“Credit goes to the Liberals who have not used the time of the COVID-19 crisis for electioneering but have provided a united community voice. However, the gloves are now off,” says political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

ACT Opposition Leader Alistair Coe has fired the Canberra Liberals’ first real salvo for the election year. Well, election half year! 

He joins with Liberals from around Australia demanding that schools re-open as soon as possible. 

Credit goes to the Liberals who have not used the time of the COVID-19 crisis for electioneering but have provided a united community voice. However, the gloves are now off. 

On the very day that the ACT recorded no active COVID-19 cases Mr Coe effectively launched his campaign. The election is set for the third Saturday in October and the Liberals will need to make considerable gains if they are to topple the tired Labor/Greens government.

It is not just that the Liberals want to see kids back at school. They have made public the “secret deal” between the unions and the government regarding the timing of the return of public schools. 

Despite the united front through the pandemic, Mr Coe explained “It is disappointing that the government has not been forthcoming with information”. 

He added that parents and the community should “know what the secret deal entails”.

The Liberal attack exposes two things. 

Firstly is an ungrateful government that has the Liberals onside to handle the pandemic but does not reciprocate in a fair manner by keeping them informed. This is hardly the Australian concept of a “fair go”. 

Secondly is the lack of transparency of a very long-term government with its secret deals. This has been exposed in the past – but is particularly obnoxious when there is a genuine attempt at a supportive and co-ordinated approach to solving the COVID-19 crisis.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr had pre-empted with a salvo of his own: petrol prices. 

At the start of the year Mr Barr took the first step on fuel prices with a pre-election policy of opening more competition in the market. Last week, with ACT fuel prices much, much more expensive than Sydney and regional centres by as much as 30c a litre, he threatened to legislate the margin. Alistair Coe called his bluff: “the Canberra Liberals are prepared to consider it on the next sitting day”.

The ACT is not the only election in this region in the next six months. The federal by-election for Eden-Monaro is swinging into action with the resignation through ill-health of the popular and effective local Labor member, Mike Kelly. 

Kelly was the first MP in four decades to win the “bellwether” seat of Eden-Monaro against the government of the day. 

This by-election will be particularly interesting as it exposes the underbelly of the Morrison government. The failure of the Prime Minister to respond appropriately to the bushfires that ravaged the electorate must sit high in the minds of the constituents. On the other hand, one possible contender is NSW Liberal Transport Minister Andrew Constance, who was outspoken in his support of the local community and area during the fires.

The other issue is the stumbling start of the Prime Minister with regard to COVID-19 – including arguing that, like himself, people should be able to attend a rugby match and church services on the weekend before the introduction of crowd restrictions and social distancing. 

However, most fair-minded observers would note that, apart from not attending his rugby match, he then seemed to get his act together. Although late off the mark, he did establish the national cabinet, he did pay attention to health advice from the people with appropriate expertise and he did introduce financial rescue measures that most would have believed to be an anathema to him and his party.

These issues will overlap with the ACT election. While it is appropriate to give credit to the Liberals for being part of a united front with the government on the COVID-19 approach – it did mean that they have lost months of electioneering time. Through this time the Chief Minister and Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith were day in and day out front and centre for the media. 

Presence is a considerable advantage in a Hare-Clark electoral system. With this in mind, more vigorous attacks on government can be expected from the Liberals.