Abbott the Energizer bunny
The view was good while it lasted, only it didn't last very long. Returning from Arnhem Land to Sydney on Saturday night, we were lucky enough to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel. My room overlooked the spectacular sights of Sydney... the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House just outside my window. I took it in for a moment, then firmly closed my eyes. Another very early start beckoned.
At 5am on a Sunday, finding good coffee isn't easy. The taxi dropped us at Hyde Park for the start of the City2Surf, and I was quickly on the hunt. Fortunately, the nearby swimming pool had a cafe that was open. After my caffeine injection, I was good to go.
Tony Abbott's was in the race, escorting visually-impaired runner Nathan Johnston. This was going to be a commercial TV reporters dream, think of all the puns! With the camera rolling, I started my live cross talking about how Abbott was the front runner at the moment (boom-tish!) and how the campaign was a marathon, not a sprint (I'm here all week!). The starters gun fired, and Abbott and Nathan were away. Perfect timing! Then came the dreaded words in my ear... "We seem to be having some trouble with Alex's connection..." Bugger, the perils of technology...
Unperturbed, we drove down to Bondi, to position ourselves for Abbott's finish. With 85,000 participants, countless volunteers and staff, and umpteen thousand spectators, it was chaotic to say the least. Abbott crossed the line, then upstaged my puns with a pun of his own about how hard "running" for office is (guffaw). Much to the relief of everyone's eyes, the Liberal Leader decided not to spoil the view during his announcement. He refrained from stripping down to his speedos while promising funding to reduce drownings. The small mercies.
There was no secrecy surrounding our next destination. With the first debate to be held that night, the media pack was bundled straight on a plane to Canberra. Given the debate over the debate and all the associated controversy, there was an air of anticipation and excitement about the contest.
I joined several other journalists upstairs at the National Press Club, hunched over my keyboard, hanging on every word. Ok, not every word. A few minutes in, my focus began to waiver. There were no fireworks. There was barely a spark.
That is exactly what the Abbott camp wanted. If there was nothing controversial said, the debate wouldn't generate a significant follow up story. The biggest controversy was whether or not Kevin Rudd was reading from notes. In my view, it was a nil-all draw. Neither leader clearly won. By default, that made Abbott a winner of sorts. The Prime Minister needed nothing short of a win. He entered the debate behind in the polls, and remains in the same position.
It is a good time in the campaign to be switching sides. On Sunday night after the debate, I join the Rudd media pack. New advisers to deal with, new journos to compete and work with, and a new perspective on the campaign. It's only the beginning of week two, so it's unlikely we'll see a dramatic shift in strategy from Labor. But there will be subtle variations. The PM needs to find a winning formula.
