Fifteen. That’s how many days are left until the federal election. Count ‘em. Fifteen.
As we emerge from the desert on this, the 40th day of the election campaign, take heart in knowing that tonight you, the average punter, will be able to fire your questions at both Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten on Facebook, the people’s forum, through Joe Hildebrand, who was, by his own admission, shocked to hear he was the people’s moderator.
Hildebrand has written on News Corp websites about his existential angst over being asked to moderate the debate, and notes that the scheduled kick-off time of 6pm Friday night was “traditionally known as a dead zone on the internet.” But, he notes, a lot of people seem to be talking about the election on Facebook, so let’s give it a crack.
Questions for the debate actually close at midday, which doesn’t sound super interactive, but it does mean that technically you could participate in democracy during your tea break and still go to the pub after work.
With that cheerful thought, make a cup of tea and let’s dive into Friday.
The big picture
A historic event took place at Kirribili House last night. Malcolm Turnbull, fresh from a day dodging questions about Parakeelia, celebrated Ramadan by hosting an iftar, fast-breaking dinner for prominent Muslim Australians, as well as people of other faiths. My colleague, Paul Karp, writes that it’s the first such event hosted by an Australian prime minister.
Turnbull told his 75 guests in a pre-dinner speech that the broader Muslim community should not be blamed for the acts of a few extremists.
The aim of extremists, including those committing violence through a warped and nihilist interpretation of religion is to divide us and to turn our citizens against each other – but we will not let them win.
“Acts of terror like Sunday’s massacre in Orlando are perpetrated to divide us along lines of race, religion, sect and sexuality – but that kind of hatred and division must not prevail
We must stand together like we do tonight as one Australian family united against terrorism, racism, discrimination and violence
Among the guests were Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly; his wife, sociologist Dr Susan Carland; AFL player Bachar Houli; AFL national diversity manager Ali Fahour; Australian Multicultural Foundation director Hass Dellal; and youth advocate Yassmin Abdel-Magied.
Turnbull was interviewed by Aly on Channel 10’s The Project later that evening, and admitted that he had not fasted but “just showed up for the meal.”
Another guest was Sheik Shady Alsuleiman, president of the Australian National Imams Council, who, The Australian noted, has made anti-gay comments and was therefore, it suggested, not the best guest for an event that focused on unity in the wake of the mass murder of 49 people in a gay club in Orlando, Florida.
The Herald Sun was more forthright, headlining it’s coverage with: “Prime Minister dines with hate preacher.”
Plenty to be unhappy about in politics but tonight the PM hosted a Muslim iftar dinner and the Oppn Leader sang with the LGBT community. ✌️
— Fergus Hunter (@fergushunter) June 16, 2016
While Turnbull hosted the multi-faith event, the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, joined members of the LGBTI community in a vigil in Melbourne’s Federation Square for victims of the Orlando massacre.
Turnbull attended a service for the victims on Wednesday night.
It was a reprieve from a day’s politicking in which Parakeelia, the software company owned and used by the Liberal party, continued to dominate debate.
Shorten called Parakeelia a scam, saying:
This looks like a Liberal party washing machine turning taxpayer dollars into Liberal party profits.
While the Liberal Party’s national director, Tony Nutt, said the company was:
...run on a professional basis, independently audited and complies with the law.
According to a report in the Fairfax press, that’s not entirely true. Reporters James Robertson and David Wroe write that Parakeelia allegedly failed to inform ASIC of changes to company shareholdings for 15 years, due to a “clerical error.”
The “error” was that former Liberal party treasurer Ron Walker, who resigned in 2002, was, at least until Wednesday afternoon, listed as a 98% shareholder in the company.
When told of this fact by Fairfax, Walker reportedly said:
That’s impossible. I was assured that I had resigned. I relinquished all other directorships.
Malcolm (Turnbull, who was party treasurer in 2002 and 2003) took over from me. He succeeded me as federal treasurer of the party. He assumed all responsibilities I had on that day.
Walker then apparently called Liberal HQ and was told the letter “was never sent to ASIC – clerical error,” and that Nutt said it would be remedied the next day.
Interestingly, Fairfax ran a remarkably similar story in 2007, in which Walker said remarkably similar things.
The Australian’s David Crowe, in an excellent analysis that you can find here, writes that Parakeelia would not go away as an issue because it “offers another example of the way politicians like to live in a world with special rules and no questions asked”.
On the campaign trail
Malcolm Turnbull has woken up in Sydney and will take an early morning flight to the seat of Page on the NSW far north coast, where he’ll announce a $25m NSW North Coast Jobs and Investment package alongside Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash later this morning.
The package is intended to provide innovation grants, with businesses matching government investment dollar-for-dollar, to “incentivise business to invest, deliver new export opportunities and boost regional jobs”.
Bill Shorten is flying to Hobart, where he will announce a program called Working Futures, designed to deliver training to 20,000 unemployed youths a year.
The program will provide a six-week course teaching employment, presentation, interview and job search skills; a six-month work placement paid at an award-equivalent training wage, and result in a fully funded Certificate III of the participant’s choice.
The campaign you should be watching
Ken Jasper, who held the Victorian state seat of Murray Valley for the Nationals for 40 years, has raised the ire of Liberal candidate for Indi, Sophie Mirabella, for recommending people preference independent MP Cathy McGowan ahead of her.
Jasper gave McGowan his endorsement in 2013. He has recommended that people give Nationals candidate Marty Corboy their first preference and McGowan their second.
Mirabella said it was “a very dishonourable thing to do”. But Jasper, who has made no secret of his criticism of Mirabella, seemed quite comfortable with his decision.
And another thing(s)
The Labor candidate for the western Sydney seat of Lindsay, Emma Husar, where the Labor party will (finally!) hold their campaign launch on Sunday, has reportedly deleted old Facebook posts in which she awkwardly said that all politicians “lie, steal and cheat.”
According to Fairfax’s James Massola, Husar also deleted a photo of herself hugging a giant red condom.
Speaking of campaign launches, the Australian reports that Tony Abbott was expected to attend the Liberal party’s official launch on Sunday week, and expected to have “his contribution to the Coalition’s election acknowledged”.
This followed a rapidly shut-down campaign, apparently driven by talkback radio hosts, to make Abbott defence minister.
Follow the day’s developments live
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