Q+A: Apr 14

Stan Grant hosts the first election ’22 panel for Q+A on Thursday.

This week on Q+A, the race for the nation. Election 2022 is officially underway and Australians head to the polls on May 21. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging voters to stick with his “tried and tested” government for another term, while challenger Anthony Albanese says his pitch is about “building a better future”.

Both candidates have begun their campaigns in marginal electorates, launching the opening salvos in a 41-day race set to be defined by close contests in a series of seats. The latest Resolve poll shows voters deserting the Coalition in parts of Queensland and WA where it once thought it was safe, highlighting the challenge that Scott Morrison faces to secure victory. But it’s not a clear path to the Lodge for Anthony Albanese either, with a campaign-eve Newspoll showing that the contest between the two major parties has tightened to its closest margin this year.

Labor has entered the water wars in a bid to woo South Australian voters – with Anthony Albanese promising to uphold the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and deliver SA’s share of water. But the Coalition says its opponent is just chasing a few votes in Adelaide. What role will water play in the poll? Has climate change fallen off the election agenda of both major parties?

Indigenous leaders have issued an urgent call for a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, saying the Australian people are ready to say yes to constitutional recognition for a First Nations voice and that “history is calling”. Labor has pledged to hold a referendum if it wins government while the Coalition hasn’t made such a commitment. Why has the process taken so long?

We’ll unpack the political spin and hold candidates to account over the next six weeks of what’s set to be a bitter battle. What are the issues that you care most about? How do you feel about the choice that’s being offered? And just what impact will independent candidates have on this year’s election?

Panel:
Osher Günsberg, TV and podcast host
Megan Davis, Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous, UNSW
Kate McBride, Farmer and researcher
Andrew Bragg, Liberal Senator for NSW
Chris Bowen, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy

8:30pm Thursday on ABC.