The high court has cleared the decks for Scott Morrison to call the federal election by refusing to hear a last-ditch appeal against the prime minister’s contentious captain’s picks in key New South Wales seats.
The court on Friday refused businessman Matthew Camenzuli’s application for special leave to appeal against the NSW court of appeal’s decision upholding the controversial preselections. Chief justice Susan Kiefel said the appeal had “insufficient prospects of success”.
Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese are already in full campaign mode, barnstorming marginal seats across the country. But the prime minister is expected to visit the governor-general this weekend, triggering an election in mid-May.
The court’s decision removes a significant distraction from the opening days of the campaign. It also ensures that a key Morrison ally, the immigration minister Alex Hawke, as well as environment minister Sussan Ley and leading moderate MP Trent Zimmerman, will be endorsed to contest the election.
With a dispute over Morrison’s insistence on his preferred candidates triggering visceral conflict in the New South Wales division of the Liberal party, Camenzuli had asked the court for an order restraining party officials from sending the candidates’ names to the electoral commissioner.
But on Wednesday, the NSW state director, Chris Stone, used his special campaign powers to expel Camenzuli after he was charged with imperilling the party’s election chances.
With the factional score-settling and the election-eve legal challenges disrupting Morrison’s efforts to focus the conversation on his preferred political territory of the economy and national security, the prime minister declared earlier this week he was insisting on his preferred candidates because he wanted to stand up “for the women in my team”.
While some colleagues privately accuse Morrison of using the preselections to shore up his own power base, the prime minister said his only agenda was “ensuring we put the best candidates in the field to ensure that our government could put the best foot forward to ensure we continue to have a strong economy”.
On the hustings in Victoria on Friday, Morrison was asked by reporters when he would call the election. He replied: “Well, electoral terms go for three years.
“The last election was on the 18th of May and the next election will be held at about the same time,” the prime minister said. Asked whether that meant Sunday, Morrison said: “We will know very soon.”
As Morrison runs down the clock before visiting the governor-general, the prime minister is characterising Albanese as a “blank page” as part of efforts to present a change of government as too big a risk for voters to take in uncertain times.
The prime minister on Friday acknowledged voters were currently unhappy with him and the government. “Now, I know not all decisions that I’ve taken, everyone’s agreed with. I know that not every government is perfect, particularly in times like this.”
But he said voters knew who he was and what he stood for. “I know what our policies are. I know who my teams are, my team is. I’m not pretending to be anyone else,” Morrison said.
“I’m standing by my record and the plans that I have for the future. And this election campaign is a choice. It’s a choice between the strong economy that delivers a stronger future, and a weaker economy under the weaker economic management of the Labor party.”
Campaigning in Adelaide with the new state premier, Peter Malinauskas, Albanese expressed frustration that Morrison had not yet called the election. “I feel like putting in a phone call to the prime minister, if he doesn’t know where the governor-general lives, and offer him a lift to [from] the Lodge to call this election.”
Albanese said Morrison was delaying the official call of the contest “so that he can continue to spend taxpayer funds on election ads in the name of the government – but they’re really about promoting the Liberal-National parties”, and to continue to make appointments to government bodies.
The Labor leader declared it was time for Morrison to call the election and “let the Australian people decide”.
“If you look across the board at this government’s performance, there’s a trillion dollars of debt and no legacy to show for it.”
