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National Party calls in Australian campaigner for election campaign advice

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 4 Feb 2020, 1:53PM
Simon Bridges is seeking to copy Scott Morrison's strategy. (Photo / Supplied)

National Party calls in Australian campaigner for election campaign advice

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 4 Feb 2020, 1:53PM

The National Party is calling on help from Australia to win this year's election.

Australian Liberal Party campaign official Nick Westenberg has been briefing National MPs and candidates on the secrets to a winning campaign.

Westenberg was one of the brains behind Australian PM Scott Morrison's election win, which focused on targeting the "quiet Australians".

In an interview with the NZ Herald, Westenberg said that group existed in every country.

"You can use different phrases for it. Scott Morrison uses the quiet Australians, it's working families, previously it was Howard's battlers, Tony's tradies. It always ends up being the same people.

It's the people who aren't on a particular end of the spectrum, the people who are just living their everyday lives where politics impacts it, but it's not the most important thing for them."

But political editor Barry Soper told Simon Barnett and Phil Gifford Bridges faces a much tougher election than Morrison.

"When Morrison and won the election, he was up against the then-Labor leader Bill Shorten, who was not popular. Simon Bridges is up against Jacinda Ardern, who of course is popular."

Westenberg says that is something to be considered, but that "the issue don't change no matter who is running".

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