Good night and good luck
As delightful as the late afternoon heart starter was, I think it’s time to say enough from Politics Live for today. Thanks to Mel Davey and to Gabi Chan for their services to live coverage today, and thanks to all of you for reading.
Let’s close out by reflecting on the events of the day.
- The Coalition unveiled a package for dairy farmers smacked about by low milk prices. Labor was unimpressed because the centrepiece was a concessional loans package, and concessional loans haven’t to date been roaringly successful.
- The issue of black holes persisted throughout the campaign news cycle after the Coalition fluffed its attack on Labor on Tuesday. The ALP had more or less punched a hole in the Coalition’s main attack lines until a late afternoon performance from the Labor man David Feeney derailed the venture. Feeney had no idea about his party’s position on key measures including pensions and the school kids bonus. Before he collapsed into plaintive cluelessness on live television over spending and savings proposals Feeney had admitted he’d produced the major own goal of the Labor campaign to date by forgetting to declare he owned a $2m house, well before this afternoon, in any case.
- The gaffe-o-metre also expanded in different directions, with the Coalition’s campaign spokesman Mathias Cormann delivering a floral endorsement of the Labor leader Bill Shorten entirely by accident, and Barnaby Joyce declaring that every man could use a couple of au pairs. Don’t ask, it doesn’t matter.
Mel Davey will be back at first light then I will be back live from 8.30am tomorrow. Have a lovely evening.
Glancing north
Quickly to other matters. Malarndirri McCarthy, a former ABC journo and member of the Northern Territory legislative assembly, has thrown her hat in the ring to replace Nova Peris. Peris resigned as a Labor senator for the Norther Territory on Tuesday to pursue a job in the AFL. McCarthy is a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola in the NT. Between 2005 and 2012, she was a member of the NT legislative assembly and was a minister in the Labor government. There’s already been a bit of a stir around the fact McCarthy currently lives in Sydney, although a spokesman said she had done so since 2012 to stay with her sick father and she will move back to the NT if she is selected for the Senate spot. Guardian Australia also understands Cathryn Tilmouth is considering running for the spot. Tilmouth is a former adviser to Labor resources minister, Martin Ferguson, and currently works for Ken Vowles, a member of the NT legislative assembly. Tilmouth is the daughter of Aboriginal former Central Land Council director, the late Tracker Tilmouth. According to reports Peris’ chief of staff, Ursula Raymond, is also considering a run. Raymond has worked for the Fred Hollows Foundation, the ABC, and the Northern Land Council.
Updated
While Mathias Cormann is out speaking to reporters he slots in a correction to his own stumble earlier in the day, when he accidentally delivered a glowing endorsement to the Labor leader Bill Shorten. Malcolm Turnbull is an extremely caring fellow. Cormann looks ever so slightly sheepish, but mostly, amused.
What a time to be alive.
The Liberals have already stood up their campaign spokesman, Mathias Cormann, in the Mural Hall.
Labor is in complete chaos!
'I don't have the answer'
Just rolling back to nail the Feeney segment on the budget.
Q: Will Labor keep the school kids’ bonus?
David Feeney:
The... well we... in terms – the baby bonus?
Q: School kids’ bonus...
David Feeney:
The – well I – you’d have to refer to our relevant shadow. I’ve been a little, ah, distracted over the last few days.
Q: This is a $4.5bn measure it stops, the last payment goes out the door in July, Labor has railed against it and we don’t know whether you’re going to keep it or not!
David Feeney:
Chris Bowen – Tony Burke – have extensively discussed the shambolic press conference that was yesterday –
Q: I’m not talking about that, I’m asking you about the school kids’ bonus, real policy, this is a real policy, real payment, that according to Labor the families rely on week by week, are you going to keep it or not?
David Feeney:
I refer to the relevant shadow, I don’t have the answer.
Updated
Feeney was on the program with the cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos, who enjoyed a brief moment of discomfort when Speers asked him about Michael Yabsley’s comments to Four Corners about political donations earlier this week.
Yabsley, a former fundraiser for the Liberal party, suggested on Four Corners he knew banned donations from property developers were coming in through the Free Enterprise Foundation. “In a couple of cases, yes. We’re talking about property developers, owners of certain licensed premises. I don’t think it was a great secret about the fact that that was happening,” Yabsley said.
Speers then wondered what Arthur Sinodinos, a former Liberal party treasurer, knew about the donations. Nothing, he said. Sinodinos said Yabsley’s statement to Four Corners was at odds with his sworn evidence in Icac on the donations issue. “It varies with his sworn evidence to Icac.”
Sinodinos then revealed himself as a supporter of campaign finance reform. He said he favoured real time disclosure of donations, and restricting donations to people on the electoral roll.
Never a truer word.
Feeney came on the program to sweep up the remaining debris from last week. There was a complete mea culpa on the Northcote house. The Labor man noted for the record that he had never forgotten that he owned a $2m house, he had only forgotten to declare it, a bout of absentmindedness that had achieved nothing more than “three days of humiliation.” He said he’d initially declined to confirm whether he was negatively gearing the Northcote property because his wife did the finances in his house.
David Feeney:
I didn’t want to wing it.
Updated
Before Speers rolled round to the budget discussion, Feeney admitted he had produced the major own goal of Labor’s campaign to date with the undeclared house imbroglio.
David Feeney:
Unfortunately that’s a trophy I managed to secure last week.
'You haven’t got the cabinet on today, you’ve just got little old me.'
Sky News made much last week of the Labor man, David Feeney, pulling out of a regular segment when the controversy blew up about his undeclared $2m Northcote house. Feeney has crept back into the Sky studios this afternoon, but likely regrets that decision now.
Sky political editor David Speers has just completely carved him up over Labor’s budget plans. Feeney had no idea about Labor’s position on several issues, and he knew he was in terrible trouble.
Feeney said Labor would produce budget repair that was fair (which is Labor’s holding formulation.) Speers thought the viewers might like some detail.
Q: What will we get under Labor?
David Feeney:
You haven’t got the cabinet on today, you’ve just got little old me.
And on it went for three or four excruciating minutes of abject cluelessness.
'All men should have a couple of au pairs'
The deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has just been on 2GB for a brief chat ahead of tonight’s regional debate in Goulburn with Joel Fitzgibbon and Richard Di Natale.
Joyce has offered some general advice concerning the weedy little man wearing too much jewelry (that would be Johnny Depp) after Depp noted on a US chat show that Joyce looks like he’s “inbred with a tomato” – the best approach to interpersonal relations with the movie star is “let him blow himself out.”
Joyce’s host on 2GB moved on to other matters, expressing astonishment that the Greens leader would be part of tonight’s debate, noting, delicately: “What the hell is he doing there?” Joyce made some observations about the Greens and rural issues that that weren’t entirely easy to follow. The conversation swerved then into the recent controversy surrounding the Greens leader and the hiring of au pairs. Barnaby Joyce seemed keen on some home help.
All men should have a couple of au pairs.
Have you seen these posters round and about?
~Someone~ Complained To The AEC About Those Turnbull Posters https://t.co/F8e9Bi7ZGn pic.twitter.com/QFIPYBttzX
— Rob Stott (@Rob_Stott) May 25, 2016
I’m not quite sure who had this story first today but Buzzfeed is reporting the artist has been contacted by the Australian Electoral Commission. The graphic designer Michael Agzarian has told BuzzFeed “he was contacted by the AEC almost as soon as the posters went up, to be told they violate electoral advertising laws. The issue, Agzarian was told, was that the posters didn’t contain the necessary authorisation disclosures - something the designer says he completely understands.”
The identity of the person making the complaint remains mysterious, but if you are collector, you might want to get them while they’re hot.
I know we are #ausvotes all the way here, however reader Benton Wecker has shared some mildly astonishing news (astonishing to me at least, because I haven’t had time to glance in the direction of the US since our election contest opened, so I am seriously behind the times.)
For the first time ever @RealClearNews polling average has #Trump leading #Clinton https://t.co/IjobHi3AUK @TheKouk @GrogsGamut @murpharoo
— Benton Wecker (@BentonWecker) May 25, 2016
According to the RCP poll average of Trump versus Clinton, Trump is on 43.4 and Clinton on 43.2. Yowsers.
Some Instagram views of the hustings today from our own Mike Bowers, and Fairfax Media’s Andrew Meares.
Given Mathias Cormann’s entirely accidental endorsement of Bill Shorten has been running on a high rotation on the live news channels since the moment the slip happened, the Coalition’s campaign spokesman is out now with the Dyson on the twitters.
I was clearly feeling some sympathy for Mr Shorten this morning, given the size of his budget black hole. #illbeback #ausvotes
— Mathias Cormann (@MathiasCormann) May 25, 2016
A voice from the west.
Nice to see @tonyabbottmhr doing some emergency campaigning in Tangney. I must be doing pretty well in their internal polls! #ausvotes
— Dennis Jensen MP (@DennisJensenMP) May 25, 2016
In case Dennis Jensen has slipped your mind he’s a former Liberal who may in fact still be a Liberal in the technical sense but is running as an independent for the seat of Tangney. The Liberal party has trucked in Tony Abbott to .. help.
Today has weaved back and forth between dairy packages and black holes, and Crikey’s Bernard Keane has written today on the history of “voila, here’s my opponent’s black hole”, in federal election campaigns since the late 1980’s. Subscribers can read him here.
The short version can be gleaned in the excerpt below. The treasurer and the finance minister in yesterday’s foray borrowed the Howard/Costello technique in 1996 where the Coalition reframed Labor’s budget management record in government to the shorthand of the “Beazley black hole” in part by inflating Labor’s profligacy.
Bernard Keane:
The chief problem was [Morrison and Cormann did] exactly what finance did back in 1996 — shoehorn in something that could be vaguely linked to Labor but wasn’t actually a commitment. Thus, a relatively modest Labor commitment on foreign aid turned into a $20bn whopper that proceeded to thrash about in the Morrison-Cormann media conference and smash it to pieces, especially given the Coalition has exactly the same nebulous commitment to increased aid funding as Labor.
Along with other extrapolations, double-counting and general half-arsery, over the course of a short period of time in that media conference, the black hole went from a claim of $67bn — a new record for black holes — down to a claim of $32bn, and Morrison was reduced to saying not so much that there was a black hole but that Labor needed to clarify its spending commitments.
Updated
Just in case you weren’t with us this morning, a quick recap of the major policy announcement of the day. These are the key elements of the government’s dairy support package.
Key elements:
- $555m in dairy recovery concessional loans
- $20m to fast-track the upgrade of the Macalister Irrigation District
- $2m to establish a commodity milk-price index
- $900,000 for an additional nine rural financial counsellors in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales
- $900,000 for Dairy Australia’s Tactics for Tight Times program
- Fast-tracking Farm Household Allowance applications with 18 more Department of Human Services employees processing claims
- Appointment of a Department of Human Services dairy industry liaison officer
- Redirection of two Department of Human Services mobile service centres to dairy regions
Given the big-ticket item is concessional loans, it’s reasonable to look at what the Australian National Audit Office said about the administration of concessional loans in the agriculture portfolio just last month.
Here is the audit summary:
The effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ design and establishment of the farm finance concessional loans program was adversely impacted by a number of factors, primarily:
- the department’s (and the Australian government’s) limited experience in delivering concessional loan programs;
- the condensed time frame set by government to design and implement the program once a public announcement had been made;
- and the department’s inability to appropriately consult with the intended delivery partners prior to the program’s announcement due to confidentiality considerations.
In comparison, the experience gained by the department through the design and implementation of the farm finance concessional loans program meant that it was better placed to design the latter drought concessional loans program.
While the department ultimately established workable arrangements with the states and the Northern Territory to deliver both concessional loan programs, there were shortcomings evident in design decisions and implementation activities. These shortcomings included the absence of:
- an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of providing a subsidy to assist farm businesses;
- appropriate modelling to estimate potential demand and ultimately the required funding profile for each program;
- sufficiently robust arrangements to ensure that funding conditions were met before payments were made and that reported jurisdictional performance information was accurate and complete;
- and a sound performance measurement and reporting framework to determine whether the objectives set by government are being achieved.
Given the relatively novel nature of concessional loan arrangements across the commonwealth and the challenges that the department faced in implementing these programs with limited support, it will be important for the department to communicate the lessons learned from these early programs — both in relation to future departmental programs and also more widely across other public sector entities.
(That’s known in the trade as ouch.)
Updated
Folks who tuned in to the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night will have gleaned that Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese are a bit of a double act. They bonded when they were at daggers drawn, in the 43rd minority parliament, when both men were, respectively, the managers of government and opposition business embroiled in daily tactical battles during a period where Labor was in government, but commanded a majority in neither chamber.
They give good shtick. This morning it was Adelaide radio’s turn to get a burst.
Q: We are going to catch up with the stars of stage and screen and they happen to be politicians in their spare time. Chris Pyne and Anthony Albanese – good morning to you gentlemen.
Anthony Albanese:
Good morning to you, Will.
Christopher Pyne:
Good morning David and Anthony.
Anthony Albanese:
Good morning to you all. I think that on behalf of Christopher and myself, I think we are going to have to double our appearance fee now.
Q: I actually wanted to ask you both, if Nick Xenophon wins Sturt and the Greens win Grayndler, have you had a private discussion about whether you are going to embark upon your own late night TV show or maybe a lifestyle program?
Anthony Albanese:
All I can say is, David and Will, you could be in trouble. We’ve had a couple of calls from your producers.
Q: Breakfasts with Albo and Pyne.
Christopher Pyne:
I was thinking more of a variety show. I could sing a song, you see, in a variety show. A microphone would descend from the ceiling.
Anthony Albanese:
I can’t sing.
Christopher Pyne:
I know you can’t sing -
Anthony Albanese:
I could be Don Lane -
Christopher Pyne:
But you could learn how to dance.
Anthony Albanese:
I’m happy with that.
Q: As opposed to dancing around the issues.
Christopher Pyne:
You could do your DJing and I could have a microphone descend from a ceiling and sing a couple of numbers.
Updated
Good afternoon Matthew Davey. Winning the internet, as is his want.
@murpharoo Hello, and welcome to Moolbourne. @gabriellechan #politicslive #auspol pic.twitter.com/MK35YlzLTS
— The Matt Hatter (@MattGlassDarkly) May 25, 2016
Somebody had to do this and fortunately Cameron Price from the Seven Network has stepped into the breach.
If you weren’t with Gabi this morning you may not know that the Coalition’s campaign spokesman, Mathias Cormann, made a very rare stumble this morning, praising Bill Shorten instead of his leader.
Cue the obvious gag, but very often, the obvious gags are the best gags. Enjoy.
The exact moment Mathias Cormann realises.. #auspol #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/CLZhT6bXto
— Cameron Price (@campricenews) May 25, 2016
Meanwhile, back with the bovines.
The star of the @FarmerPower1 rally @theweeklytimes #ausdairy pic.twitter.com/7CtuVAo0hD
— Simone Smith (@Simone_Smith04) May 25, 2016
While we are still in Melbourne, it looks like Team Feeney needs to look sharp on the Labor’s MP’s social media presence.
Folks strapped in for the duration of the campaign know that David Feeney hit a spot of bother last week when it was discovered he owned a $2m house that he forgot to declare on the register of pecuniary interests.
Now, one of his Facebook pages describes Feeney as a former member of parliament. That characterisation seems a little pessimistic given we are still a distance from election day. Fortunately the description is correct on his professional page.
Cows in the city, Labor leaders in Moonee Ponds. Bill Shorten has been pounding the pavement in his electorate, with Mike Bowers in hot pursuit.
Meanwhile the cows are hitting the streets in Melbourne.
Dairy farmers protest on the steps of Parliament over low milk prices. #TenNews #dairylove #putyourbootsout pic.twitter.com/ZTPXjDWloT
— Jemma Chapman (@JemmaChapman10) May 25, 2016
Fitzgibbon is asked about tonight’s debate between himself and Joyce which is up the road in Goulburn.
It will be gloves off between me and Barnaby, you can be sure about that. It’s compulsory viewing.
(Step back folks, the fur, it be flying.)
'These loans have been a failure in the past'
The shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon is on the ABC now talking about the dairy package. Fitzgibbon is upset there wasn’t consultation about this package given we are currently in a caretaker period. He also says concessional loans are not enough, the government needs to be conscious about cash flow for farmers.
Joel Fitzgibbon:
The operative words that Barnaby Joyce uttered today were these, if you can prove you are eligible [for the concessional loan]. These loans have been a failure in the past. We have an audit office report a fortnight ago saying they were badly designed and administered by the government.
Look, I welcome the concessional loans as part of a package. But on their own they are not enough. We have to focus on cash flow. Farmers need cash in their pockets to pay the bills and keep the banks from the front gate.
[Barnaby Joyce] hasn’t outlined the criteria other than to say that if you can prove your eligible. I don’t know what the eligibility criteria is but those words have alarm bells ringing in my ears. I suspect nothing has changed and people won’t get access to the loans. In the past the processes have been very slow. These people need help now. How long will it take?
Treasurer: Home Alone
The treasurer Scott Morrison has been at a campaign event, and addressed reporters a few moments ago. Given the key development of yesterday, which I’ve dubbed Black Hole, The Musical, (a somewhat risible ride through Labor’s alleged fiscal deficiencies, which sadly lacked the key element of such a sortie: exocet precision) – Morrison gets some questions punctuating his the jobs and growth talking points.
Q: You’ve talked about Labor’s finances, but going through your black hole yesterday there are twelve items valued at $40m. They are incorrect?
Scott Morrison:
Let’s explain what’s happened yesterday.
It’s like a Hollywood film. The parents come home from a weekend away and the kids turn up and say they only burnt down half the house. That’s what Tony Burke said yesterday. He burnt down half the house and we should be rewarding him for that fact.
(Morrison then goes on to say he actually meant to get it wrong.)
Scott Morrison:
We were candid yesterday, we said there was a black hole up to $67bn. We were clear about the various buckets of spending we were referring to. $35bn – we said were contestable areas that Labor had to clarify.
(Ah yes, we flushed the vandals out! See, success!)
Scott Morrison:
After we held our press conference yesterday, the Labor party clarified things. They clarified for the first time they were supporting superannuation measures we put in the budget. They walked away from their commitments on the superannuation guarantee levy. This we welcome them clarifying, that but Labor’s defence is this – they say it’s not a $67bn black hole, just a $37bn black hole. They only challenged $30bn of the amounts that were listed in our press conference of yesterday.
We were quite open about the fact it remained open for Labor to go and go over that detail and confirm what their position was. So they confirmed to voters all over the country that they support 90% of the cuts that we’ve made to foreign aid.
There are questions that still remain. Will they restore the school kids bonus, will they reverse the changes in social security and we’re seeking to make further changes going forward. There are big questions for Labor to explain. They may have challenged $30bn of the figures but they are $37bn [out] and it’s still going.
They have six weeks to spend a lot more money on Bill Shorten’s spend-o-meter. That’s what we are seeing from Bill Shorten in the campaign – a spend-o-meter and it will keep racking up and as long as Bill Shorten’s lips are moving, the spend-o-meter is increasing.
Q: Why is Labor having to qualify if you are making the allegations? Shouldn’t you substantiate?
Scott Morrison:
We have clarified. We deliberately sought yesterday to flush Labor out on trying to walk both sides of the street on a lot of the commitments. There is still some $50bn of questions that Labor needs to answer about how they are spending money. What is clear is Bill Shorten has already spent every single cent of the taxes he says he will raise over the next four years and all of the savings. It’s already all spent.
Hello, good people of live blogs. I’m baaaack for your campaign afternoon. As I go live the treasurer Scott Morrison is burning down half a house. Or something.
Lunchtime politics
- The Liberal candidate for Whitlam (previously Throsby) has bowed out. Carolyn Currie gave a full and frank interview to ABC Illawarra in which she said Liberal members were not supporting her and the seat would probably be better off with a Greens or independent candidate. Malcolm Turnbull said that’s her choice.
- The prime minister batted off questions about the Scott Morrison-Mathias Cormann black hole press conference. It seemed appropriate that the PM was giving $6.5m to the Puffing Billy in Victoria – mostly because the Morrison press conference has become universally known as a train wreck.
- Malcolm Turnbull’s message for the day is about the rise and rise of the tourism sector, now number 1 on the services export charts. The micro message is $20m to infrastructure for the voters of Bruce, held by Labor on a 1.8% margin.
- Bill Shorten committed $8m to ovarian cancer research before heading to the Northern Territory for a couple of days – ahead of leaders debate number 2 on Sunday night.
Thanks for sticking with us. It’s like championship wrestling here because I am struggling to the edge of the ring to tag Katharine Murphy, our soon-to-be political editor.
Give her a round of applause please.
Updated
By Mike Bowers.
John Howard is campaigning with the Liberal MP Fiona Scott in Lindsay. He shrugs off the polls in a grainy Sky interview.
Once the campaign starts, a lot of people for the first time take notice of the opposition leader. I have been through all of this.
Howard says in the end, people will focus on economic management and Turnbull has successfully run a business.
I believe Malcolm Turnbull will win but, like him, I don’t take the election for granted ... I have seen too much politics to take the outcome for granted.
Howard will be out and about during the campaign, including in New England where he has committed to help Joyce.
Updated
Turnbull is asked whether Labor’s black hole is $67bn or $32bn. The PM does not want to say. He is pressed further on the figure.
$67 billion is the list of the measures that they have either blocked or proposed or said they want us to roll back. Now if they are changing their position, and they have new promises and want to abandon old promises, they are entitled to do it but they should spell it out.
Turnbull says more work needs to be done on the Melbourne Metro.
He calls on Labor to clarify its position on foreign aid, which was part of Scott Morrison’s train wreck funding chart.
He says border protection is one of the government’s highest priorities, dropping the fact that it has been 660 days since a “successful people smuggling expedition”.
Updated
The first question is on the Liberal candidate Carolyn Currie.
I’m sure we will have a great candidate flying the Liberal flag. She’s made her decision as she is entitled to do so but I’m totally focused on jobs and growth and our national economic plan across the country including in the Illawarra.
Q: How can the country trust any attack on Labor’s costings after Scott Morrison’s $20bn mathematical error yesterday?
I don’t accept the premise of your question, I’m sorry.
Q: Hang on. This is important. He started off the day saying [Labor was] $67bn out, then walked it back to $30bn. Isn’t that an error adding up?
The onus is on the Labor party.
Updated
Steaming ahead, with puffing billy. I see what you did there.
Malcolm Turnbull is speaking about tourism, which is Australia’s biggest services export. The prime minister says his economic plan is “steaming ahead”.
Puffing Billy alone has seen phenomenal growth. It should be over 415,000 passengers this year. That’s going to continue to grow. All of this drives jobs. This is vitally important, particularly in regional Australia outside of the big cities. 44% of the tourism dollar is spent in regional Australia.
I spot a Puffing Billy.
PM meets exchange students from China #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/wez9sd2Tpv
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) May 25, 2016
That’s enough about me. What do you think of me?
Not on the balls of his feet.
The prime minister was talking about the expansion of the Australian Football League’s Bachar Houli Cup and Leadership Program, which combines culture and sport by engaging Bachar Houli, star Richmond player and AFL Multicultural Ambassador, as a role model and mentor for young people.
Updated
Politicians love a swinger
Provocative, I know.
But we are into the third week of the campaign and the leaders continue their tour around the countryside. They are criss-crossing the country, but the seats are very targeted. You can check out where they have been in this interactive, by the Guardian team.
Once again, this map shows that you are unloved unless you reside in a marginal seat. The leaders have headed to western Sydney and the central coast of NSW, northern Queensland and parts of Brisbane, northern Tasmania and a dip into Perth.
Barnaby Joyce has been diving into his own electorate of New England pretty much every weekend because he faces a challenge from former independent Tony Windsor. It has been remarked many times that this political competition has “tied” Barnaby to his seat. Whether Windsor wins or not - and it remains an uphill battle for Windsor - New England has benefited from this injection of interest.
On the question of Canada as a destination for asylum seekers, Shorten said Labor would negotiate a regional solution. This has been Labor’s policy since their conference last year. Shorten is not allowing a crack of light between him and the Coalition on this stuff – though he did round on Peter Dutton’s comments about illiterate refugees.
When it comes to negotiating with the governments of specific nations, I pledge I will put our immigration minister on a plane to talk to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We will negotiate in a fair dinkum manner to make sure we have regional resettlement but never again will we allow the people smugglers back into question.
This story got legs when Anthony Albanese suggested on Q&A that Canada is among a “range of countries” suited to resettle Australia’s asylum seekers.
Updated
Shorten is asked about the Heritage Bank, which is threatening Labor over using the slogan “putting people first”, which the bank claims is its own. Shorten uses the story to highlight Labor’s slogan and segues into the party’s support for a banking royal commission.
When I get criticised by a bank, I hardly call that a remarkable event because Labor is committed to a royal commission into the banking sector. We are not going to let go of this issue. We are the voice of millions of Australians who want to see a better ethical standard from our banking sector. Mr Turnbull never talks about a banking royal commission. When you hear a financial institution attacking Labor, I have to say back: why is it that financial institutions are so desperate to avoid the public scrutiny of a banking royal commission? If elected on July 2nd, Labor will implement a banking royal commission because we believe the scandals need to stop.
Updated
Bill Shorten is asked about Nova Peris’s replacement. He says Labor is working through the processes.
Because there is only six weeks before the election, he does not countenance a suggestion that the Northern Territory Labor branch should pick the candidate – given the controversy over Peris’s parachuting into the spot.
Asked whether he would like to see an Indigenous woman candidate, Shorten says he would like to see “the best candidate”.
Updated
Bill Shorten is speaking now about the importance of research for ovarian cancer. He is announcing $8m for support and research.
Currie says she did not receive support from the party. Here are some excerpts from the ABC Illawarra interview.
RHEINBERGER: Did you get resistance from the local Liberal branches?
CURRIE: Yes, yes absolutely.
RHEINBERGER: Well, what happened?
CURRIE: They don’t want it; they didn’t want a candidate to nominate in the first place.
RHEINBERGER: What, they didn’t want a candidate in the first place, it wasn’t about you, and they didn’t want any candidate running?
CURRIE: They didn’t want a Liberal party candidate. I was told quite clearly that, although there might be a number of people who are not official members of the Liberal party who would help me, the official members of the Liberal party would not! In fact, possibly do the opposite.
Then later:
RHEINBURGER: Okay, how did you get the message that they didn’t want to run a candidate at all, let alone you; who told you that?
CURRIE: They told me!
RHEINBURGER: Who told you that?
CURRIE: I can’t disclose confidential inside information, However –
RHEINBURGER: Was it a vote of a branch, a particular person within the Liberal party in the Illawarra?
CURRIE: No look, you’re probably going to lead to my expulsion, very shortly. It was actually what they call an FEC meeting – FEC is the Federal Electoral Conference and I was informed by a number of people, mainly females, that they did not want a candidate at all.
RHEINBURGER: How did it get that far and to the point where you have to resign?
CURRIE: I was installed over the heads of state exec, which happens the same as Trades Hall Labor party. That where you have problems within a branch the central body will endorse the candidate. Then all the branches have to fall behind him. I can’t say more at this point time. I have done the right thing by my party, by country, by this area.
RHEINBURGER: Are you relieved?
CURRIE: I can’t do anymore. Goodbye.
Updated
Withdrawing Liberal candidate for seat of Whitlam, Carolyn Currie, says seat needs an independent or Green
Carolyn Currie:
It needs a very, very strong person who can unite a number of people to preserve it – possibly an independent, possibly a Green. But somebody with a lot of leverage in what looks like being a very divided government on a knife edge. To be able to instrumentalise the best outcomes for this area. I cannot offer that and meanwhile I don’t believe that I need to be a sacrificial lamb, travelling a number of steep inclines that have yet to be fixed.
Updated
I am a general with no troops: Liberal candidate withdraws
Here is Carolyn Currie, Liberal candidate, withdrawing from a very short race in the safe Labor seat of Whitlam (formerly Throsby).
I’ve come to the decision to withdraw. I’ve encountered some remarkable geographic locations; it is an area that needs a remarkable person who can drive vast distances up a number of inclines. It also needs someone who can unite a couple of very disparate groups. Now at the moment there are no Liberal party branches in the Illawarra and there are only three in the Highlands. Therefore I am like a general with no troops. It is very difficult for me to mount any sort of reasonable campaign with no troops, as any general would know. This is a remarkable area; it needs quite a unique person to represent the disparate groups.
Updated
Here is a little bit of Currie from a couple of weeks ago on ABC Illawarra.
I’m Dr Carolyn Currie, I’m 66, I’m still working – unfortunately I can’t work in the preferred area that I would like to live in, which is the Highlands, but I have a home there. I bought a beautiful place in Bundanoon which was the old police station, the old electoral office, the savings bank etc and it was set up by a local family because of the fights and disorder that break out between timber merchants, railway workers and miners.
I’ve been going to that area since I was a child because my uncle was the MLC for the area and his wife was my aunt. They had a dairy farm so I used to spend a lot of time in the Southern Highlands as well as in what I call the “lowlands” because we used to holiday down there and I married a boy from the Gong ... my fifth degree was from the ‘Gong in forensic accounting. I just love the area and my motivation for standing is that I do not want to see the water resources of that area depleted and I believe it is a federal issue when water is affected by coal-mining and inappropriate coal-mining in certain areas.
Updated
While I’m chasing that, tell me if this makes you feel warm and fuzzy. I note they have a big CHANGE which will frighten the Nats no end.
If we embrace the future with confidence and a clear plan then we will succeed like we have never succeeded beforehttps://t.co/OJjtrb88HM
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) May 24, 2016
I am just chasing down the spectacular interview by Carolyn Currie, a Mosman-based, former merchant banker candidate who only announced her candidacy two weeks ago.
Liberal candidate for NSW seat of Whitlam, Dr Carolyn Currie, has quit.
— Rob Harris (@rharris334) May 24, 2016
She told ABC she's like "a candidate with no troops" #ausvotes
Bill Shorten has morning tea with family and survivors of ovarian cancer in Melb. @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/xrXkcsyXli
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) May 24, 2016
This is kinda brilliant. The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, is a machine as campaign spokesman. He rarely strays from the daily lines as was made clear Lenore and Katharine’s podcast. But here he is praising Bill Shorten to the heavens.
LOTO @billshortenmp gets some unintended compliments from @MathiasCormann https://t.co/jDAmNB3OQ7 #ausvoteshttps://t.co/MT6J3vlQem
— Stephanie Anderson (@stephanieando) May 24, 2016
Updated
Barnaby Joyce has been in his electorate of New England to announce the dairy package. He says there are no systemic problems in the dairy industry.
This whole thing started because Murray Goulburn, the co-op, dropped its price for milk. Because the contracts run on a financial year, this meant the price is enforced retrospectively, which means farmers need to repay from their monthly income from July last year. This is quite unusual, having been done only once during the global financial crisis and once some 35 years ago. Farmers I spoke to last week told me, on average, they will have to repay more than $100,000 over the year.
Joyce as agriculture minister has announced $600m towards a dairy package. This is made up of:
- $555m in concessional loans, which by August 1 will drop to a rate of 2.66%. (They are currently 2.71%). Under the rules, farmers are able to borrow up to $1m or half of what they owe, whichever is the lesser.
- Dairy farmers will also get access to the farm household allowance, which provides $1000 cash payments per fortnight. It is not clear whether they have eased the eligibility criteria on these payments.
- He is also putting money into the McAlister irrigation district, in combination with farmers and the Victorian government because:
We have to do things so, at the end of the day, you are not just left with a bad memory but also something tactile.
Updated
Nova Peris’ resignation from the ALP Senate ticket for the Northern Territory raised a few eyebrows in the party. Not only was the decision a shock but the timing was inopportune for Bill Shorten, who was caught on the hop.
National executive will now look for a replacement.
The Indigenous NT politician Malarndirri McCarthy has thrown her hat in this morning with this statement. Note, as a journalist, McCarthy covered Peris’ entry to parliament.
STATEMENT ON NOMINATION FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY SENATE CANDIDATURE
Senator Nova Peris OAM holds an important place in Australia’s history as the first Aboriginal woman elected to the commonwealth parliament; and the first Aboriginal Labor member in federal parliament. I will always remember covering the story as a journalist on that historic day as Nova entered the parliament, and the privilege of speaking with Nova and her family.
Since Senator Peris announced her decision to not re-contest her seat, I have been contacted by friends and family asking me to consider nominating to be a Labor candidate for the Senate.
As a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola in the Northern Territory, I have a deep passion for pursuing a better way of life for all Territorians.
Between 2005 and 2012, I had the privilege of representing Territorians in the legislative assembly.
As the Labor member for Arnhem and as a minister in the Labor government, I was proud to serve our Territory.
As a journalist before and after my time in the legislative assembly, I have also had the opportunity to present the stories and experiences of voiceless Territorians and Indigenous Australians to the broader community.
It is with a passion to continue this work that I accept the invitation to nominate for the vacant position as Labor Senate candidate.
I thank Territory Labor members and the Shorten Labor opposition for considering me for this role.
If I receive the nomination and am elected to the Senate, I will be a fierce advocate for the Territory and Indigenous Australians in a Shorten Labor government.
Given there is an internal party process now under way, I will be making no further media comment at this time.
Updated
Barnaby Joyce continues to get free publicity from Johnny Depp. His obsession with the Nationals leader knows no bounds. He was speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, doing the straight faced delivery on the “badness of my ways”.
Says Jimmy,
Isn’t it heartening in a way to know that we’re not the only dumb country, though. To find out it’s not just us doing stupid stuff, that Australia can make up it seems like one guy in Australia made a big deal out of this. Barnaby Joyce is the guy’s name.
Says Depp,
Barnaby Jones...He looks somehow like inbred with a tomato.
Says Joyce,
I’m turning into Johnny Depp’s Hannibal Lecter, I’m inside his head, I’m pulling strings and levers. Long after I’ve forgotten Mr Depp, he is remembering me. Keep on advertising me Johnny. The Australian people know we did the right thing. When I walk around the streets of Tamworth or the streets of Bundaberg or Martin Place in Sydney, whether they like me or not, they say well, don’t completely like you but you were right on that one. We can’t have rabies coming into the country. Who does the fella think he was?
Apart from the disturbing image of a Joycean version of Hannibal Lecter, I fail to see Jimmy’s view that somehow biosecurity laws are dumb. Or the flip side, that because you are a movie star, laws don’t apply.
This story has more sequels than Pirates of the Carribean.
If you are still interested in black holes, Gareth Hutchens has done a handy fact check on the numbers.
Good morning,
Today heralds the end of the cold war between the king of the shock jocks Alan Jones and Malcolm Turnbull, the man who had the temerity to knock him back a few pegs in 2014, after Tony Abbott’s first budget.
At that time, Jones told Malcolm Turnbull he “had no hope of ever being the leader, you have got to get that into your head”.
The record shows Turnbull did not get that into his head. Peta Credlin recently said in her new role as commentator on Sky that the PM could not win an election without talking to the likes of Alan Jones and Ray Hadley because they speak to the Coalition’s base.
Liberals on the moderate end of the spectrum have disputed that call to me. They don’t think it is as necessary as everyone makes out. Nevertheless, it was a job that needed to be done, a bit like going to the dentist. This morning, it was carried out in a workmanlike fashion.
Both men were on their best behaviour, careful not to rile the other. By the end, there was very little to report.
Elsewhere in the campaign universe, Turnbull will carry on his tour of Victoria. He has some announceables worth up to $20m for tourism infrastructure in the Dandenongs, which happens to be in the seat of Bruce. It includes $6.5m for the Puffing Billy railway.
The Labor MP and Rudd numbers man Alan Griffin is the retiring MP in that seat with a margin of 1.8%. In his recent valedictory, he likened retirement from parliament to release from prison – a bit like the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
The government’s announcement is to highlight the fact that tourism is about to overtake coal as our second-biggest export, after iron ore. China is driving the increase, with 1m Chinese tourists visiting Australia last year.
Bill Shorten is announcing $8m for ovarian cancer research before heading to Darwin. He has @mpbowers in tow.
There is a regional leaders debate tonight with Barnaby Joyce, Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon and the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale.
You can talk to me in the thread below, on the Twits @gabriellechan or at my Facebook page.
Updated
Thanks for joining me, Melissa Davey, this morning. I’m handing you over to Gabrielle Chan in Canberra now.
I’ll leave you with this piece from Fairfax, which says there is trouble brewing in Warringah:
Tony Abbott’s campaign in the Sydney stronghold of Warringah has succumbed to bitter infighting as rank-and-file Liberals complain over strategy and position for “life-after-Abbott”, tipping the former prime minister will quit if left off Malcolm Turnbull’s post-election frontbench”.
Despite his public statements to the contrary, many local Liberals expect Mr Abbott to move on after the election. A popular theory is that he will be offered a prominent diplomatic post such as Australia’s high commissioner to London.
See you at 6am tomorrow.
Updated
The Coalition have just issued a press release detailing its support for Australian dairy farmers who have had their incomes retrospectively cut by dairy processors Murray-Goulburn and Fonterra.
Deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce said the Coalition will deliver immediate assistance.
The key elements of the support package include: $555 million in dairy recovery concessional loans, $20 million to fast track the upgrade of the Macalister irrigation district, $2 million to establish a commodity milk price index, $900,000 for an additional nine rural financial counsellors in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales, and $900,000 for Dairy Australia’s ‘Tactics for Tight Times’ program.
Household allowance applications will also be fast-tracked, with 18 more department of human services employees processing claims. A dairy industry liaison officer has been appointed, and two department of human services mobile service centres will be redirected to dairy regions.
Minister for human services, Alan Tudge says:
Where a farmer is facing real hardship and we have received the full details, a decision can be made almost immediately. If there is any difficulty obtaining the information we need to assess a claim, Farm Household Case Officers can talk to the farmer’s accountant or financial adviser to help get the information needed.
The announcement comes ahead of a debate on regional issues tonight between Joyce, Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Labor’s agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon.
Updated
A bit more on that interview of Turnbull by Alan Jones earlier this morning.
Turnbull has refused to talk to Jones since an on-air stoush two years ago. During that interview, Jones grilled Turnbull about his support for an Abbott-Hockey leadership. Turnbull replied: “Alan, I’m not going to take dictation from you.”
Jones was not impressed, firing back: “You’ve no hope of being the leader — you’ve got to get that into your head”.
News Ltd asks whether poor polling this week was behind Turnbull’s decision to appear on the 2GB program today.
A media expert has told news.com.au, the early morning chat has less to do with two finding common ground and everything to do with the man dubbed “Mr Harbourside Mansion” failing to connect with voters in more humble abodes whose tick of approval will be crucial if Turnbull hopes to win the July 2 federal election.
Jones opened this morning’s interview with a disclaimer:
For those of you expecting some kind of brawl, forget it. Won’t happen. This is an election campaign and it is a very serious matter. I will be focusing in this interview, as I always do, on policy.
#politicslive has been up since the wee hours, with @MelissaLDavey Latest: Alan Jones and PM kiss and make up https://t.co/O0HqkQqtlC
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) May 24, 2016
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More on the package for dairy farmers being announced by the deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce, today. He’s just spoken to the ABC’s AM program and says the package will include access to concessional loans at the cheapest rates possible, and welfare payments of up to $1000 a fortnight.
BREAKING: Barnaby_Joyce announces $550m in concessional loans for dairy farmers at 2.66% interest rate from 1 August #ausvotes @abcnews
— lucy barbour (@lucybarbour) May 24, 2016
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To the front pages, courtesy of Guardian Australia’s audience editor, Dave Earley:
The Financial Review reports that outgoing Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens has “warned the bickering political parties that whichever side wins the federal election will face years of hard decisions if they carry through on promises to repair the budget”.
Financial Review front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @FinancialReview #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/92F3dFzMCV
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) May 24, 2016
The Labor senator Stephen Conroy has formally claimed parliamentary privilege on documents seized from his Melbourne office and a staffer’s home in last Thursday’s NBN raids, The ABC says:
Senator Conroy demanded the documents seized from the two premises be sealed and delivered to the Senate in Canberra.
“I will write to the clerk of the Senate, Dr Rosemary Laing, to commence an action to seek a ruling from the Senate on the claim,” Senator Conroy wrote.
“I expect the seized items to remain in the Clerk’s possession until the Senate rules on my privilege claim.”
ABC News front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @abcnews #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/8jePza9jt2
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) May 24, 2016
And in the Courier Mail: lawyers from Heritage Bank have accused the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, of breaching consumer law by using their “people first” trademark. They have have threatened to begin court proceedings as soon as 4pm today if the ALP doesn’t stop using it, the report says:
But Labor has rejected demands to stop using its “putting people first” slogan and pointed out the bank has close ties to the Liberal National party in Queensland.
Heritage Bank donated more than $10,000 to the LNP in 2014 and the bank’s head of banking operations, David Janetzki, is running as the party’s candidate for the byelection in the state seat of Toowoomba South.
The Courier-Mail front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @couriermail #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/yY4RikJ9kz
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) May 24, 2016
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Guardian Australia’s photographer, Mike Bowers, has seen many early mornings since the campaign began just over a fortnight ago. Morning Mike. Just under six more weeks of these ahead.
Election dawns top left-Bris,Melb,Syd,Perth,Syd,Perth,Perth,Darwin & Melbourne today @MelissaLDavey @gabriellechan pic.twitter.com/OVbHWd4fC6
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) May 24, 2016
Alan Jones also asked the prime minister about the government’s crackdown on high-income superannuation tax concessions. Turnbull tells him that high-income earners – like himself and Jones – are the ones who will be affected, and says that’s only fair:
We believe our changes to superannuation are fair and well targeted. The reality is we have to live within our means. The super concessions are very generous. What we’ve done is dial them in a bit, so people like you and me are paying more tax.
“I’m not in your league,” Jones replies.
Jones gets in a final question about the Safe Schools program, aimed at making LGBTI children feel included and safe. Jones is concerned that school children are apparently being asked to put themselves in a LGBTI person’s shoes as part of the program. Turnbull says changes to the program mean that parents will have to consent to their children taking part.
There is no substitute for very active, involved and engaged parents. We believe parents should be right into it.
Updated
The prime minister has just been interviewed by Alan Jones on 2GB. Jones went straight into this week’s Newspoll, which showed a boost to Shorten’s popularity. Turnbull tells Jones that voters have a “very clear choice” come polling day.
We are presenting a national economic plan, every element of which is promoting economic growth and jobs. We need a clear economic plan. On the other hand, you’ve got Labor offering higher taxes, bigger deficits and there is nothing in what they’ve proposed that will create jobs or drive economic growth. What we’re doing is the opposite. We’re promoting jobs and promoting growth.
But how do you plan on turning around the budget deficit, Jones asks.
It is a slog, there is no doubt about that. But the absolute key to this is growing the economy. You’ve got to grow the economy faster than expenditure.
Turnbull goes on to say that Labor’s negative gearing proposal to allow negative gearing to be claimed on new properties only is a “massive constriction on economic freedom”. To encourage more young people into the housing market and improve affordability, Turnbull tells Jones that it all comes down to supply and demand. State governments needed to free up land for development, he says.
Now what constrains supply is local government and state government, and what we have said in our cities policy is we are no longer going to be just a passive ATM that hands out money to the states. I approach these things as a businessman. I believe we have to look at our investments in cities that maximises the benefit to the people living. That includes increasing housing supply.
To black holes now. Turnbull says that the government’s promises are fully funded.
A key part of our national economic plan is living within our means. When we talk about funding for health, education, rail, roads, all of those commitments are fully funded.
Updated
Coming up shortly:
Prime Minister @TurnbullMalcolm will be interviewed by Alan Jones after the 7am news. Listen here https://t.co/9CH8iZfOdK #ausvotes
— 2GB News (@2GBNews) May 24, 2016
Black holes within black holes. The Coalition’s botched attack on Labor over the size of the black hole in their budget costings is continuing to make news today.
Michelle Grattan writes for The Conversation that:
“Black holes” are part of the meat and potatoes of election campaigns – and often of the early days of new governments too, though the Charter of Budget Honesty has made them harder at that stage.
Just as with border protection, Labor is usually thought to be vulnerable on its spending plans, so it wasn’t surprising when Morrison and Cormann launched the assault.
In such exercises the figures are almost always dodgy but these were embarrassing. One would have thought that after his bad experience over the GST issue, Morrison in particular would have understood the danger of overreach.
The Salvation Army’s Major Paul Moulds has told ABC News 24 that the voices of those who are most marginalised “tend to get overlooked in elections”. A new report from the Salvos found one in five of its customers are homeless or living in temporary accommodation, and some are living off less than $16 a day after expenses. Moulds says:
This report, taken from 1,600 people who have approached the Salvation Army for help, really gives an insight into their lives. And year after year we release this report and it’s amazing that in five years of releasing it, we really haven’t seen any great progress being made. That’s because I think no one’s prepared to really tackle the hard issues that we need to look at as regarding poverty in Australia.
A lack of affordable housing is hurting people badly, Moulds said. Of the 1,600 people that responded to the Salvo’s survey, 40% of said they had moved three times in the past 12 months.
There’s a whole lot of people out there that don’t have the income to get into a lease property. They’re living in insecure tenancy so they’re getting room shares off Gumtree, places like that, they’re living in boarding houses.
These are the people we want to participate in the economic jobs thing that the government’s talking about, but they can’t. It’s really hard to do that when you don’t have secure accommodation. The rents are just so difficult to match that they resort to moving between places so quickly. So it’s an insight, I think, into how difficult it is for people in the housing market.
Interesting to see implications of this for the education of children living in these circumstances https://t.co/CTBean9XnS
— Alice Leung (@aliceleung) May 24, 2016
Updated
Turnbull and Shorten will both be in Melbourne today.
Also in Melbourne, 3AW is reporting that political signs promoting Turnbull and local candidate Julia Banks have been stolen from the front yard of a home in Melbourne’s east. Scandal.
The brazen theft has been captured on CCTV.
Budget black holes have dominated week three of the election campaign.
Yesterday, the Coalition, namely Scott Morrison and Mathias Cormann, attempted to discredit Labor’s budget costings, saying the opposition’s budget would blowout to $67bn over four years, which would reach $200bn in 10 years. But by yesterday afternoon after some scrutiny and questioning, this figure had come down to $32bn.
Laura Tingle writes for the Australian Financial Review that the blunder in the blowout estimates had left Morrison and Cormann with “with over-egging all over their face”.
The most spectacular road crash remains the Coalition’s insistence there is a $19.27bn cost to Labor’s commitment to returning foreign aid to 0.5% of national income.
Morrison and Cormann persisted with this on Tuesday, despite Labor’s Tanya Plibersek releasing a policy on Sunday limiting the increase to just $800m more than the Liberals over the next four years, and that the Coalition’s own policy is also for a return to 0.5%.
The point about all of this is that, despite outlining a range of measures to fund its promises, Labor still does need to provide a reckoning on how they stack up, particularly over the next four years.
But in so spectacularly over-egging the case, the government has destroyed its own authority to critique Labor’s numbers later in the campaign.
Updated
The first official debate of the campaign between Turnbull and Shorten will take place on Sunday night, Fairfax reports. Chris Uhlmann, the ABC’s political editor, is expected to moderate the debate.
The hour-long debate at the National Press Club in Canberra is expected to be broadcast live at 7.30pm on the ABC and made available to commercial networks.
An announcement of the debate is expected on Wednesday, following negotiations between the two campaigns.
With no movement in the polls in the first two weeks of campaigning, the debate will assume even greater importance as an opportunity for both leaders to generate momentum.
Full story here.
We’re almost halfway through the week but barely a quarter of the way through this election campaign. Welcome to Wednesday, our live politics coverage, and yet another poll to ponder.
Melissa Davey with you this morning, I’ll be handing over to Guardian Australia’s deputy political editor, Katharine Murphy, at 8.30am. Katharine was yesterday announced as Guardian Australia’s new political editor and will be taking on the position next month when Lenore Taylor takes on the role of editor of Guardian Australia.
A huge congratulations to them.
Very, very pleased to say @GuardianAus new political editor is @murpharoo and chief political correspondent is @gabriellechan #auspol
— Lenore Taylor (@lenoretaylor) May 24, 2016
The big picture
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is “arrogant, but people like him”. That’s the headline on this story in the Australian today, after a special Newspoll was taken to ask people about character traits they believe the leaders exhibit.
Of the 1,709 people surveyed, six out of 10 said Turnbull was arrogant, an increase from 55%. However, the former Labor leader Kevin Rudd and the former prime minister Tony Abbott were considered far more arrogant in similar, previous polls. Just under half of those surveyed said the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, was arrogant, with his measure falling from 49% to 47%.
But the Aus story also says:
Voters considered Mr Turnbull far more likeable, even though his standing fell three points to 68% and Mr Shorten rose nine points to 57%.
While both men are former ministers leading their parties for the first time in an election campaign, Mr Turnbull was judged to be a more experienced leader at 74%, down three points. Mr Shorten’s score rose five points to 62%.
In recent months, voter satisfaction with Mr Turnbull has declined while it has risen for Mr Shorten. This week’s Newspoll showed both leaders had a net satisfaction rating of minus 12 points, the first time they have been tied.
Mr Turnbull remains the preferred prime minister by 46% to Mr Shorten on 31%, but the lead over his Labor rival has been more than halved since mid-November, when 64% of people favoured him in the top job. Mr Shorten has more than doubled his standing since he fell to the equal record low for a Labor leader in December of 14 points.”
Sixty-one per cent of respondents said Shorten, who has been campaigning on health and Medicare, understood the major issues, a seven-point increase, while Turnbull was judged by 63% to understand the major issues, down one point, with his focus on “jobs and growth”.
Meanwhile, the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, is expected to announce a support package for dairy farmers affected by milk price cuts. He’s expected to head to the electorate of New England in NSW to give details of the relief package today.
On the campaign trail
Bill Shorten is in Melbourne. I’m still trying to confirm where Turnbull is headed – bear with me.
And the Nationals leader, Barnaby Joyce, the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, and Labor’s agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, will take part in a debate focused on regional issues tonight.
The campaign you should be watching
Page, NSW. According to Antony Green’s election blog, the electorate on the far north coast includes Lismore, Kyogle, the Richmond river and Clarence river and is currently held by the Nationals. It has only ever been held by the ALP or the Nationals.
But the 18-year-old Greens candidate, Kudra Falla-Ricketts, hopes to shake things up a bit in the electorate by capitalising on her local popularity and the strong anti-CSG sentiment in the community, writes Amanda King:
The chances of her being elected are remote – the Greens won only 6% of first-preference votes in 2013, well behind the Nationals’ Kevin Hogan, who narrowly beat the incumbent, Labor’s Janelle Saffin. Both are standing again.
The Greens hope to make some inroads. At the 2015 New South Wales state elections of 2015, the Greens came a close second to the Nationals in Lismore, which is part of the Page federal electoral district.
And another thing(s)
There’s been a lot of comment about Nova Peris and her announcement yesterday that she will be leaving the Senate after one term. Michelle Grattan writes for The Conversation that her decision is “very awkward” for Labor.
Especially because of the timing, apparent lack of warning, and confusion surrounding it when opposition leader Bill Shorten initially could not reach her to clarify the situation.
Shorten told a news conference Peris had been a “trailblazer” both on the athletics track and in the Senate.
Peris said that as a “champion of change I will continue to fight racism and prejudice”. She noted that Labor had six Indigenous candidates contesting the election.
Labor now has to move quickly to get a replacement candidate for the NT Senate spot.
Meanwhile the Australian says that Peris had approached senior AFL executives about the position as the organisation’s head of diversity.
However, the Australian understands she is not the presumptive candidate for the hotly contested role, which is expected to be filled within weeks.
The never ending dog stoush
“He looks inbred with a tomato”. This is the comment made by actor Johnny Depp on the US talkshow Jimmy Kimmel Live when asked about the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce.
Johnny Depp on Barnaby Joyce: ‘He looks inbred with a tomato’ https://t.co/KDjW4xzFGI
— Kieran Gilbert (@Kieran_Gilbert) May 24, 2016
Updated
