I don’t know about you, but this campaign seems to lack cut-through. Few revolutionary or exciting policies, no gaffes or onion-eating, and no inspiring speeches. Luckily for us, it still hasn’t stopped the delicious spam.
This week, we received 51 emails, a tiny increase from 48 last week, and again with the ALP leading the pack.
Housing
Last week was certainly the biggest policy week of the election so far, with both major parties focusing on housing as they launched their campaigns. Unfortunately for them, the policies were roundly slammed, with housing experts saying neither party managed to address the key cause of housing problems.
But how were these policies reflected in the e-newsletters? Patrick Gorman (ALP, Perth) was out there on the tools with Housing and Homelessness Minister Clare O’Neil:
Unsurprisingly, the language is almost identical across emails from various Labor MPs:
“Everyone in Perth/Newcastle/Central Coast deserves a home to call their own. But for many — young people in particular — the dream of owning their own home feels like it’s moving further out of reach.”
That said, there are some minor variations, with Gorman and Gordon Reid (Robertson) both saying that “Labor is determined to change that,” while Sharon Claydon (Newcastle) wrote “A reelected Anthony Albanese Labor Government is determined to change that.” Curious.
The Liberal Party featured its housing announcements heavily in emails this week, also using the cut and paste technique to maintain a somewhat consistent message (and surprisingly not clarify their leader’s position on buying his own kid a house…)
Zoe McKenzie MP, Flinders
Other Liberals, like Senators Claire Chandler and Alex Antic, were also singing off the same song-sheet, with a charming duet about the impending dangers of a Labor-Greens alliance:
Labor appears very happy to mention Dutton!
Last week we referred to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as “He who must not be named”. This week, we’ve discovered Labor MPs seem very happy to name him, with the party’s own e-newsletters now more likely to mention Dutton than the ALP’s own leader Albanese.
The graph above shows that over the past six months or so, the proportion of ALP e-newsletters that mention Dutton has jumped from around 25% to almost 60% — clearly indicating that party research suggests Dutton, like that salmon, is clearly on the nose. The Coalition also seem to know this — around 65% of Coalition e-newsletters don’t mention Dutton at all.
Both sides are mentioning Albanese less than previously, but the ALP is still mentioning its leader (55-60% of the time) much more than the Coalition is mentioning its (35-40%).
Labor’s budget worries?
Whatever the state of the Commonwealth budget, we’re a bit concerned about the ALP’s approach to internal budgeting. We’ve consistently mentioned the “give us money” theme coming through in the e-newsletters. More than a quarter of all ALP e-newsletters ask for money — compared to approximately 15% of Coalition e-newsletters.
Why do you make “budget decisions counting on sustained fundraising” over the Easter long weekend, if you are also “expecting a significant slowdown in grassroots donations”? This certainly feels like “magic pudding” budgeting.
Just plain fun content!
Labor’s Dan Repacholi continues to deliver some of the best content (Yeah baby!! $1 billion dollars!):
He is also the inspiration for this today’s Spam flavour: Korean BBQ! This week, Repacholi promoted the sporting achievements of local Xavier Orchard, who was named Lake Macquarie Young Sports Star of the Year and represented Lake Macquarie at the International Children’s Games in South Korea “finishing an incredible fourth in the 1500m!”
Although as always independent Russell Broadbent is trying to give Repacholi a run for his money in his own unique way:
We hope Mary the Mannequin is doing okay selling her spuds. Must be a cost of living crisis if even our plastic Australians need a side-hustle.
And speaking of selling… if you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a politics tragic like us. But have you ever felt compelled to deck yourself out in the team colours? This week David Pocock linked his readers to his shiny new merch store, which gives us an excuse to showcase some of the tote-ally great merch on offer this campaign:
Given our politicians’ penchant for copy-and-paste policy, you’d think they’d have some stationary on offer too, but that’s life.
Until next week, in the words of an original Spam advertisement, “Cold or hot…Spam hits the spot.”
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen in an election newsletter this week?
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