Now we have seen Bill Shorten's response to the federal budget it seems fair to say the Australian electorate is finally being offered a clear choice going into the election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
We haven't seen such significant differences since the Kevin 07 campaign 12 years ago.
And, to make it even more interesting, the choice is not just between policies but also between two specific approaches to the challenge of government.
One reason for this is that after decades of political convergence both the LNP and Labor are returning to first principles.
Morrison is leading his party, and to a lesser extent the agrarian socialists in the Nationals, down what was once a very well-worn path.
He and Josh Frydenberg are hard at work selling the message government should be delivered with a very light touch and clear constraints on how much tax is levied and how much is to be spent on providing services.
This embraces user pays principles, tax cuts and the delivery of essential services at no cost to essentially only the poorest of the poor.
While, in view of the looming poll, it has had to open its wallet, the Coalition is arguing it is providing upgraded services while, at the same time, promising surpluses and a reduction in the national debt in conjunction with tax cuts.
It's a pitch that is essentially about self-interest.
Labor, on the other hand, appears to be returning to its core values with Shorten's oft-repeated pledge to make this a referendum on wages and his commitment Labor would make the basic wage a living wage.
Labor is making no secret of its once rusted on belief governments are elected to play a transformational role and that if this means using the tax system as a means of carrying out wealth redistribution on a significant scale then so be it.
The Coalition, on the other hand, has a long history of delivering the lowest acceptable level of services and social security support for the lowest possible cost.
Shorten's targeting of cancer in his reply speech on Thursday night was clever politics not even the most hardline conservative critics have been able to pick holes in. It is, after all, pretty hard to argue against giving cancer victims and their families a fair deal.
It has the potential to have a direct impact on the lives of tens of thousands of Australian families.
That said, Shorten's proposals are far from perfect. The negative gearing reforms, while well meant, do have the capacity to drive already weak housing prices down even further.
The hotly contested changes that have been proposed to franking credits for self funded retirees will cost thousands of people significant amounts of money at what is one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
The poll is shaping up to be a choice between two possible Australias: one focused on self-interest and reward for effort and the other on altruism and a broader community view.
It will be interesting to see which version of themselves Australian voters choose on polling day.
