Updated March 08, 2017 12:18:07 <\/p>\n
It is shaping as the Barnett Government's last roll of the electoral dice. <\/p>\n
Later today, the WA Premier and Treasurer will front the media armed with their Treasury-assessed election costings, hoping to cast themselves as the trusted hand to guide the state back to a balanced budget and economic prosperity. <\/p>\n
But for a government that pledged to fight the election on jobs and the economy, its campaign has looked more like lily-pad politics, skipping from issue to issue without a consistent message or clear core theme. <\/p>\n
Some Liberals are understood to be increasingly frustrated by the lack of focus in their party's campaign message. <\/p>\n
While Liberal campaign advertising has questioned the experience and credentials of Labor leader Mark McGowan, it has also traversed a wide range of issues from the renewable energy target to claims Labor is planning a swag of secret tax increases. <\/p>\n
On the campaign trail, the messaging has been equally mixed. A joint media conference by the Premier and Treasurer last week seemed to flag a targeted attack on Labor's costings, and its unwillingness to submit them to Treasury. <\/p>\n
But in the days preceding and following that media conference, the Premier's public pledges ranged from a tourist road to Balladonia and a boost to aquaculture, to sporting statues at the new stadium and an expansion of free public transport on public holidays. <\/p>\n
Questioned about the Liberal campaign's apparent lack of focus, Mr Barnett denied it was out of touch with the voters' main concerns of jobs and economic security. <\/p>\n
\"No-one has made that comment to me, but can I say we have put out 70 policies. We have put out, from my experience, the most detailed agenda across every area,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"A lot of that is about the growth in new sectors such as tourism, such as international relations, agriculture in particular.\" <\/p>\n
By contrast, WA Labor has been relentless in its attack on the Barnett Government's plan to part-privatise Western Power, both in its advertising and on the campaign trail. <\/p>\n
Mark McGowan was interviewed on the ABC 7.30 program on Monday night and appeared to be in a parallel universe as he all but ignored the questions from presenter Leigh Sales, and repeatedly returned to his campaign themes. <\/p>\n
Asked about minor parties, he responded: <\/p>\n
\"Well, minor parties have always been around, and they've always attracted votes. But my role as the leader of the Labor Party is to set out a comprehensive agenda for Western Australia, and that's what we've done,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"And it's based around jobs, not selling Western Power, our plan for health all of those sorts of initiatives are the sorts of things that we're standing for.\" <\/p>\n
Asked about union election advertising, he responded: <\/p>\n
\"I don't know. I don't know the answer to the question.\" <\/p>\n
\"But there are important issues out there that all sorts of groups are advertising around. The sale of Western Power, which I oppose. Better funding for schools, which I support. Making sure that we have a decent approach to health and community safety and the like.\" <\/p>\n
Mr Barnett spent most of the same day defending his party's preference deal with One Nation, and being increasingly frustrated by media questions about One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. <\/p>\n
\"Look it is not what the West Australian public is talking about, the only people talking about Pauline Hanson, with great respect, are the media. No-one else is,\" he said. <\/p>\n
Treasurer Mike Nahan dismissed questions suggesting the Liberal campaign had lacked an effective central theme to make up the ground on Labor in the last days before the election. <\/p>\n
He said jobs and growth remain the Liberals key campaign issues and they would be reinforced with the release of the Liberal party election costings. <\/p>\n
\"It shows good government, focuses on what has to be done even if it's not necessarily popular. There's no flim-flam in our policies,\" he said. <\/p>\n
He said the Liberals had a clear and credible plan to reduce debt and fund capital works through the part sale of Western Power, and would chart a path back to budget surplus by the end of the decade. <\/p>\n
He said Labor had no plan. <\/p>\n
\"How do you reduce the deficit? How do you pay down debt? And how do you fund $5 billion in extra promises?\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"If people fall for that, the warning I have for them is it's a one way street. After Saturday, they're stuck with him for four years.\" <\/p>\n
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, wa <\/p>\n
First posted March 08, 2017 08:44:19 <\/p>\n
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Analysis: Liberal lily-pad politics undermines efforts to cut through on Labor promises - ABC Online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Updated March 08, 2017 12:18:07 It is shaping as the Barnett Government's last roll of the electoral dice. Continue reading