It seems like Kevin Rudd is changing tactics.

For weeks now, the overriding message from the Rudd camp, the message that all Labor candidates have been drumming up, was the accusation that the Liberals, once re-elected, would make WorkChoices more “extreme”.

Of course, all Liberal ministers denied the claims. Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey even promised to resign if WorkChoices was ever significantly altered in future.

But that didn’t stop the Labor onslaught. Both Treasurer Peter Costello and Finance Minister Nick Minchin made comments about amending WorkChoices last year, and Labor has been fixated on its scare campaign ever since.

Until today, that is.

It seems Kevin Rudd has opted for a new scare campaign to coincide with the Liberal Party campaign launch. The WorkChoices campaign has grown stale. It was time for a new scary direction.

So now Rudd seems focused on reminding voters that John Howard is retiring – and that, therefore, any he promises he makes should be treated with skepticism.

This is because, according to Rudd, John Howard doesn’t have to face the voting public ever again. Thus, Howard can say one thing, do another, and then leave before there are any electoral consequences.

“Mr Howard has already concluded his retirement plan and that’s why there is no plan for this country’s future,” he said today.

Indeed, Rudd mentioned this particular scenario six times in his 15-minute press conference

And, when you think about it, it’s a scare campaign that may actually have some traction.

Howard can say he’ll stick to his promises, as he almost certainly will in response. But because Howard’s retiring, how can voters rely on this promise to keep promises?

In the end, it’s just another promise really. And because Howard is retiring, he doesn’t need to keep this promise to keep promises either.

It’s a scare campaign with an endless spiral of scare.

Indeed, it may be the perfect scare campaign. Expect to hear a lot more about it in future.