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Relaxed Morrison confident in his pitch

As the second week of campaigning ends, Scott Morrison has set aside his fiery parliamentary persona and taken a lighter approach.

Scott Morrison Election 2019
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken a lighter approach on the campaign trail. (AAP)

Outlined by lights, the man on the stage holds a mic in one hand and waves the other as he preaches to the faithful about hope.

The visual parallel between pictures of Scott Morrison's worship at his Pentecostal church, and seeing the prime minister launching his Boothby MP's election campaign, is striking.

Out on the campaign trail, the shouting, hectoring Morrison of parliamentary Question Time is all but gone.

Instead he appears relaxed, happy to lob up a last-minute line taken from a children's book that tickles his sense of humour - "Bill Shorten is a very cranky bear" - and eagerly getting his hands dirty at every photo opportunity, even when it has his staffers wincing.

The lighter mood hasn't escaped Morrison's opponent.

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Shorten accused the prime minister this week of running around the country, "taking his happy pills and having his little photos and getting away with(out) serious scrutiny".

Perhaps, it's just that Morrison is better at batting away the questions he doesn't like and staying unfazed in the face of the press pack's shouting.

The former ad man is confident in his pitch but knows it's ultimately up to the clients to decide.

Public outings to the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the MCG and a Townsville pub have attracted an equal mixture of "OMG it's ScoMo" moments and "Who's that?" reactions from the crowd.

And this prime minister is not so famous he can't swim laps in a hotel pool unnoticed.

Whether the Australian people will agree with what he's preaching remains to be seen.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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