Tony Abbott’s family is playing an unprecedented role in this election, but will it shift votes, asks Dr Stephanie Younane Brookes from the School of Social and Political Sciences.
THE LIBERAL PARTY’s campaign message is pitched directly at Australian families. “Real action” on childcare, a $760 million boost to the education tax rebate and a twenty-six-week paid parental leave scheme are all designed to resonate with the kitchen-table economics of the “ordinary” family. But does this strategy reflect a sophisticated understanding of the voting behaviour of the Australian electorate?
Images of the family are not new in Australian elections, of course. On the campaign trail, politicians have long positioned family at the centre of society, taken their own families on the hustings, and even spoken of the nation itself as the “Australian family.” What is new is opposition leader Tony Abbott’s emphasis on his status as husband and father to demonstrate how he embodies “family values.” Abbott’s repeated and specific references to his own family at formal campaign events are even more unusual.
Through this language and imagery, the Liberals are trying to do two things at once: to exploit the perceived electoral advantage that Abbott’s home life offers and to solve the perceived electoral challenge of a female prime minister. In this narrative, Abbott is a family man who is surrounded by, and understands, women. Voters are invited to contrast the opposition leader with his opponent and to draw conclusions about the values and integrity of the candidates based on their home lives. '
Election campaigns are about identification. Candidates take a stand on issues, make policy promises, and present a vision for the nation in the hope that their message will resonate with voters. When politicians give televised speeches, host photo opportunities and update Twitter feeds, they are attempting to reflect the hopes, fears and underlying values of “ordinary” people.
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This is an extract from an article first published on the Inside Story current affairs and culture website.