12 Holiday Nudges: ScoMo stays PM

Nudge 8: Coalition wins election

Rudd, Gillard, Abbot, Turnbull, Morrison… in recent years, asking “Who’s the Prime Minister today?” wasn’t an unusual question. But when Australia took to the polls in May 2019, Scott Morrison managed to keep his seat and maintain power in parliament. 

It’s now more than 12 months since there’s been a Government leadership spill. We can only hypothesise how and why the Liberal party maintained control through the election despite earlier tumultuous infighting. Was it their policy on immigration, their promises on fiscal management, perhaps the clever campaign line “The Bill Australia can’t afford”?

I’d say a large part of their success came down to change fatigue. People were tired of waking up to a new PM every other month; of voting for someone only to have them ousted. Even though our system doesn’t allow us to vote for the leader, that’s how the media tends to play it.

Change is tough. It means entering the unknown, which can be unsettling. A sitting conservative party does seem like the safer option – after all, we’d seen Morrison do the job. 

Staying on the same path – doing what we know – offers the least resistance. If change isn’t managed well and communicated clearly, people will revert to what’s easiest. 

What can you do to make change the easy choice for your people?  

Missed a nudge? Read more below and subscribe to our newsletter for the full 12 Nudges.

• Holiday Nudge 1: The WeWork IPO Fiasco
• Holiday Nudge 2: Brexit Deal No-deal Turmoil
• Holiday Nudge 3: Is Google’s Fitbit Acquisition Healthy?
• Holiday Nudge 4: Hayne Royal Commission
• Holiday Nudge 5: BlackRock’s Letter to Investors
• Holiday Nudge 6: Growth with a Growth Mindset at Microsoft
• Holiday Nudge 7: Greta Thunberg and Climate Strikes