Scott Morrison’s troops have been given a stern warning to focus on their own jobs, instead of his, as the government readies itself for a tough re-election fight.
In the last sitting week before the budget, the Prime Minister told Coalition MPs that if they focused on their “craft” they would win the election.
“To win this election will require the most discipline, focus and professionalism from each of us in all of our roles,” Mr Morrison told a joint party room meeting on Tuesday.
“We do that, we win – it’s that simple.”
If recent polls are to be believed, the government is facing an electoral wipe-out come the next federal vote.
Mr Morrison’s character has come under fire in recent weeks following the leak of several damaging text messages and cabinet conversations.
But he told his MPs they each needed to focus on their own jobs if they expected to be successful come the expected May poll.
“Focus on the craft and tools and push through and deliver and that’s what we must do. I’m going to do my job, I need you to do yours,” he warned.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, preferring a sporting analogy, told his colleagues to “push through the pain”.
While the Coalition did not address the events of last week, Anthony Albanese celebrated the internal fracas splitting the Coalition apart over religious discrimination.
He told a meeting of the Labor caucus that the opposition would act on faith-based discrimination but stopped short of committing to protecting LGBTQ teachers at religious schools.
“Last week was our party at its best – we made a collective decision and backed it in … If we win, we will act on discrimination on the basis of faith, including an anti-vilification provision, which is stronger than what the government put forward, and we’ll also protect children,” he said.
With the major parties focusing on the upcoming election campaign, the existence of a $16bn war chest caused tensions to boil over in senate estimates.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham came under pressure from Labor’s Katy Gallagher over the sum included as a “decision made not yet taken” in the latest budget update.
Of concern to Labor is the government repeating the 2019 process that gave way to the so-called sports rorts and carpark rorts scandals. Both funds were announced prior to the election, but subsequent audits found the awarding of grants was not merit based.
Senator Birmingham deflected, insisting Senator Gallagher’s questioning was a double standard given Labor’s own election promises, but she wasn’t having it.
“It’s no double standard,” she said.
“You signed off those projects in government as ministers with no assessment, no recommendations, and they all went to seats you wanted to win, using funds you’d appropriated through the budget, with no transparency at all.”
Labor also accused the government of squirrelling away funds in existing programs, such as the Building Better Regions Fund, to the tune of $2.4bn to use as a war chest come May.
“You've got so many funds through the budget now, it genuinely is hard to keep track because I think you’ve found it such a successful way to hide money and then allocate and look like you’re not adding costs on the budget,” Senator Gallagher said.
