetoric is being received positively but will need to be followed through to reality and not just allowed to remain at the level of sloganeering.

Authoritative pollsters tell us the Liberal and National Parties have lost 6% support since February. The Liberals’ alleged campaign theme of “Let’s Get Australia Back on Track” has not been consistent. The sub themes of Trump-like attacks on “woke schoolteachers”, “lazy public servants” and “the moral decay of debt and deficit” has been subsumed by expensive, crude vote-buying. Dutton’s version of “I am your revenge against the elites”, together with temporary tax handouts and fuel price relief, has been aimed at stemming the drift of the vote to the minor parties on the right. The pre-poll day costing statements will be entertaining.

Political observers have noticed the chaos of the Liberal campaign, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the “Real Julia “moment of the 2010 election.

The Liberals have left their run too late to explain complex policy initiatives, such as gas reservation. The fact remains that the Liberals have not done the necessary policy work that is required for an Opposition to take on a first-term government. The “working from home” backflip suggested the Liberals and employer advocates had not appreciated the value that workers, especially women, placed on flexible working arrangements.

It would seem that the conservatives assumed a small-target strategy would work for them.

Commentators are now suggesting that stability has returned to the Liberal campaign, which is hardly surprising since the newspapers and other media with a race-call approach to politics need to be able to maintain the notion that this is a competitive event.

Labor has a small majority in Parliament. At this point in the campaign, the party has made up ground in Victoria. It remains under pressure from the Liberals in the outer suburbs, and from the Greens in the inner city. NSW marginals seats are also at risk.

Nearly six million Australians will vote for politicians other than those from the LNP and ALP. This reflects the growing trust deficit in institutions, not just politicians.

This election will not do much to repair confidence in the ability of the Commonwealth to make a material improvement to the majority of Australians’ lives.

On the evidence available to date, voting patterns will reflect the ongoing challenges to the established order. The seats of Bradfield, Wannon and Monash may well see further gains to the so-called community Independents. Curtin and Goldstein may see the more affluent return to their cultural home in the Liberal Party.

The major political parties will spend about $140 million each on their respective election campaigns. This extraordinary amount is being directed at restoring their support base and will leave most dissatisfied. With a highly polarised and sullen polity, it remains to be seen whether the electorate will generate enough enthusiasm for what’s on offer.

It may boil down to prospects of enough people sticking with incumbents in response to the turmoil resulting from Trump upending the international trading system.

The challenge remains for our political system to demonstrate that politics should matter to the majority of Australians – that Australians can still determine what sort of country we want to be. This is all the more important in such troubling times.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/inspiring-australia/

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YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT THE PRICE OF PETROL HAS DONE DOWN QUITE A LOT... MAINLY DUE TO DONALD TRUMP STUFFING AROUND WITH TARIFFS....