That is,one or two policies (housing,childcare),some themes (“build back stronger”) and – by far the largest part – making sure there’s nothing for the other side to hit.
To be fair,Albanese was really only raising the date as a possibility. A better clue to his actual thinking came two days later,in an interview on ABC radio. Virginia Trioli asked him whether he guessed March or May for an election. “March 5th,” Albanese said.
That might be some comfort to Labor supporters,many of whom have been wondering for some time when,exactly,Labor was going to start its run. But March 5 is closer than it seems,too. This week will quickly go in talk of Glasgow. Then the PM will actually be in Glasgow,and that will take the next. Three weeks after that and politics is over for the year. Voters tune out – this year probably even more than most – until late in January. If Albanese is right,there would be perhaps another 10 days before the campaign proper would begin.
Just after he became leader,Albanese said two things. The first was that you shouldn’t announce your policies early because you did not know what the political context would beuntil closer to the election. You had towait until the final quarter,at which point you would “kick with the wind”.
As time went on and COVID made it difficult to begin kicking,observers began to wonder when precisely that final quarter might start. Then,in May,Albanese said the siren had sounded – now it was the “bounce for the fourth quarter”. Soon after,somewhat amazingly,the political wind shifted and began blowing in Scott Morrison’s face.
Since then,that wind has done plenty of damage to Morrison. But what of Albanese? Polling suggests voters don’t have a much better handle on him than they did five months ago. I am sceptical of Labor’s tiny target strategy – if that’s what it is. I think Albanese is running out of time to make an impression,and I tend towards thinking that is a problem for Labor. But I’m not at all certain about this,for three reasons.