Federal election 2019: Day 34 of the campaign

Bill Shorten has been heckled by a pensioner in Adelaide after a political slanging match erupted with Scott Morrison over whether the PM thought gay people would go to hell as the final week of the election campaign turns nasty.

Bill Shorten has been heckled by a pensioner in Adelaide after a political slanging match erupted with Scott Morrison over whether the PM thought gay people would go to hell as the final week of the election campaign turns nasty.

 

 

It comes as Mr Morrison has defended his captain's call on his first-home buyers policy as Bill Shorten vowed to lift wage rates, and Paul Keating launched an on-air tirade at John Howard and Peter Dutton.

Tony Abbott's sister has also defended him against “extraordinary" attacks in his seat of Warringah as Mr Morrison also called on independents to declare who'd they'd support. 

Mr Morrison's cross-country campaign began in Adelaide, where Liberal MP Nicole Flint is fighting to hold on to her marginal seat of Boothby. He will then fly to Geelong to lend junior minister Sarah Henderson a hand as she faces a similar battle in Corangamite.

Mr Morrison is promising to create up to 350 new jobs through a new military weapons contract for the Australian Army.

The prime minister will then switch from defence to attack when he jets south to Tasmania.

The coalition is trying to win back the swing seat of Braddon from Labor MP Justine Keay.

Meanwhile, Labor will escalate its attacks on the government over elective surgery, blaming hospital cuts for a record number of people dying while on waiting lists.

Mr Shorten hopes to shore up seats under threat from the coalition in the island state. Labor is arguing Tasmania’s waiting times for elective surgery and emergency access are worse than the national average.

Originally published as Federal election 2019: Day 34 of the campaign