Scare campaigns are an effective mechanism to sway the public.
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That is, until it’s discovered that beneath the surface they are just white sheets with holes cut out of them worn by desperate politicians making “boo” noises.
There have been plenty of scare campaigns this election season and hyperbole is flying thick and fast.
The Opposition has consistently said the election will be a referendum on the privatisation of Medicare, and embarked on a campaign to “save” it.
Health cuts have also been a focus of Labor.
The Coalition has warned that Labor will run the country into further debt and won’t pay for its promises, and that it will get back into bed with the Greens to “destroy more jobs”.
The wheels started to fall off Labor’s Medicare campaign this week.
The scary mask is coming undone, and underneath it is a desperate Bill Shorten.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ruled out any changes, and is calling Labor’s approach a “lie”.
The Coalition had planned to fiddle with Medicare, in order to upgrade an ageing payment system, but has since ruled out any changes.
When I was sitting in a pub with a friend recently the Medicare issue popped up.
As we sipped on our beers the friend said he had stumbled into a rally to “save Medicare”, and as a paid up health union member he decided to participate.
“It’s going to make it so much more expensive for people to buy medication when they privatise Medicare,” he said.
It’s amazing how statements, if said long enough and loudly enough, become true and get repeated as fact – even if they aren’t factually correct.
The pub situation is an example of Labor’s fear campaign over Medicare being effective, but one week out from polling day it’s being called into question.
Even doctors are rejecting claims that the Coalition will privatise it.
Mr Turnbull said he won’t be privatising any aspect of the healthcare system now being delivered by the government.
But many voters may have already made their minds up, or pre-voted, based on a fear that the Liberals will privatise it.
The same can be said about preference deals.
The Liberals seized on the issue, bragging that they put the Greens last, and warned Labor would go back into a minority government with the Greens.
They say it would be disastrous for Australia, and have been advertising as such.
Full page advertisements have depicted red warning text and wrecking balls – yet Labor has consistently ruled out any deals.
Penalty rates is also an issue that has been used to sway voters.
Labor has positioned itself as the party to “save” penalty rates, and that the Coalition will strip workers of their weekend rates.
But ever since Mr Shorten said he’d accept the umpire’s decision the issue has lost credibility.
Yes, Labor provided a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of penalty rates and the Coalition didn’t.
And yes, members of the Coalition have expressed concerns with Sunday rates.
But at the end of the day, if the commission rules to change the rate, Labor will accept it.
Fear campaigns when based on mistruths leave a bad taste in the mouth of voters.
And they stink of desperation.