Was a split election considered by Prime Minister Scott Morrison?

Theories about the PM delaying or splitting the election have been floating around for months.

The moment Prime Minister Scott Morrison called an election yesterday for May 21, conspiracy theories about him delaying it due to COVID-19, the War in Ukraine or another issue were put to rest.

Another theory that had floated around for months was that the PM would opt for a half-senate election, otherwise known as a 'split election.'

This would mean that the election for the House of Representatives would be held at a later date.

The last time that happened was in 1970, and would be considered an unprecedented move.

No major analysts predicted this would happen in 2022, and evidently, they were right.

The ABC's well-respected election analyst Antony Green has written extensively about the "improbable option being recycled as a real possibility."

But did Scott Morrison actually consider it?

Like many theories, it comes from an element of truth.

This is some of what the PM wrote to Governor-General David Hurley:

"Holding the House of Representatives election at the same time a half-Senate election will spare the Australian community the additional expense and disrupture that would result from holding two separate national elections within months."

One tweet from a user with over 49K followers accurately paraphrased what the PM said, but then went onto declare "so obviously, he did give it enough consideration to arrive at that conclusion."

However, the wording is exactly the same as what Kevin Rudd wrote in 2013, and what Scott Morrison wrote in 2019.

Therefore, it does not appear to be something "considered" by the PM, and is actually a standard line used by previous PMs.

RATING: MOSTLY FALSE

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