1 m 8 s Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten say what they admire about each other

And age is becoming the ultimate political divide

The other choice is how about whether we manage the transition to an ageing society in a way that ensures the economic security of the young. The Coalition is banking on the broad appeal of its income tax cuts while at the same time getting stuck into Labor's "retiree tax".

Labor has set out an agenda of reducing tax concessions that it argues go to older, wealthier Australians and investing the proceeds' in childcare. But it can't shake the "retiree tax" label. Its website is fighting back, pointing to Tony Abbott's attempt to cut payments to pensioners and Scott Morrision's support of a pension age of 70.

The"retiree tax" label is haunting Labor in a similar way that Prime Minister Theresa May in Britain was was haunted by talk of a "dementia tax'" during the 2017 elections. It was a proposal to include the value of the family home in the means test for in-home care.

We are heading down the road of aged-based entitlement and political expediency. Whether it's too late to turn back, time and this election will tell.

Emily Millane is a research fellow and PhD candidate with the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. This piece first appeared on The Conversation.