Politics with Michelle Grattan: A very bad start to 2022 for Morrison, but can Albanese win?

In addition to her regular interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where Michelle discusses the news of the week with The Conversation’s politics team.

This week, Politics + Society senior deputy editor Justin Bergman and Michelle discuss the eventful start to the election year.

With massive surges in COVID cases in most of the country and rapid antigen tests hard to get, the current mood in the electorate is not in the government’s favour, as polling is showing.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s troubles were worsened by the damaging and dangerous antics of outgoing MP George Christensen, urging parents not to get their children vaccinated. (In the wake of Morrison’s condemnation, Christensen announced after this podcast was recorded that he was stepping down from his position on a parliamentary committee.)

But there’s still a budget to come in March, and a number of months between what might be the near-peak of Omicron and the election now destined for May.

As the political year gets into swing, the question is whether the election is really Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s to win, or simply Morrison’s to lose.

Additional audio

Gaena, Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive.