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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

'I'm not running for pope, I'm running for prime minister,' Morrison says – as it happened

Scott Morrison speaks to media in the seat of Burnie in Tasmania during the final week of the campaign. The PM has again been asked whether he thinks gay people go to hell.
Scott Morrison speaks to media in the seat of Burnie in Tasmania during the final week of the campaign. The PM has again been asked whether he thinks gay people go to hell. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images

On that note, we are going to tuck the blog in for the night.

We are entering the final 72-hour stretch.

Scott Morrison will deliver the traditional election campaign National Press Club address on Thursday at noon.

Bill Shorten, as reported, has turned down his address. He’ll be in Blacktown, where Gough Whitlam delivered the famous ‘it’s time’ address on Thursday.

Tomorrow though is, as they all are, a complete mystery. At this stage. From what I am hearing from Queensland, the Clive Palmer preference deal isn’t playing over well (much like the One Nation preference deals in some of the state elections recently) so I would expect that to pop up somewhere.

I can’t tell you if Barnaby Joyce will once again choose to tweet the unfiltered beautiful chaos of his mind, but you never know your luck this election. I mean, today we had the prime minister having to clarify he did not believe gays should go to hell.

It’s been a day.

Thank you for coming along on this ride with us today. We’ll be back early tomorrow morning. In the mean time, take care of you.

Updated

I’m yet to hear if Bill Shorten has ruled out running for pope this election, but the Labor leader is on his way to Perth.

I think Scott Morrison is still in Tasmania.

But both campaigns are pretty much (publicly) done for the day.

Updated

John Howard is on Sky saying he believes that Scott Morrison can “explain things in a way most Australians can understand” and in terms of where he believes he sits on the leadership scale, Howard believes Morrison sits pretty close to him – but is not a clone.

“He is Scott Morrison,” he says.

Someone come get your election. It’s drunk:

Updated

The Australian has reported on an interview with Pauline Hanson and, well, I don’t think she is making the point she thinks she is making.

From the report:

People throw the word racist around too freely, they don’t know what they’re talking about, but when you actually target a person based on their skin colour, that is racist because that means you believe your race to be superior to them,” Senator Hanson said.

“That blacks should be banned — that in itself is a racist comment.

“What he says is extreme, it’s unacceptable … you will find people out there who might have that opinion, but it’s not my opinion and not something I’ve ever said or will ever support.

“I feel now he has nothing to lose, I think he’s trying to be controversial, to be another Pauline Hanson.”

Updated

'I'm not running for pope, I'm running for prime minister' – Scott Morrison

It’s the second day of two Scott Morrison press conferences in one day.

Aren’t. We. Lucky.

Question: How appropriate was it for Bill Shorten to raise your answer to a question you received about whether gay people go to hell and can you clear up your position on that question?

Scott Morrison:

I have already made a statement. It is not my view that’s the case. My faith is about the – God’s love is for everybody.

That is what I have always believed.

I found it very disappointing that without even prompting he sought to try and politicise this. And seek to exploit opportunity for it. I thought that was very disappointing.

I don’t think that should have a place in this election campaign. People’s faith are people’s faith.

I’m not running for pope, I’m running for prime minister.

So, you know, theological questions you can leave at the door.

Question: Do you believe ... [gay people go to hell]

Morrison: I just said no, I don’t.

Question: Why didn’t you say that when you were asked yesterday?

Morrison:

Yesterday I plead the point these are – made the point these are religious issues and I don’t want to see those controversial topics being brought into the political debate. I don’t see how that helps anybody.

I’ve set out what my view is. But, you know, this is about the value of people’s homes. That’s what I was talking about today. It is about the rates of tax people pay. I think it should be lower.

It’s about important community projects, like we’re talking about here, up in northern Tasmania, it’s about the strength of our economy, it is about $387bn worth of higher taxes.

I tell you by Bill Shorten wants to talk about the other issues – he doesn’t want to talk about the impact of his attacks on the value of people’s homes. Doesn’t want to talk about how it’ll push rents up. He doesn’t want to talk to the retirees of northern Tasmania – over 7,000 of them in the electorates of Braddon and the electorates of Bass – who he’s going to take an average of $1,300 and more away from those retirees, and take that money out of the local community.

He came down here today and Justine Keay – she knows. She is going to vote to actually take the money away of those credits from retirees in her own electorate. That’s what’s going on here. So they are the issues that I believe Australians are focused on as we get closer to the election.

And the distraction that Mr Shorten tried to bring up today, apart from being frankly a bit grubby and a bit beneath him and disappointing, the real issue is Labor is getting more desperate.

When they get desperate, these are the sort of tricks they try and pull. I’d suggest – let’s stay talking about the sort of taxes you want to put on the Australian people, Bill.

Because that’s the sort of thing – that’s the bill they are going to pay if the Bill becomes prime minister.

Updated

Scott Morrison is making another announcement in Launceston (Bass) to do with the city deal.

The issue of water in the Murray-Darling appears to have made its way over the Great Divide and into the mid-north coast seat of Cowper in which the Nationals are facing stiff competition from the independent candidate Rob Oakeshott.

On Monday the Nationals candidate, Pat Conaghan, appeared to give support to a controversial plan to dam some coastal rivers on the east coast and turn them inland using pipe infrastructure, following a lightning visit to the seat from the controversial former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.

The details are scant, but some have suggested the Clarence and Macleay rivers could be dammed and diverted inland into the headwaters of the Darling.

“I will support anything that helps farms over the divide,” he told a local NBN television reporter.

He said he supported the idea but “it depends where it is and it depends how it’s done”.

The plan to use coastal rivers like the Clarence and McLean to feed the Murray-Darling system was first proposed by engineer John Bradfield in 1938 but it has been revived by Joyce who has been championing it in recent months in the Land.

But the plan is extremely controversial, because obviously altering the flows on the east coast could have all manner of environmental impacts on the local environment and fisheries in the estuaries.

It also comes with an eye-watering price tag of somewhere north of $15bn.

“What this shows is a candidate lacking understanding of our valley-by-valley landscape. Someone who doesn’t understand the impact that damming rivers would have on towns along rivers, and at river-mouths. It would be an economic and environmental disaster,” Oakeshott said.

“The Nationals need to be told at the ballot box that our local river water is not up for sale and that they are no longer trusted to care for our river systems.

“They wrecked Menindee Lakes with one million fish killed, they’ve messed with the water flows in inland NSW leaving many towns dry, they traded water in highly questionable deals, and now they want to dam our coastal rivers.”

Updated

Michael Koziol from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age reports there is unrest in the conservative faction of the New South Wales Liberals over volunteers, with allegations the save Jim Molan camp is taking volunteers from the save Tony Abbott camp.

From Koziol’s report:

In messages seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, an Abbott supporter labelled Senator Molan’s campaign “sAbbottage”. Another member of the party’s state executive said Senator Molan “may very well cost us a marginal seat”.

“There is white hot anger at the ringleaders – Walter Villatora, [Mr] Burke, John Crawford, Jeff Hudson – who are helping lead the campaign,” the source said.

“They’re all based in Warringah and their unauthorised campaign is confusing voters. These are people who claimed to support Tony but who may now cost him the seat.”

Senator Molan said claims his campaign would undercut Mr Abbott were “absolute rubbish” because his volunteers were also allowed – and encouraged – to hand out how-to-vote cards for Mr Abbott and other lower house candidates.

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott’s volunteers have been asked not to hand out for Senator Molan.

Updated

I mean, this is a pretty traditional origin story...

Updated

This is, and I can not stress this enough, a totally normal election campaign. From AAP:

A curiously Tasmanian fashion statement has Scott Morrison scratching his head.

The prime minister flew into the northwest of the state on Tuesday with an election promise to upgrade a clogged local road.

But when he stepped into a Burnie cafe from the cold, windy weather the frigid conditions really hit home.

Mr Morrison and wife Jenny snapped selfies with Guy Prowse – introduced to him as a local celebrity – after trying to thaw out with a coffee and slice of berry crumble.

“It was a pleasure to meet you – I don’t know about shorts though,” the prime minister joked.

“You Tasmanians and your shorts, in the middle of winter!”

Guy’s mate Daniel – who was also sporting shorts in the 15C heat – was having none of it.

“These mainlanders are soft, aren’t they mate?” he said.

Scott Morrison and wife Jenny try to thaw out at a cafe in Burnie, Tasmania
Scott Morrison and wife Jenny try to thaw out at a cafe in Burnie, Tasmania. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Julia Gillard has sent out a Labor fundraising letter:

Labor made history when I was sworn in as Australia’s first female Prime Minister, and this election there is the chance to make history again.

If Labor is elected on Saturday, we will be the first national government in the history of Australia with 50 per cent women.

What an incredible achievement.

For too long, decisions which affect women have not been made by women. We need to make sure that changes, but we can’t do it if our female candidates aren’t elected.

Can you donate today to help get our wonderful candidates elected?

Imagine how proud you will be to be able to say you had a hand in Australia’s first ever Government with 50 per cent women.

But first we need to get out there with our message to make sure voters make the right choice.

There is so much at stake this election, from cheaper child care to action on climate change. Only Bill Shorten and Labor can deliver this, and that will only happen if we all dig deep.

That’s why today, I’m asking if you’ll be part of history by being part of the campaign for a truly representative Federal Government, one that will deliver a fairer Australia.

Updated

Given the last 72 and a bit hours of this campaign are going to be all about negative gearing and franking credits, it is worth looking at this story, if you haven’t already:

A new analysis of Labor’s tax policies says the proposed overhaul of franking credits, changes to negative gearing, trusts and capital gains tax if Bill Shorten wins the election on 18 May will have a negligible impact on the bottom 50% of households in Australia measured by income and wealth.

While the Morrison government has played up the negative impact of revenue measures, particularly franking credits, on self-funded retirees with modest incomes, the distributional analysis of Labor’s tax measures by the Australian National University’s Centre for Social Research and Methods says that’s largely bunkum.

“Franking credits benefit households in the top 20% of income and wealth distribution considerably more than other households,” the analysis says. “While these households often have low taxable incomes, they tend to have large wealth balances or be in households with high incomes, even when the individual affected has a low income.”

Nothing can top the Barnaby Joyce tweet today –

Rod Culleton *hold my beer*

Updated

It’s baby Barrie:

Updated

Rhianna forbid that someone in the conservative movement actually examines what the far right stands for in this country, and what Fraser Anning and his ilk are attempting to import.

Updated

Rob Oakeshott joins the rest of the nation in having no earthly idea what Barnaby Joyce meant with this tweet this morning.

If there is one thing which has united us all this election campaign, it is that.

Updated

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has made a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission about One Nation allegedly handing out how-to-vote cards without a proper authorisation.

An ACTU spokesman said:

Voters have a right to know who’s standing behind the material they’re being handed. There has already been a large amount of unauthorised materials from actors on the extreme right of politics this election, and this appears to have continued on the Ulladulla pre-poll booth. The rules are not hard to follow and they apply to everyone.

Updated

Scott Morrison is holding what seems to be a very, very local press conference – without the bus journalists. At least, that is what it sounds like from the broadcast.

It’s about infrastructure for Tasmania.

Updated

Scott Morrison is now in Launceston (Bass), which Labor holds by 5.4%.

Updated

Quite a lot of marginals in this list:

Updated

John Howard, campaigning in Hasluck, says he believes that people will “look behind” a general campaign to the “quality of a local candidate”.

Asked whether or not Clive Palmer is fit to be in parliament, the man who took on One Nation by declaring that every state executive should put the Pauline Hanson party last (and sidenote, took on part of the rhetoric, but that’s another story) says the only people who are able to decide who is fit for the Australian parliament are the Australian people.

He also says he believes the Greens to be more dangerous than Clive Palmer or any other political party in Australia.

Updated

Bill Shorten and the Labor campaign have arrived in Adelaide.

They are on their way to Flinders Uni.

This election campaign … ugh.

Updated

Scott Morrison was responding to Bill Shorten’s comment in his press conference a littler earlier:

Shorten: “... But you know, I cannot believe in this election that there is a discussion even under way that gay people will go to hell. I cannot believe that the prime minister has not immediately said that gay people will not go to hell. This country needs to really lift itself and the political debate and courage needs to lift itself in the next four days.”

Question: Do you believe that gay people should go to hell?

Shorten: No, I don’t believe that gay people, because they’re gay, should go to hell. I don’t need a law to tell me that. I don’t believe it. And I think if you want to be prime minister of Australia, you have to be prime minister for all people. I just don’t believe it, and the nation has got to stop eating itself in this sort of madness of division and toxicity.

That came up, after this exchange yesterday, during Scott Morrison’s press conference in Perth:

Question: Prime minister are you still personally opposed to same-sex marriage? Has your position changed since it was legislated?

Morrison: It’s law and I’m glad that the change has now been made and people can get on with their lives, that’s what I’m happy about.

Question: Has your position changed though?

Morrison: I always support the law of the country.

Question: [inaudible] more talk about personal beliefs in the last few days –

Morrison: I couldn’t hear you sorry.

Question: [You have spoken] more on about personal beliefs on this issue in the last couple of days, about whether or not it’s OK for a Christian to express their belief. What’s your belief, do gay people go to hell?

Morrison: I support the law of the country and I always don’t mix my religion with politics and my faith with politics. It’s always been something that has informed how I live my life and how I seek to care for and support others. That’s how it’s always informed me and that’s what I always seek to do.

I talked about my mum on the weekend, given you’ve raised these issues. I always saw in my mum, a woman of quiet, decent faith, who translated that into action, in her love and care for others. That’s the faith that I’ve been taught. You know, none of us are perfect, none of us are saints in that respect. We try and do what is right and we try and do what is best and that’s what always sought to guide me in terms of my own personal faith. But as I said, my faith is not about politics. It’s about just, who I am, just like it is for everyone who holds such a deep faith.

Scott Morrison speaks to media at a building site in Oaklands Park, in the seat of Boothby in Adelaide
Scott Morrison speaks to media at a building site in Oaklands Park, in the seat of Boothby in Adelaide. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Updated

Scott Morrison does not believe gay people go to hell

The 2019 election campaign:

Updated

Adam Bandt has released a statement saying he believes Labor’s gas plan to be worse than the government’s:

Adam Bandt MP today warned that if Labor’s plan to spend $1.5bn in taxpayer dollars to frack Australia’s northern gas fields goes ahead, we can kiss our Paris commitments goodbye. Mr Bandt also foreshadowed that the Greens would push to turf the Coalition out, but would make stopping Labor’s gas plan a core campaign focus over the next three years of a Shorten government.

“The Greens want a change of government, but if Bill Shorten fracks this gas and burns through it, we can kiss our Paris commitments goodbye,” said Mr Bandt.

“When your house is on fire, you don’t break open the gas main next door.

“Even if we export this gas, the toxic methane it leaks could lift Australia’s emissions by up to 28%, destroying our Paris commitments along the way.

“Public money should go to schools and hospitals, not to making climate change worse.

“This is why we need Greens in parliament. We need to kick the coal-huggers out but Bill Shorten clearly needs a green hand on his shoulder.”

Updated

Of all the bets the bookies are making, $3.50 that Christopher Pyne will refer to himself as a “fixer” during Network 10’s election coverage seems like fairly easy money.

Any guesses on where Clive Palmer’s money is coming from? Anyone? How about you there, up the back?

And we also get the box of chocolates line recycled. For Rhianna’s sake MAKE IT STOP.

Ray Hadley: Well this Zali Steggall, I mean is anyone in any doubt which way she’s going to lean if she were to win Warringah?

Scott Morrison: Well who knows? It’s a like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you’ve got no idea what you’re going to get with half of these guys. It could be anything.

Updated

Also rearing its head again, is the Bank of Mum and Dad. I have never had access to the Bank of Mum and Dad (was obviously born into the wrong financial institution), but this is also something Malcolm Turnbull referred to. Scott Morrison:

They’ll still have to borrow the money, there’s no free money in this. They’ll have to borrow the difference between the 5% and the 20%. But the other thing I’m quite sure a lot of your listeners will be pleased about, is oftentimes young people are going to the bank of Mum and Dad for that difference. Parents will do anything to help their kids to get in to the housing market and aren’t they fantastic for doing that? But that also eats into their retirement savings as those parents know, they willingly and happily do it. But this is I think, a great solution for the whole family. Kids get in to a house sooner, parents get to be able to continue to live off their retirement savings they’ve put together.

Updated

I may have lost the ability to feel actual human emotions about four weeks ago, but I do know that when Scott Morrison says “exhilaration” here, he is using it wrong.

Ray Hadley: Where do you find the energy?

Morrison: [Laughter] Well mate, the exhilaration of putting out this plan, particularly this first homeowner opportunity that we’ve been talking about the last few days. I mean, I’ve been talking to first homeowners since then and they’re just so excited about it. I was out at Penrith yesterday; you looked at these fields of houses and just to know that we’re going to make it just that little bit easier for them is a great thrill.

Updated

Greens candidate steps down

The Greens have made this announcement:

David Paull has stood down as Greens candidate for Parkes. The Greens will take down all campaigning material in his name.

David absolutely rejects the views he is quoted as supporting, but has stood down to not become a distraction from the important issues The Greens are focused on.

That follows this story in the Australian:

A Greens candidate claimed on ­social media that Martin Bryant didn’t commit the 1996 Port ­Arthur massacre in which 35 ­people died. He then denied making the comments, before later ­admitting he wrote them.

The Facebook comment on a Port Arthur conspiracy theory page from David Paull, the Greens candidate in the western NSW seat of Parkes, said the massacre looked “like an operation designed for psychological manipulation of the general ­population”.

“There is only one sure thing in my mind — Bryant didn’t do it and so a great crime on the Australian people was committed,” the Nov­ember 2018 comment, unearthed by social media intelligence and news agency Storyful, reads.”

By my count, that is 15 or 16 candidates who have quit since the election was called. But who the hell knows at this point.

Chris Bowen was also asked why Labor had agreed to add the first homeowner’s deposit guarantee policy, given there was no modelling of its impact, and as Scott Morrison confirmed today, was only given the go-ahead during the campaign:

We think this is a concept which could work. We think is a concept that we are comfortable with. Of course there’ll be detailed design elements to work through, the government haven’t put much out but you know as I said, I think the Australian people when they see a political party coming up with an idea are a bit over the other side immediately jumping out of the box of saying ‘What a terrible idea’. We don’t think it’s a terrible idea and we think it can, if properly designed, can make a contribution.”

Now Scott Morrison himself has tried to attack Labor for agreeing to the policy, before it saw the policy detail:

What I do note is this, though – Bill Shorten actually backed this policy before the full policy document had even been released. Now, I know that he has a history of agreeing with people when he doesn’t even know what they’ve said, but on this occasion, Bill Shorten agreed with a policy that he hadn’t even seen.”

That would be the same policy, which, in almost the same breath, he confirmed his party and cabinet had not seen. And yet, is selling.

I started this discussion with my senior economic ministers before the budget. But as you know, once you go into campaign mode, cabinet doesn’t meet. And it’s the normal process for those decisions to be taken by the leader and senior economic ministers and that’s the process that was followed in this case, as it’s followed in all cases.”

Updated

Earlier this morning, Chris Bowen also told Sabra Lane it was not Labor policy to review the Adani approvals:

We’ve been consistent in our response that the environment minister in a Shorten Labor government would comply with the letter and spirit of the law.

And that was a very concerning report that you just aired of course. We said at that time that Melissa Price should have held a full press conference explaining her decision and how she reached that conclusion.

You’ll recall the context of that conversation or that decision at the time which was that she was being bullied by ministers, minister Canavan and senator McGrath saying they’d resign if she didn’t approve it which is an extraordinary way for this process to be dealt with.

The power for environment ministers is a personal power.

It’s not a cabinet power and it’s a legal power subject of judicial review.

So it’s one which should be very carefully exercised which is what we’ve indicated a Labor government would do, an environment minister in a Labor government would do.

And there are real concerns that this hasn’t been the case under the Morrison government.

Updated

As far as I know, and this is an inexact science in itself, Bill Shorten will be on his way to Boothby, which Scott Morrison is about to depart (if he hasn’t already).

Morrison is on his way to Victoria. After South Australia, Shorten is meant to be headed to Perth.

Question: We’ve seen protesters on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Morrison: I will address that one because that was a matter in another state. (He had previously moved to end the press conference.)

Taking action on climate change is important. But people have got to show a bit of consideration to others.

For those commuters in Sydney this morning, just trying to get across the Harbour Bridge and go to work, earn a living, pay their taxes and save for their first home, let’s show consideration for others.

We can all be passionate about things that we’re passionate about. I’m passionate about a lot of things but I don’t want to stop traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge because that would be inconsiderate to my fellow Australians.

Updated

Question: There was an advertising campaign about climate. Nicolle [Flint] will be aware that climate is a big thing talked about by GetUp and Labor.

Bill Shorten says that it is one of the biggest issues. Would you class it in the top three or where would you class it?

Scott Morrison: I would say that it is very important in this election campaign. The thing that makes every other issue in the election campaign possible – the thing that enables to do any of the things that they want to do, as I said on Sunday, depends on a strong economy and the ability to manage money.

You can’t go and invest on improving your climate and meeting your emissions reductions if you have a weak economy. You can’t fund hospitals if you can’t manage money.

As we saw from Labor, when they run out of money, they come after yours. But when they can’t manage money, they don’t list med signs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and they start running down investment in the defence forces.

Here in South Australia, as Nick knows more than anyone, the big plan that we’ve got to support the submarine development here, this is huge for South Australian jobs. This is providing generational jobs for South Australia.

Going out as far as you can see. But none of this is possible unless you run a strong economy. All of the other issues are incredibly important. But only if you can manage money.

Only if you can continue to manage a strong economy. And as Joe said, there are serious headwinds coming.

There are some serious uncertainties out there between China and the United States and you need a government that knows how to negotiate and manage that and ensure that our economy can remain strong and grow through that, just like, as we have, over the last five and a half years, coming off the back of the mining investment boom.

Let’s not forget, stripped $80bn out of the Australian economy – far bigger impact than we saw from the GFC in Australia. Yet, we continued to grow. And we continued to bring the budget back into surplus, as we were able to announce for the first time in 12 years at the most recent budget.

And we did that by keeping expenditure under control and ensuring that we were investing in a targeted and proper way with the programs and that we were putting to place, spending people’s money wisely. If you can’t manage money and run a strong economy, you can’t take action on anything else, and that’s why I keep stressing – if you’re for climate – if you’re taking action on climate change, which I am, then you need a strong economy and a strong budget.

If you’re increasing funding for public schools and hospitals, which my plan sets out, then you need a strong economy and you need to be able to manage money. And so, all of these things hinge on that, and that’s why I say that the Labor party is the Bill that you can’t afford, because they have demonstrated that they can’t manage money.

That’s why they always come after your, and what they’re particularly coming after with their housing tax is the value of your home and putting your rent up. So thank you all for having us here today.

Updated

Question: Can you clarify how the home loan scheme will work if a person defaults? They presumably have a relationship with the bank but will now have a relationship with the government?

Morrison: No, that’s not how it works.

Question: Could you explain what will happen?

Morrison: I would be happy to. The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, which I established when I was treasurer, this is the organisation which has currently been able to raise its own through its bond issuance capital support lending to affordable housing projects and community housing in particular, this is an organisation that’s now been established.

They will be capitalised to be able to enter into relationships with lender, non-bank lenders as well. The priority will be with the smaller banks because we want to see more competition, so our arrangements will be with the lender.

The lender will have the relationship with the borrower. And that will enable the lender to manage and approve and assess and ensure that the borrower is in a position to meet the repayments under the set of arrangements they’ve met with the National Housing and Investment Corporation. They’ll have a relationship with the lender.

Question: If they do default, what occurs? Is the government on the hook?

Morrison: It’s the same arrangement and that’s covered under the agreement between the bank and the commonwealth.

Question: I want to know how many people will be eligible for this? Yesterday you said that it could be more?

Morrison: The estimate is 10,000, and the program, if it is very successful, and if there’s an opportunity to extend it further, I say exactly the same thing today as I said to you yesterday. You know, if the program is a great success, which I believe it will be, then great.

If that’s ... If the issue is that the program is actually seeing so many young people get in and buy their first home, and get ahead of the kerb and get in at the first rung, I see that as something to celebrate. And if that puts a request to the government to consider expanding the scheme, then I will happily consider that at the time. Have we got any ... We’re in South Australia.

We’re in Boothby. If there are local reporters to ask a question, I would like to give them the opportunity.

Updated

Question: You said that you hadn’t been briefed on the Liberal comment and the comments that he made. Have you now been briefed and what about the Liberal candidate in Fraser who previously argued for a ban on gay couples adopting?

Scott Morrison: They will be argued by party administrator and I don’t tend to argue them.

Question: How will they be dealt with, prime minister?

Morrison: I’m taking a question. You’ve already had one.

Question: How will you do that? We had to do this game last week.

Morrison: I’m not being distracted by it.

Question: How will they be dealt with?

Morrison: The party administration will do that and I’m not being distracted by it. We’re four days out by a distraction. What people are interested in is the home they are going to buy and the rent they’re going to pay, and under both of those things, the rent will be higher under the Labor party.

Question: What do you want the party administration to do?

(He moves on to the next questions)

Updated

Question: On climate change, the UN secretary-general in New Zealand yesterday said that climate change is running faster than we are, and he was advocating a tax on carbon. Do you think that your government has done be enough on this issue?

Morrison: Yeah, I believe we’re taking action on climate change. We’re meeting the Kyoto 2020 target we’re even exceeding them and we’ll meet the 2030 target as well because we have the plan to do that and we’ve set that out.

One of the things that I won’t be doing though, is I won’t be costing Australians future jobs.

We are meeting the environmental commitments as a good global citizen.

We’ve seen renewables in this country surge to $25bn between 2018-20. In 2017, it was $11bn.

That was the third-highest per capita in the world, and the 7th highest absolute. So I would say when it comes to renewable energy investment, Australia is going through a renewable energy investment boom, and that is happening under the policies that we’ve been pursuing, as a government.

What I won’t do is say to the workers in Gladstone or workers in Western Australia, or workers out at Whyalla here in South Australia – I won’t say to them that I’m going to make the company that employs you, send tens of millions, in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars overseas, to buy foreign carbon credits from who knows who, to do who knows what, when that money should be invested here in Australian jobs, Australian wages, Australian innovation and Australia’s future. *

Now, others can have their view on that, but I can guarantee you, as a prime minister, I am not going to tell companies and force companies to send their money offshore to pay for things in other parts of the world when that money should be spent right here on Australians, for Australians, for Australian futures.

*Your regular reminder that in 2017, the Coalition government resolved to use international carbon permits (which is now Labor’s policy).

Updated

Question: Joe asked you earlier about Paul Keating. He also said that he’s never seen a public figure in 50 years as “mean as Peter Dutton” and urged his electorate to drive a political stake through his heart. What do you say to that?

Morrison: I won’t get distracted by Paul Keating.

Question: On the housing policy, Mathias Cormann says we’ll have a “firming” effect on the market.

Morrison: Sure

Question: That’s another way of saying that house prices will increase because of it.

Morrison: When the housing market has been soft, particularly in Western Australia where we were speaking yesterday, for about five years, the Sydney and Melbourne markets were running at unsustainable levels in the high teens, and as a result of the controls we put on with interest-only lend, what that did was reduced the proportion of investors in the marketplace from 36% down to 27%.

And what that meant is that it took the investor steam out of the market and ensured that we dealt with, I would say, along with the budget position, the biggest single risk to our triple A credit rating.

When I was treasurer, there were two things threatening the triple A credit rating.

The first was hitting the budget surplus in 2021, and after successive budget updates and budgets, not only did we hit that mark, we actually brought it forward by a year and ratings agencies were.

The other big issue was the overheated property markets in Sydney and Melbourne. And working with Apra and the Council of Financial Regulator, we worked together to put in place a set of prudential controls to ease the growth in investor lending by dealing with the interest-only loan issues.

Now, those policies have now been relaxed and we’ve had a soft landing in the housing market, particularly in Sydney and ... No, I’m answering your question.

It’s a serious question and I’m giving you a detailed answer. So in Sydney and Melbourne, what we saw is an easing of that market, a softening of that market, and what I’ve describe and all the ratings agencies described as a soft landing.

Now, a hard landing in the housing market, which is what you get with Labor’s housing tax, would not only disadvantage Australians who had worked so hard to buy their home.

What it would also do is impact consumer confidence and the economy more broadly. And put our triple A credit rating at risk a firming of the housing market is a positive thing at a time when it has softened, because people should have confidence in the value of their own homes, and I’m giving them that confidence through the policies we’re putting in place.

Getting first homeowners into the market is the point. And so, the more of them there are, the better it is, and I make no apologies for getting first homeowners into the market. I think it’s a great thing, and so do all those who have come out in support of the policy.

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Question: With China, was a it clumsy language yesterday to describe them as “customers”. Julie Bishop and Bill Shorten have both suggested that it was.

Morrison: Well, I spoke to Julie yesterday, and she sent me a text this morning and she said, “There’s no difference of view between her and I” and she called that issue a beat-up.

That’s what Julie texted me today to say.

So, I’m not going to be distracted by those issues going into the course of the election.

People seem to manufacture these types of differences.

What I’m focused on is the ground I’m standing on here, and the ground I’m standing on is the ground of a first home that someone will own.

And I want them to be able to get in that first home, like Mr and Mrs Singh here. I want them to be able to realise their dreams and realisations. I’ve cut the taxes on saving for the first-home deposit and provide an avenue for future first homeowners to get on the first rung of the property ladder, and what I won’t do is hit the housing and construction industry with a housing tax that will cost jobs, put up rents and undermine the value of your home.

By voting Labor, you’re voting to undermine the value of your own home and push up rents through Labor’s housing tax.

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Question: Why should the public be confident in the process to approve Adani’s water plan, when the CSIRO was pushed to approve those plans in just one afternoon?

Morrison: The CSIRO and Geoscience had previously participated in the earlier review around those plans, and they had set out in that report, the issues that would need to be mitigated by the proponent in order for it to receive that report.

And they confirmed that they had met those requirements when the advice was sought before the final approval was provided on those particular issues. So Geoscience and the CSIRO are independent organisations.

They’ll speak their mind. If they don’t want to support something, then they won’t, and they certainly wouldn’t do that in writing if they weren’t 100% behind it.

And they did. I think what we were doing was, we wanted to be assured by both of those agencies, and both of those agencies provided that an insurance through their processes up to them.

Question: Paul Keating has given another interview this morning in which he has criticised the Coalition’s approach to China. He says that the Coalition has “failed to grasp the tectonic task and that we base the relationship more on the university dorm-style intelligence”. Are we witnessing here a lack of bipartisan support on relation to China? Could the election be a fork in the road for Australia-Beijing relations?

Morrison: We will continue to manage our relationship with China as a partnership, productivity.

And constructively, with great respect.

Understanding the significant role that they play in our part of the world, and we’ll always maintain a very independent and strong stance about Australia’s interests in relation to our relationship with China.

But in raising the issue of China, I think that you raise something very important about what is happening in the world today.

We’re seeing it played out, and I know Australians will have some worries about this.

The major tensions between the United States and China and the trade tensions that exist and the impact that that can have on our global economy, so, at a time of such global uncertainty, particularly in our region, the idea of experimenting with economic policy, as the Labor party proposes, with record new taxes, record new spending, I mean, this is a very reckless approach to be pursuing at a time like this.

Now is not the time to turn back from the responsible economic management and stewardship that can see us through these uncertain tile. Now is the time to continue on with that responsible and sober approach.

Yes, investing in the important essentials that Australians rely on – hospitals and schools and roads. Hospitals and schools funding up for public schools and hospitals.

Up for than 60% on our government, and they’ll continue to increase without increasing taxes, by responsible economic management. But Labor’s experiment with the economy, undermining the value of your home, putting up rents as a result of the housing taxes, snatching money away from people like Rosalee, who are retirees, that they would use to pay for their private health insurance – that is not a risk. That is the Bill you can’t afford.

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Question: With the [deposit guarantee], why didn’t you run it past the party?

Morrison: You’ve been out here a long time, and I started this discussion with my senior economic ministers before the budget. But as you know, once you go into campaign mode, cabinet doesn’t meet. And it’s the normal process for those decisions to be taken by the leader and senior economic ministers and that’s the process that was followed in this case, as it’s followed in all cases.

What I do note is this, though – Bill Shorten actually backed this policy before the full policy document had even been released. Now, I know that he has a history of agreeing with people when he doesn’t even know what they’ve said, but on this occasion, Bill Shorten agreed with a policy that he hadn’t even seen.

Question: Prime minister, the budget was just six weeks ago. If this was such a good idea, why wasn’t it in the budget?

Morrison: There was a campaign and an election coming, and we discussed a range of proposals as to what we would proceed with. And it was our decision to ensure that as we go into the final weeks of the campaign, that there would be a very clear focus on what the choice would be – a very clear option that we’d put forward, which has been supported by the Property Council, by the Real Estate Institute, by the Masterbuilders. Very positive discussions we’re having with the banks about the issues. This is a program that was successfully run in other jurisdictions, whether inWestern Australia or New Zealand.

... It looks like a great plan to get Australians into their first home. That’s what it is. That’s what it’s doing.

And the timing of the announcements are designed simply to ensure that people understand the clear choice.

What we’re doing is we’re backing people to get into their first home. Labor is going to tax housing, which will undermine the value of your home and put up your rent.

And that means there’s a very clear choice this Saturday. If you don’t want to undermine the value of your home, don’t vote Labor.

If you don’t want your rent to go up because of Labor’s housing tax, don’t vote Labor. If you want to help first homeowners get into the first home through the first home loan deposit scheme and through the First Home Super Saver opinion scheme, which Labor will abolish, putting up the taxes on first home savers.

If you want to keep that program and support the first home loan deposit scheme, vote Liberal.

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Question: Will you bring back dividend imputation refundability if Labor abolishes it?

Scott Morrison: Well, we don’t support that policy. That’s why we’re going to this election. I plan to win this election, which will stop that from happening.

Question: Will you back the revenue if they abolish it?

Morrison: We wouldn’t be in government if they introduced it.

Question: Going for another term?

Morrison: I’m not countering hypotheticals about the Labor party being in power or what would happen down the track.

Question: So knowing where you stand?

Morrison: Retirees deserve to know that on this Saturday if they vote Liberal, they will stop Bill Shorten’s retirees tax.

Yesterday I caught up with Rosalee, who I mentioned at the campaign launch. $1,800 out of her $30,000 income is what she relies on for her private health insurance premium that she pays.

She pays for her private health insurance out of the $1,800 that she gets from her refundable franking credit. Now, Bill Shorten is going to reach into her purse and pull that away.

Pull it right out of there. That’s what he is going to do to Rosalee – a former schoolteacher, retired, earning just $30,000 a year, and he thinks that it’s fair, he thinks that $1,800 is a gift to her.

I can assure you, Rosalee doesn’t think that at all. She’s worked hard to make sure that she’s in that position. She’s invested in Australian companies and set herself up for retirement on the rules that had been known for 20 years and known. Labor and the Coalition both supporting those policies. Bill Shorten is pulling the rug out from under retirees, pulling it completely out and taking the money that they live on.

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Scott Morrison press conference

Scott Morrison is in Boothby, with Nicolle Flint, who is fighting to hold on to the seat. It sits on a 2.7% margin, but is considered to be a very, very tough battle for the Liberals.

It’s all about homes (and aspiration):

And the timing of the announcements are designed simply to ensure that people understand the clear choice.

What we’re doing is we’re backing people to get into their first home. Labor is going to tax housing, which will undermine the value of your home and put up your rent. And that means there’s a very clear choice this Saturday. If you don’t want to undermine the value of your home, don’t vote Labor.

If you don’t want your rent to go up because of Labor’s housing tax, don’t vote Labor. If you want to help first homeowners get into the first home through the first home loan deposit scheme and through the first home super saver opinion scheme, which Labor will abolish, putting up the taxes on first homesavers. If you want to keep that program and support the first home loan deposit scheme, vote Liberal.

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Question: Obviously, we’ve seen the recent polls rise especially in Bass. How confident are you to retain the seats here in Tasmania?

Bill Shorten: That’s a good note to end it on and I thank you very much. Labor has the best candidates, so that’s a tick.

Labor has got a set of policies for Tasmania. This is something you ain’t going to see from the Liberals.

It’s a fair go plan for Tasmania.

And it lists all of the things that we’re going to do. Not the least of which is in healthcare.

You know, from the hospital, Launceston General, right through to Tas Reach and making sure that we get access to proper services and right through to the special allocated fund for a blitz on waiting lists in Tasmania.

When you look at that add on to the infrastructure proposals, the tourism proposals, the agriculture proposals, the job proposals and the maritime precinct, and, of course, us wanting to see Tasmania be the battery of the nation and making sure that we get proper investment in Tasmainia making sure that when we build the infrastructure that we give priority to Australians for jobs.

We want to get the wages moving for Tasmanians. We want to make sure that the great people, that all of us are privileged to see upstairs, get help with the out-of-pocket costs. And, of course, we want to make sure that future generations of Tasmanians get to enjoy the same environment we do by stopping the chaos in Canberra, voting for real change, voting for real action on climate change.

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Question: The AG sector is calling out for a dedicated agriculture visa. Would the Labor party support a dedicated agriculture visa?

Bill Shorten: We’re open to making sure that our skilled visa mix includes meeting legitimate Labor shortages. I accept that in parts of agriculture, there are legitimate labour shortages so that should give encouragement to the AG sector.

Let’s talk about the AG sector more generally. We have a shortage in workforce there. So what we do is need to have the Tafe sector training more people so we’re bridging some of the gaps.

In addition, the dairy industry, which is so very important in Australia, only Labor is saying that we need to work towards a minimum price at the farm gate. In Tasmania, we’ve led the debate about irrigation services, just as we are in central Queensland with developing our Rookwood Weir.

Labor is very pro developing the agricultural sector and see it as a strong export industry and we’re certainly open to that.

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Question: Angus Taylor says that is your climate policy will negatively affect major employers on the coast. What do you say to that?

Bill Shorten: I think that Angus Taylor is, as usual, talking through his hat. North-western Tasmania is one of the windiest locations in the world. We should be doing wind power.

There are renewable jobs to be created here.

How did we get to a situation that two decades into the 21st century, we have a government stuck in the middle half of the last century. What is it that these people have against climate change? Why is it that these people can find everything against doing something.

Power prices have been going up. Labor says that climate change is real. Labor says that we will act on climate change. I notice that there’s been 10 or a dozen protesters on a bridge in Sydney.

The Harbour Bridge, of course. I don’t approve of that. I understand people protesting, but I don’t want other people ... if it’s illegal, don’t approve of that.

I don’t want other people thinking that they can imitate that behaviour because it is unsafe, and I feel for the emergency officials who have to put themselves on the line to get these people down.

But what I say to millions of Australians who are not contemplating scaling the Harbour Bridge, but are concerned about climate change: you can make a really effective protest on Saturday. You can vote Labor for re-election on climate change.

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Question: I want to ask you about elective surgery. You said overnight that people said that they are dying on the elective surgery waiting lists. Can you outline how many people are dying and it got to that stage, wouldn’t it turn emergency surgery for these people?

Catherine King: If you look at the statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and at the current rate of 2017-18, there are 8,000 people who either die or are uncontactable.

The AMA said that they’re the worst in 20 years, and that’s because we’ve had cuts to public hospitals. When Tanya was the health minister, we reformed in public hospitals. Having targets for elect surgeries, improvement in hospitals, targets for emergency waiting times.

You can’t sit back and cut millions of dollars out of the public hospitals and somehow think that everything is just going to be OK.

It’s not OK and that’s what’s been happening. This increase in the number of people who are dying or uncontactable, who are waiting on elective surgery and that the AIAH’s data.

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Question: Mr Shorten, there’s footage of a Liberal MP lashing out at volunteers saying that Labor voted for paedophiles and those sorts of things because of the medevac bill. But he says that Labor volunteers abused his wife.

Shorten: I don’t know what happened to his wife. No one should be abusing anyone. In terms of the policy issues, Mr Irons did vote against restoring penalty rate cuts.

He did vote against that. If he finds that uncomfortable, I can’t help that. He had a chance not to vote, to keep the penalty rate cuts in place. No one has the right to vilify anyone’s family and you know – I know that.

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Question: Peter Dutton has been described as one of the meanest politicians that Paul Keating has ever seen and the nation has a chance to drive a stake through his political heart this weekend. Given your respect for Mr Keating, do you agree with his views?

Bill Shorten: Well, I actually think that the meanest commentary are I’ve seen in the election is actually the propositions that are being advanced that gay people are going to go to hell. You want to talk about mean. I mean, the personalities ... Yeah, sure, Dutton is Dutton and I think that everyone knows that.

But you know, I cannot believe in this election that there is a discussion even under way that gay people will go to hell.

I cannot believe that the prime minister has not immediately said that gay people will not go to hell.

This country needs to really lift itself and the political debate and courage needs to lift itself in the next four days.

Question: Do you believe that gay people should go to hell?

Shorten: No, I don’t believe that gay people, because they’re gay, should go to hell. I don’t need a law to tell me that. I done believe it. And I think if you want to be prime minister of Australia, you have to be prime minister for all people. I just don’t believe it, and the nation has got to stop eating itself in this sort of madness of division and toxicity.

Updated

(That Peter Dutton ad Tanya Plibersek was talking about, was a letterbox drop of fake “eviction notices”, claiming Labor will force up rents with its policy to scrap negative gearing.)

Updated

Tanya Plibersek:

What I’d say is, Bill has just described some of our housing policies. He’s talked about the Housing Supply Council, the 250,000 new rental affordability homes that we would build, the homelessness policies. Catherine and Bill have been talking about the cancer package.

Bill has been talking about our dental package. Right across Australia, Labor has been campaigning on our positive policies, bold, positive policies, that will change this nation.

We can afford to invest in health and education. We can afford the same or bigger tax cuts for 10 million working Australians.

We will bring the budget back to a bigger surplus sooner because we’re closing tax loop holes at the top end of town. In contrast, what have the Liberals got?

I said some time ago that this is actually one of the dirtiest – probably the dirtiest campaign I’ve seen in my 20 years in parliament.

And I would say, without doubt, as I travel around the country – it is obvious that the Liberals have got nothing so they’ve gone negative.

Now, in this campaign, in recent days, we’ve seen racist material distributed. We’ve seen what looks like an arson attempt on a candidate’s car, and we’ve seen lie after lie after lie.

We’ve seen lies about death taxes.

We’ve seen lies about retiree taxes.

We’ve seen lies saying that Labor wants to take your ute, your weekend and your Tim Tams!

And just in the last 24 hours, we see another lie being distributed by Peter Dutton to households in Dixon saying that Labor policies will push up rent. It is unfair to frighten people in the way that Peter Dutton is trying to do.

It is a lie to say that our policies will push up rents.

And it is wrong of Peter Dutton to frighten people in this way, and Scott Morrison should tell him he’s wrong to do it. What I would say is that in this final week – let’s have a debate about the ideas.

Let’s debate Labor’s health policy versus the Coalition’s health policy. Let’s debate our education policies. Our plans to bring down pollution and power prices. Let’s debate our vision for this nation, instead of just going as low as possible, as the Coalition have done.

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Question: Scott Morrison did not take [the first homeowner deposit guarantee scheme] through the cabinet, the plan to lower deposit force first homebuyers, nor model them, so we understand the pricing effects on the housing market. It’s bad enough that the government might do that with a $500bn plan, but what does it say of Labor’s plan to have docked such a quickly, rapidly thought out response, in two hours?

Bill Shorten: Well, fair’s fair. We’ve been talking about prioritising first homebuyers for six years. We announced the reforms, the fair reforms, to negative gearing more than three years ago.

We were going to create a national housing supply council so that they can do the research that Mr Morrison’s new body will do.

We’ve already thought about the importance of the research. In terms of the deposit scheme, it is a modest proposal. It is a restricted proposal.

Hundreds of thousands of houses change hands every year. This would provide at the upper limit, $10,000.

So one of the reasons that we’re willing to look at the proposition is that we’ve looked at Key Start in Western Australia, which, for your information, is a government-funded guarantee scheme.

So Mr Morrison’s recognition that he has a problem with first homebuyer because he’s backing the property investors.

He has a problem with young people because he has no policies for young people under the age of 40. Us, because we are a well-oiled machine who has been thinking about policy for six years, we can adopt an idea that they have, which clearly they thought up at the last minute.

It fits within our general parameters because you know, the Labor party has been working on ideas for three years. We’re not insulting the intelligence of Australians by running pointless, lie campaigns and fear campaigns. Let’s be clear: this government, the Liberals, have been lying throughout this campaign.

But this week, all they’ve got left is lies. Tanya has been travelling around Australia and I’d like to get her perspective on the Liberal lies and fears campaign.

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I miss the beginning of this question, but it is about discussions Julia Banks had with Labor before she decided to run in Greg Hunt’s seat of Flinders, instead of Chisholm:

“My goodness me, the Liberal party must be scared of Julia Banks.

... Thank you for opening the door. Julia Banks, she backed in Malcolm Turnbull. Julia Banks is the only Liberal politician who won a seat off Labor in the last election.

Then they dumped Malcolm Turnbull because he wanted to do something on climate change.

Then Julia Banks went to the current prime minister – and this is all public record and has been reported in some newspapers where they said – there’s a bullying climate here. She got no action.

She’s strong enough to run against a person who she thinks isn’t as good a candidate for Flinders as she is.

We speak to independents, but Julia Banks makes her own decisions.

Please don’t make the same mistake the Liberal party men make – that somehow women in politics are just being operated on and doing the bidding of other men. Julia Banks is a strong independent.

I’d like you to vote for our candidate in Flinders, but I can understand that with the division and chaos in the Liberal party, you know, no wonder so many strong women are running as independents.

Never forget, Cathy McGowan used to run for a Liberal party [before she] ran as an independent. Rebekah Sharkie used to work for a Liberal party she’s had to run. Zali Steggall has never voted Labor in her life; she is someone who would traditionally be pointed against the Liberal point of view.

She’s had to run against TonyAbbott. We heard from Julie Bishop today. Doesn’t it remind us that Scott Morrison should spend more time listening to Julie Bishop. She could only get 11. Kelly O’Dwyer, no friend of Labor, reportedly said that the Liberal party had an anti-women attitude.

And here they go again – the smear squad, the hit squad of the Liberal party. Rather than dealing with Julia Banks’s policies, are trying to undermind us. So you know, obviously, Julia Banks has touched a chord and she represents a strand of Liberals who this extreme rightwing Liberal party no longer represents.

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Question: I was going to ask if she raised that about the franking credits as reported today, and are you worried that that will affect your vote here, given the older people in your electorate?

Justine Keay: That’s why we have the pensioner guarantee. That’s when we, when the policy was first announced, pensioners would come to me with their concerns about the policy and we had the pensioner guarantee, and that’s what I talk to my colleagues at that time about.

Bill Shorten: Let’s just clear this up. I know ... This is a hard reform. But I tell you what – doesn’t it move your hearts when you hear that pensioners in Australia can’t afford to go to the dentist?

Are you worried about someone who has got their sixth investment property, or complains about franking credits sitting on the back deck of their yacht? Or what about the voiceless pensioners of this country?

Do you know that there’s 2.6 million pensioners who get no help through Medicare for their teeth?

Do you know that there’s 400,000 people on the commonwealth health senior’s card. Some of these people will be your families, your neighbours.

Did you know when it comes to a whole range of issues on Medicare – what is the argument at the end of the day?

And I put it to the Australian people, Jill and Neville, she got a diagnosis of cancer. She thought she had it beat.

On December 22 last year, her oncologist in tears says – it’s back, and it’s back in your liver.

They’ve got out-of-pocket expenses dealing with that. Are we really a nation who thinks that finding the out-of-pocket expenses for that should take second place to this lazy government’s threadbare policy agenda where they want to shovel as much money as they can to big corporates, making Clive Palmer happy?

Game on. This is a choice in this election. I want to lead a country where pensioners get a fair go.

I want to lead a country where we actually stand up for the out-of-pocket costs of hundreds of thousands of our fellow Australians diagnosed with cancer and their families.

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Question: There has been a survey about the impact of franking credit changes on Braddon in particular. Are you concerned that that could be enough to lose the seat here? And I would also like to see what Justine Keay thinks about what effect the franking credit will have in Braddon as well?

Shorten: First of all, it’s a reform which not everyone likes. But what good is a government in this country if it’s not willing to make the big decisions? And I just want to remind you of that amazing couple that we just met, Jill and Nev.

When you are at stage 4 of liver cancer, your franking credit is not much use to you, is it?

What you actually need is a well-funded medical system. If you need to have a hip replacement or cataracts removed, that is actually when the rubber hits the road for a nation. So these reforms don’t ... Not everyone likes them.

But we need to find the resources to make sure that we have the world’s best healthcare system. I can’t speak for all of you. But I can speak for myself and my colleagues.

If I think that I can close the out-of-pockets gap for one of your family when they’ve got cancer, for one of your family when they’ve been waiting for a year in Tasmania for medical treatment, I will take that priority.

I choose the health of Tasmanians over an unsustainable, unaffordable subsidy, to give an income tax refund to someone who hasn’t paid income tax. But it’s not just that. We’re cracking down on the multinationals.

We want to make sure that multinationals don’t treat Australia’s tax system as a doormat, which they’ll wipe their profit boots on all over the world. I want to be a nation that has the best healthcare system.

Only Labor is offering to do that. Every pensioner in Australia, and trust me, there’s more pensioners in Braddon than there are getting the income tax refunds ... I’ll come to you in a second, hold your horses.

When it comes to pensioners, because no one ... You know, I won’t even try to quiz you if you know how many pensioners there are in Braddon, but there’s a lot. And you know, a lot of them battle with having poor teeth and poor teeth hygiene. Why does this government not want to provide a single dollar for any pensioner in Australia to help with their departmental hygiene?

Keay: Tom, that I spoke about earlier, he’s not receiving franking credits, he’s on a pension. And there are many people in Braddon on pensions waiting far too long for their health. I don’t want to hear any more stories like Tom’s.

I want people to be able to get the healthcare that they need when they need it. And the only people talking about franking credits in Braddon are those who will lose that payment.

But I want to make sure that Tom and many other people like my mum, who is on a pension, can get the healthcare that they need when they need it.

Updated

Question: Mr Shorten, you mentioned a lot of numbers there. One number that you haven’t mentioned is what you would like the wage to increase by. Sally McManus has said $50 a week.

Do you support that view, and given the need to put a cost to the economy, what number, how much, do you want wages to rise by?

Shorten: I’ve answered this question many times. That will be up to the Fair Work Commission to determine. That will be up to the Fair Work Commission to determine. But ... I want to give him a slightly longer answer than that.

But one answer that I don’t think is right, so that I don’t think that an adult trying to make ends meet, should be working for an hourly wage that doesn’t take them out of poverty.

Question: What number do you think?

Shorten: I’ve studied wages movements. Lowest wage growth under the Liberals, and never forget – Senator Mathias Cormann said that the low wages outcome was a designed feature of their economy.

Now, what the ultimate number will be, will be decided by the independent commission.

It will be done through partnership, negotiation, consultation with industry, the community sector, with workers’ representatives. We’ll get it right.

But what I do know is that under this government, they spent all their time trying to give away billions and billions of dollars to the top end of town. $80bn in corporate tax cuts. $77bn to the top tier of income earners.

They have nothing to say about wages and if they did, they would have in the last six years.

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Question: This wages proposal is designed to pressure the Fair Work Commission to increase wages by July. You’re also intervening on penalty rates. Are you compromising for the independence of the commission, and what’s the point of having an independent body if the government is going to override its decisions every five minutes?

Bill Shorten: Let’s not confuse a government advocating and making a submission to increase wages with determining the outcome. Previously, historically, governments have put in submissions.

But let’s be clear: I have said today, Brendan O’Connor, my shadow minister and I, have written to the Fair Work Commission, and we have said that in the event we’re elected next Saturday, one of our first acts will be to withdraw from the old government’s meaningless, insipid use.

Now, I acknowledge that it is a forward-leaning decision, an unprecedented decision for us to boldly put the case to the commission, that we should have modest but meaningful rises, fairer wage rises for millions of Australians.

But it is unprecedented to live in a time where we have chronic wages stagnation, which is effectively eating into the household incomes of millions ofAustralian workers. Now, what we will do is – we will put a submission, we will prepare an argument, present evidence. But we will do so through the agency of the Fair Work Commission.

We would do so and we would expect the Fair Work Commission to consult with business and industry, as we would.

What we want to do is just get wages moving again, but we will take on board, in our submission, even before Fair Work makes a decision, the arguments about business and industry capacity to pay, staged implementation.

See, what I’ll be, as prime minister, is not a person who turns my back on millions of wage earners, but do what I’ve always done – be part of the slewing, part of the negotiation, through the agency of the Fair Work Commission.

But one thing is for sure: we are not going to give up on trying to move wages, because they have been stagnant in Australia, and correspondingly, we see 0% inflation. We see a loss of confidence. We see a million Australians working two jobs just to make ends meet. Another million Australians seeking more work, and we have four million Australians, nearly 3.5 million, who are insecure or part-time work.

There is a problem in this country, and Labor won’t turn its back, but we will do so in partnership and consultation with industry and business through the agency of the Fair Work Commission.

Updated

Bill Shorten press conference

Bill Shorten is in Braddon for his first campaign stop.

He is asked whether Labor will review the environmental approvals given to Adani, given the latest revelations, first published by the ABC.

Shorten again says an incoming Labor government won’t review those decisions (which is what he told Murph when she asked the same question in Townsville).

He then moves on to Melissa Price:

I don’t think she has given one national press conference. Something on Instagram is not actually answering questions, is it?

I do think that the minister for the environment, who the current prime minister has said that he will make the minister for the environment again, if he wins the election. I do think that she needs to come forward to deal with these matters and to explain and account for himself.

Updated

And on Peter Dutton, Paul Keating had this to say:

I joined the Australian parliament 50 years ago this year.

In those 50 years I’ve never seen any public figure as mean or mean-spirited as Peter Dutton. Those electors in Dickson have a chance to drive a political stake through his dark political heart and I hope they do.”

And then he was released back into the wild.

Updated

More seriously, Paul Keating said he was “speaking in code” when he called Australia’s security chiefs’ “nutters” in an ABC interview just after the Labor launch:

I was sort of speaking in code, Jon, to the foreign policy and security establishment. Of course, we need a national security apparatus,” he told ABC Melbourne.

What in short-hand I was suggesting ... that the importance of the security agencies and intelligence should not be the currency of Australia’s foreign policy settings.

The foreign policy of Australia should be made in relation to the tectonic plates of power in the world.

That’s what we should be making the foreign policy, and not university dormitory chit chat which the intelligence agencies pick up in their signals intelligence and then that goes into the cabinet room informing the foreign policy.”

The nutters comment led to the Labor campaign having to do a bit of a mop-up following the launch, with the leadership team immediately distancing themselves from the comments.

Updated

Paul Keating says he and Bob Hawke have been seeing each other for years, “just going over old times”.

Updated

Asked about Clive Palmer having gone to Fiji (his spokesman said he was visiting a terminally ill friend), Paul Keating says (after a pause):

“I wish he’d stay there. Couldn’t be buy a hotel there? Bury himself underneath it?”

He calls his advertising spend “obscene”.

“Oh he can do it, he has a perfect right, but you would think at least there would be some modicum of conscientiousness, you would think, wouldn’t you?

“ ... He has no policy other than preference for people who are wealthy. This is a guy who voted with Joe Hockey to knock superannuation off at 9.5%. People are going to 12%. This year, every Australian person in employment would be at 12% super, bar for the fact that Clive Palmer and Joe Hockey, Palmer got his vote in the Senate to vote with Hockey, to jam it at 9.5.

“You know, when John Howard knocked off the 12% that I had legislated in 1995, and then Hockey knocked off the 12% which Wayne Swan and Kevin Rudd had legislated, that cost the average $100,000 as an accumulation ... since 2001. From 2001 to now, the Liberal party knocking off the 12% cost the average wage earner $100,000 in accumulation.

“So if someone has an accumulation now of $300,000 it would be $400,000.

“I mean, they are dogs these people, really.”

Updated

On Labor matching the first homeowners’ deposit guarantee, Paul Keating says:

The government is going to an election, celebrating the fact they have no policy. They have no framework.

“ ... So, what happens, right at the death, at the policy launch, they said, ‘Oh Scott, you better get something out there, we’ve got no policy and you’ve made a virtue of it, we’ve got you as the boy next door at the barbecue, you better say something.’ So what they have done? They’ve turned up this thing about the 5% deposit.

“ ... The biggest problem with all of these things is the risk is, that people get the 5% and momentarily it helps them, but the prices rise by more than 5 on the supply side.

“ ... In other words, it is very hard to do things on the demand side ... where the supply side doesn’t increase the prices by 5%, again, it is a sort of nervous reaction by the prime minister, who has finally woken up, ding, ding, ding, ding, we don’t have a policy.

“ ... We don’t have a policy, maybe they don’t like the baseball cap, maybe they don’t want me to do their barbecue next door, I better have a policy.”

But he doesn’t answer the question why Labor answered it.

Updated

There have been no great political ideas, really in Australia for a quarter of a century,” Paul Keating said, during his chat with Jon Faine this morning, on why he supports Labor’s reform packages.

Bob Hawke and I removed the sort of closeted, protected economy and opened it up to the world and look at the increases in wealth. When there are no big ideas out there, the Twittersphere takes over.”

Asked whether the real tax reform should be increasing the GST to 15%, Keating says:

What’s so pernicious about increasing the GST is that, for people on ordinary incomes, their income and savings is one and the same, income and expenditure is one and the same, they save all of their income. So therefore they get belted 15%. But if you are a strong income, and a big earner, than you save most of your income, of course you don’t pay the GST and that is why the GST is regressive.

At 10% is fine ... but at 15 you start to have these very, very, important effects on the low-paid.

“ ... The GST is not the answer, what we need is, and what the Labor party is doing, in the biggest shift really, in 25 or 30 years, is saying let’s have a fairer, more efficient country, where we improve these public services and where there’s a whole sense of inclusion by people in the community, that the government of the day works for them, and you belong to them.”

Updated

It’s your daily pre-poll update:

At the same time of the 2016 election, 1.5m had voted.

Updated

Following on from that ABC story, the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is calling for Melissa Price to be sacked as environment minister:

“The dodgy approval, based on bogus scientific advice, means the entire approval process for Adani must be reviewed,” she said in a statement.

“Melissa Price dropped the Adani carbon bomb and walked off never to be heard of again.

“She won’t front up to answer questions at a time when we’re learning more and more about our biodiversity and extinction crisis, and the climate emergency. It is simply unacceptable.

“If she can’t do her job she should be sacked. She is unfit for the job. This is an environmental scandal.

“She had the time to approve Adani, and push scientific agencies to do her bidding, but won’t speak to the Australian people.

“Scott Morrison also has questions to answer. He appointed the minister. He has continued to back her. And he stands by this decision. This government cannot be trusted to do the right thing for the environment or the climate. It’s time for them to go.

“The political interference on Adani and its scientific advice puts a cloud over its approval. It must be reviewed – no matter who wins the election.”

Updated

As Adani steps up its battle with the Queensland government over what it says is delays in its environmental approvals, the ABC has a story on one of the federal government’s approvals:

From Michael Slezak’s story:

Internal CSIRO correspondence reveals the science agency was pushed to formally accept the federal government’s approval of Adani’s water plans in a single afternoon.

Despite the government saying Australia’s top science agencies “confirmed” Adani’s water plans had “met strict scientific requirements”, the emails show CSIRO was determined not to give a “categoric” response.

The correspondence obtained by the ABC through freedom of information laws exposes further discrepancies between what the government said about the assessment of Adani’s environmental plans, and what actually occurred.

Updated

Labor has also released a new ad which is getting a bit of attention

Brendan O’Connor has released a statement saying one of Labor’s first moves if it wins government will be to withdraw the government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission:

Federal Labor has written to the Fair Work Commission advising that in government we would withdraw the current government’s submission to the annual wage review, and make a new submission requesting a real wage increase to award rates.

Labor will legislate so that the Fair Work Commission will take into greater account cost of living pressures for Australians on the minimum wage as soon as practicable, however, on the first day of government, we will argue through the current annual wage review for a real increase to award rates.

We have made this unprecedented decision on behalf of Australia’s workers who rely on the award minimum rates and do it because this government has completely failed to advocate for workers in this country.

Updated

On ABC Adelaide radio, Scott Morrison said he had been speaking to Josh Frydenberg about the first homeowners’ deposit guarantee scheme for “some time” but confirms that the final decision to move ahead with it was not made until they were in the campaign.

Updated

We get another injection of Winx into this campaign – but from Paul Keating this time.

He says he believes “Bill Shorten will be the Winx of this election”.

Updated

'No big ideas' in Australian politics in a quarter of a century, Paul Keating says

After John Howard popped his head up yesterday in Warringah (he will be sent to Perth today), Paul Keating is speaking to Jon Faine on ABC Melbourne radio.

And he is not holding back.

On Howard’s intervention yesterday, Keating says that is on form:

Howard will say anything at any time to support any argument.

He goes on to say there haven’t been big ideas in Australian politics in about 25 years (before this Labor opposition).

The last time we saw the Labor party this good as this was really in 1983, with Bob Hawke’s first ministry. This is what you’re seeing again with Shorten. Shorten will be the competent leader of a really important and solid team.

But it’s his views of the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, which bring the first oof.

In those 5o years I’ve never seen a public figure as dark as Peter Dutton.

He says on 18 May Dickson voters have a chance to “drive a stake through his dark political heart”.

On Scott Morrison, Keating says he’s shown he can be “the man next door who can jump the fence and wear a baseball cap”, but adds that Australia “needs more than the man next door” as a leader.

Updated

Not a parody account:

Such a great retail politician.

Julie Bishop also turned up at the Liberals’ WA campaign launch (unofficial) last night:

The former foreign minister disagreed with Scott Morrison’s description of China as “customers” yesterday:

“I don’t see it that way at all ... I think our relationship with China is one of deep and mutual respect,” she said. “We are partners. We are trading partners.

“We have worked together in a whole range of areas. And so, the relationship is one of equals.”

Updated

Following on from the report on the Liberal’s Greenway candidate, Allan Green, who had previously warned against Muslim immigration and supported repealing the rights of gay couples to adopt children:

Allan Green, the Liberal candidate for Greenway in Sydney’s west, said the old posts – which were made when he was a candidate for the Christian Democratic party – did not reflect his personal views.

The posts, made by Green’s Facebook account in 2010, 2012 and 2015, shared views that Australia should limit its Muslim population, that same-sex couples should not be allowed to adopt, and that de-facto partnerships between gay couples should be repealed.

Asked on Monday afternoon whether the Liberal party would disendorse Green, Scott Morrison said he “hadn’t seen the matter”.

Comes this story from the Herald Sun, on a Victorian Liberal candidate, who also wanted to ban gay couples from adopting children, and had some very interesting views on carbon dioxide while he was a Family First candidate:

A Victorian Liberal candidate argued for a ban on gay couples adopting children and said carbon dioxide was a harmless “plant food” when he ran for parliament at the last election.

Peter Bain, who is contesting the Melbourne seat of Fraser for the Liberal Party, also called for a royal commission into the climate change science in campaign material under the Family First banner.

Mr Bain was the lead senate candidate for the Family First Party at the 2016 election, before defecting to the Liberals later that year.

Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison both responded to young voters, in a way, on Monday. As always the spotlight was on climate change.

The prime minister called in to Triple J’s Hack program on Monday evening, where he defended his now-infamous coal stunt in 2017 – which has become a fixture among the protest signs of the school strikers.

“Young people look at you as the treasurer that brought a lump of coal into parliament,” said the host, Tom Tilley. “For all those young people who take climate change really seriously, it looked like you took it as a joke.”

Morrison: “No I didn’t [take it as a joke]. The point I was making was this. [Coal] will continue to be, for quite a period of time, as the Labor party agrees as well, part of Australia’s energy mix.

“And this is important for young people’s jobs up in central Queensland, down in Tasmania, over in WA. Their jobs rely on reliable sustainable energy that keeps them in their jobs.”

Also on Monday, Stop Adani activists released video of a campaigner asking Abbott to apologise for his decision to bet a person $100 that the climate wouldn’t change.

“I know a lot of Warringah school students have been asking for an apology, because of that bet. Will you say sorry to young people for making such an insulting bet?” he asked.

In a word – no.

“The climate changes over time, we know,” Abbott said. “The Roman warm period, the mini Ice Age, the medieval warm period, the Ice Ages ... We know the climate changes, the question is how much does mankind do to it – and I owe it to the kids to tell the truth.”

Updated

Given the “99% of people on Newstart receive another payment” argument, it is worth keeping in mind what that actually means in financial terms.

What does that mean, in real terms?

If you haven’t already, check out the Fair Go? series we have been running.

Updated

And of course, the conversation turned to Newstart.

Labor has committed to reviewing it. Members of the Coalition have said it needs to be increased (as have the business community) but so far, the Liberals have made no actual move in that direction.

Tom Tilley: All right, prime minister, I want to hit a few more topics before we run out of time. Why is someone on $200,000 going to get a tax cut, but you can’t afford to give people on Newstart a modest boost.

Scott Morrison: I am giving tax cuts to everyone, Tom.

TT: Including people on $200,000 a year?

SM: What’s the problem with anyone getting a tax cut, when you reducing taxes for people earning as little as $37,000 a year?

TT: That’s fine but why not also help people on Newstart? They haven’t had a rise for 20 years in real terms.

SM: Newstart goes up twice a year, Tom.

TT: Yeah, on inflation – but what about a real increase?

SM: It goes up twice a year and 99% of people on Newstart are also on other payments. They don’t just live on Newstart alone.

TT: So they’ve got enough?

SM: They have rental assistance, they have a range of other forms of assistance and what we’ve done for people who have been on Newstart is we have got them off Newstart and actually got them into a job.

Last year, Tom, 100,000 young people got a job. That was the biggest growth in youth employment the country has ever seen. On top of that, Tom, when you are talking about investments we are making for young people, you know the commitment I’ve made to tackling youth suicide in this country.

TT: Yep.

SM: There was no more important issue, I believe, to young people, climate change included, than tackling youth suicide. That is what I have made my priority for the next term in government: 428 people took their young lives last year and that’s got to stop. We have to work together to achieve that and we’ve made a commitment of over half a billion dollars to do just that, over the next four years. More Headspace centres, with access for rural and remote parts of the country. Young Indigenous girls and boys out there in remote communities are taking their own lives, Tom.

This is what you can do when you run a strong economy and you manage the budget and you actually care about the cost of things, the price of things, because that’s what enables you to be able to extend this support.

Updated

Scott Morrison also spoke to Triple J’s Hack program late yesterday.

Here’s some of the interview with Tom Tilley:

Morrison: Well, we’re only talking about several thousand people each year and that won’t have a material impact, I would have thought, either way. But what it does mean is that more first homeowners can get into the market. I mean, at its peak we would have around 150,000 to 190,000 first homeowners. I mean, that’s what is has achieved in the past. But very, very rarely it’s been building over the last nine years. Particularly under our government we’ve seen more people get into the housing market but, I mean, I want to see more first homeowners realise their dream, Tom. That’s what this is about.

Tilley: OK, so if you want to make it more affordable for young people to get in, why not support Labor’s negative gearing and capital gains tax plans? They supported you on the deposit scheme they think it’s a good idea, so bipartisanship there. Why not the same from the Coalition, because those changes will help first-time voters outgun those investors who previously have been smashing them at auctions. Treasury said it won’t smash house prices, so why not support Labor’s plan?

Morrison: Because I think it’s a dangerous plan that will reduce property values, crash consumer confidence and impact the performance of our economy and take away people’s jobs.

Tilley: But Treasury contradicted that?

Morrison: SQM Research, which is an independent research organisation on the housing market, has made it pretty clear what the impact will be on residential construction jobs.

Tilley: Do you trust them more than Treasury?

Morrison: Well, look, I’m just saying that’s what they’ve said, Tom. Now my view about this has been the same forever. I think where we’ve got to with house prices over the last five years – in the last 12 months we’ve had a softening and that was necessary because we were at great risk of the market in Sydney and Melbourne overheating. But over in Perth, for example, South Australia, up in Darwin, in parts of Queensland, that wasn’t their experience. And if you take 30% of the buyers out of the market, do you know what it does to the value of someone’s home? That they’ve saved for over their entire lives and they want to perhaps use the value of that to put on an extension, because maybe they’ve got some more kids or whatever it is they happen to do –

Tilley: Sure.

Morrison: Well, it undermines their ability to participate more broadly within the economy.

Updated

In what must have been a 27-hour day, Michaelia Cash did her best to rally the troops during Scott Morrison’s flying WA visit last night:

Meanwhile, campaign nastiness continues.

The ABC reports that Labor has condemned flyers handed out in Anne Aly’s electorate of Cowan as racist. The flyers refer to Aly by her Egyptian name and claim she wants to ban “any criticism of Islam – just like Saudi Arabia”.

No group has claimed the flyers, which carry no authorisation. From the ABC report:

Federal Labor says “appalling” and “racist” flyers aimed at its Western Australian MP Anne Aly have been circulated in her electorate of Cowan.

The flyers refer to Ms Aly by her full given Egyptian name, Azza Mahmoud Fawzi Hosseini Ali el Serougi, before saying she once stood for the Greens, voted to weaken Australia’s borders and “supports banning any criticism of Islam — just like Saudi Arabia”.

The material is unauthorised, has no identifying marks, and so far, no group or political party has claimed it.

Labor said a member of the public had alerted the party to the material after it surfaced in the Cowan electorate in Perth’s northern suburbs.

Labor’s WA federal election campaign spokeswoman Madeleine King said the flyers were “racist” and “personal”.

Updated

Neither party can afford to waste a single minute of these last few days.

Scott Morrison may start the day in Adelaide but he will finish it in Victoria.

Bill Shorten is in Tasmania but he’ll head to Boothby, as well, in South Australia, and then Perth.

Updated

Good morning

There are four days to go and in some quarters, tempers are starting to flare, as tight contests seem to get even tighter.

The WA Liberal MP Steve Irons made headlines overnight, for this interaction:

Confronted by a couple of protesters, who filmed him as they asked how many times he voted against restoring penalty rates, Irons responded with this:

“I’ll tell you what, I didn’t vote for paedophiles, sex offenders and rapists like the Labor party. They support rapists.”

He is then pulled away.

In a statement to Sky News, Irons said he would “not stand by and allow Labor-Union thugs to intimidate women, and I will certainly not allow anyone to verbally abuse my wife.”

Irons is fighting to hold the seat of Swan from a strong challenge from Kim Beazley’s daughter, Hannah Beazley.

That footage came after Scott Morrison made a whirlwind visit to Perth, to sell his first home owners’ deposit guarantee, where he talked up Irons’s commitment:

I mean, Steve Irons, we came into parliament together here. I know Steve probably better than most and Steve is a former small and family business person himself, raising his son on his own, working hard every day, bringing those values into the parliament and working hard for the people of Swan. I mean he’s been delivering for them – $13.5bn of investment we’re putting into infrastructure here in Western Australia and that doesn’t include the extra $7bn that is on it’s way both now and into the future, as a result of the GST fair change that we were able to deliver …

I mean, the Labor members who are here were equivocal about it. Never fought for it. The Liberal members are the ones who fought for it. They were the ones. I mean, Steve would be in my ear, because I flatted with him in Canberra, every single night about it when I was treasurer, and he was right. But as an eastern state’s treasurer, I knew it would take that, not just the advocacy but a government who got Western Australia and understood Western Australia.

Bill Shorten can visit here as many times as he likes, but he’ll never understand the aspiration of Western Australians. He’ll never understand that they don’t want him coming and taking money out of their pockets because he thinks it’s better off spent in Canberra, than spent by Western Australians here on the ground.

Morrison was only in WA for a few hours before he headed to Adelaide, arriving in South Australia just after midnight, where the Liberals are attempting to hold on to Boothby.

Labor starts the day in Tasmania, where Bill Shorten is hoping to hold on to Bass and Braddon, both which are crucial to Labor winning government.

We’ll give you more on the seat blitz as the day unfolds. Coffee and Panadol are my only friends right now. So strap in.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

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