Scott Morrison has confirmed a vessel has been intercepted after an alleged attempt to illegally enter Australia as Anthony Albanese reflected on former prime minister Gough Whitlam leading Labor to victory in 1972.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed a vessel has been intercepted after an alleged attempt to illegally enter Australia from Sri Lanka.
In a bombshell Election Day revelation, Mr Morrison confirmed— in the spirit of “full transparency”— that the boat had been intercepted by authorities.
He used the confirmation as a segue to ram home the Coalition’s rhetoric that it is the party best prepared to keep people smugglers at bay.
“That vessel has been intercepted in accordance with the policies of the government and and they're following those normal protocols,” Mr Morrison said.
“In the interest of full transparency in the middle of an election campaign, the Labor Party was advised of this and a statement has been issued by the border protection authorities to talk about that as well.”
This is understood to be the first boat intercepted in Australia’s waters since 2014.
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A total of 15 people were on the vessel, which almost landed on Christmas Island.
The boat approached from the western side of the island.
The people on the boat are being processed by authorities.
Operation Sovereign Borders head Rear Admiral Justin Jones, in a statement, said the government’s policy remained “unchanged”
“We will intercept any vessel seeking to reach Australia illegally and to safely return those on board to their point of departure or country of origin,” he said.
“Measures and safeguards are in place to enable actions and activities to be undertaken in accordance with Australian domestic law and Australia’s obligations under international law.
“The overriding priority for all agencies involved in Operation Sovereign Borders is the safety of all persons involved, including potential illegal immigrants and vessel crews as well as Australian personnel.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese reflected on the day former prime minister Gough Whitlam led Labor to a historic victory in 1972.
The modern-day Labor leader spoke to journalists outside a polling booth in Marrickville in Sydney's inner west on Saturday afternoon shortly after casting his own vote.
Mr Albanese could tonight become just the fourth Labor leader in about 80 years to win government from opposition.
Asked how much that sense of history was weighing on his mind, Mr Albanese said he felt a great sense of responsibility.
"I remember as a very young boy when Gough Whitlam won in '72. I just remember my mum telling me that our team had won," he said.
"It was a bit like the '71 grand final when our other team won against St George when Souths won.
"I grew up with a passion for Labor. My mum was a rank-and-file member."
Every seat, every minute, all the results live. Stream Election Night Live on Sky News Australia. Today from 5pm AEST.
Mr Albanese declared he would represent all Australians as prime minister regardless of whether they vote for him.
Earlier, Mr Morrison handed out how-to-vote cards in the Victorian seat of McEwen while his wife Jenny received a stems of eucalyptus leaves from traditional elder Ian Hunter, who played the didgeridoo as the pair walked towards the polling booth entrance.
The PM was heckled by minor party supporters, who yelled out “don’t sign the WHO pandemic treaty”.
“Keep our bodies away from the WHO,” one UAP supporter shouted. Mr Morrison was quick to reply “we’re not”. “That’s a complete lie,” Mr Morrison said.
“You’re just making stuff up.”
One Greens supporter also yelled about bushfire survivors saying some were still without houses. One couple that walked past didn’t appear to notice it was the Prime Minister, taking his flyer and walking inside.
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The back of the how to vote cards were red with bold font stating: “Send Daniel Andrews a message! Put Labor last
Meanwhile, a $10 "gourmet democracy sausage" has become a talking point in Anthony Albanese's electorate.
A standard democracy sausage was priced at $5 in the electorate of Grayndler in Sydney's inner west but for an extra $5 voters had the choice of onions.
Nine reporter Chris O'Keefe tweeted the picture of a chalkboard advertising the sausage sizzle.
"It's capitalist sausage time in the communist stronghold of Grayndlr," O'Keefe joked.
It comes as Mr Albanese spruiked an election campaign to ease the cost of living pressures and increase wages for Australians.
Mr Albanese himself was spotted in the Victorian marginal seat of Chisholm, where the Opposition leader hopes Labor can snatch votes from the Liberals.
Earlier, the Labor leader said he would negotiate with independents to form government.
Mr Albanese is hoping to capture enough seats to form a majority government.
"My objective is to get 76 seats, at least, in the House of Representatives, that's what I've been focusing on, providing the security of a majority Labor government," he said on Saturday morning.
"I'll work with people across the parliament, that's the nature of the way I do politics," Mr Albanese said."I want to make sure that wherever possible, we look for consensus."
Mr Morrison told morning radio he wasn't a betting man but said he knew other people who bet on him in the last federal election that "were pretty happy" with their winnings.
"I've never taken anything for granted in life and in politics... I know this is an important decision that Australians are making.
"I've seen this week people in the Labor Party... saying which public servants they're going to get sacked and who they are going to swear in on what day and all these sorts of things.
"Even where Anthony's dog's going to live. You can't get ahead of yourself. "I don't think Australians appreciate that.
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The full list of polling booths for each state can be found below:
Originally published as Federal election 2022: PM's bombshell election day revelation on people smugglers
We're closing down our day-time federal election blog and moving to our night one – which you can find here.
We'll continue the rolling new, updates and seat counts as they come in as. Polling booths will soon start to close in some parts of Australia and votes will start to be counted – you can follow them live here.
The independent candidate for SA's most hotly-contested seats has given an early concession at one of the electorate's busiest polling booths.
Jo Dyer, contesting the long-time Liberal stronghold of Boothby, said while she may have made an impact in the election, she doubted she would be the local MP – putting her support behind Labor candidate Louise Miller-Frost.
"I'd obviously be happier if I was going to be the incoming member for Boothby but I do detect in the electorate that there is a mood for change … and I think that mood for change is warranted given the calibre of leadership we have at the moment," Ms Dyer said.
"I don't know if I'll be feeling happy but I'll certainly be feeling relieved that we've kicked out one of the worst governments that we've ever had."
The marginal South Australian seat has been in the hands of the Liberal party since 1949.
Earlier today, Labor stalwart Penny Wong also joked the journalists in attendance "might not have been born" the last time the seat was held by her party.
Ms Miller-Frost said she was not fazed by being labelled one of the state's highest-profile candidates.
"It's been a very interesting journey. I'm not sure that I necessarily knew what the process of campaigning would be like getting in," she said.
"I'm out doorknocking, phone calling and meeting people one-on-one."
Premier Peter Malinauskas was out in force campaigning for Ms Miller-Frost earlier this morning.
"We're really keen to be able to deliver for everyone across Australia, but particularly for me personally in Boothby," Mr Malinauskas said.
Liberal candidate for Boothby Rachel Swift brushed off polls suggesting she was unlikely to win the seat.
"Walking here today three people stopped me and said hello and good luck, so I assume people recognise my ugly mug from the Stobie poles near them," Ms Swift said.
Ms Swift said she "wasn't focused" on whether she would win the seat, but on "talking to the voters" of the electorate.
– Emily Olle
Wentworth candidate Dave Sharma has cast his vote.
The current MP for the eastern suburbs seat snapped a photo at a local polling booth in Paddington with his wife, Rachel Lord.
Follow NSW's latest election updates here.
Couldn’t do this without my very supportive family. 🙏🏼
— Dave Sharma (@DaveSharma) May 21, 2022
Casting our votes today at Paddington. pic.twitter.com/eIsADFBdVK
Labor has accused the Coalition of “playing politics” with boats once again, after Operation Sovereign Borders intercepted a vessel earlier on Saturday.
It has prompted the Liberal Party to send out texts warning voters that only by voting for the Coalition could Australia’s borders be kept safe.
Labor treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers told Sky News that Labor would “always support” Operation Sovereign Borders.
“I don’t think anyone would be particularly surprised to see the Liberals trying to play politics with this, but I think people know that the major plans of this policy are the same – Labor or Liberal,” Dr Chalmers said.
“They know that if they make that journey, you’ll be turned back or sent to Nauru, and I think beyond that… I think the government has engaged in this kind of last-minute, desperate act.”
Dr Chalmers said the election had been primarily about the cost of living, and that when the Coalition had failed to convince enough voters they were better equipped to manage the economy they had gone on the attack.
“We’re working as hard as we can to get a majority Labor government, that’s the only way you can put an end to Scott Morrison,” he said.
“It’s the only way that you can begin to build a better future together.”
– Ellen Ransley
Millions of Aussies have cast their votes today, but once again the final result on Australia's leadership may not come tonight.
The Australian Electoral Commission shared in a press release that while all polling station votes cast today and pre-poll votes would be counted tonight, more than 2.7 million votes wouldn't be counted until tomorrow.
The AEC also pointed out that half of the previous four election have been too close to call o Election Day.
"All counting will cease at midnight local time… two out of the previous four federal elections have not seen a clear result on election night," the AEC release read.
"If the result is close, we may not know who forms Government tonight."
The Liberal Party has moved quickly to share Scott Morrison's announcement a boat had been intercepted while illegally en route to Australia.
The Liberal Party has confirmed it sent text messages to people's mobile phone numbers on Saturday afternoon advising them to vote Liberal in order to keep the nation's borders secure.
"BREAKING – Aust Border Force has intercepted an illegal boat trying to reach Aus. Keep our borders secure by voting Liberal today," the text message reads.
The message concludes with a link to http://voteliberal.org.au/.
Screenshots of the text messages have been shared widely on social media and they have been received by voters in the tightly-contested seats of Gilmore, Corangamite and Bennelong.
A Liberal Party spokesman confirmed the messages had been sent out but he wouldn't disclose how many people had received them.
"As Australians go to vote today it is important that they are informed about the choice that is before them," he told NCA NewsWire. – CATIE MCLEOD
The AEC has issued a reminder for people isolating at home with Covid to register to vote via phone before the 4pm AEST deadline.
"Registration for the AEC’s telephone voting service for COVID+ Australians closes at 4pm local time across Australia," the AEC wrote in an email.
"For people in central and western time zones, any registration that occurs after 4pm eastern time must occur via phone, on 1800 413 960."
While the deadline to register to vote on the phone closes at 4pm, voters can ring up to cast their vote up until 6pm local time- when polling booths close around the country.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews used the intercept to declare that a Labor government would mean the people smugglers were "back in business" because of their opposition to temporary protection visas.
She noted that the Sri Lankan navy had intercepted a fishing vessel and two dinghies carrying dozens of people on Wednesday before Saturday's development.
"This is not scaremongering, this is a reality and it has been demonstrated by the two attempts that we are aware of," she told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.
"We don't know if there are any other attempts that have been made over the last few days and we don't know if there have been any deaths at sea.
"I've said very clearly on my watch that I wanted no people to be attempting to travel to Australia illegally by boat and I didn't want any deaths at sea.
"I'm very pleased that these two ventures have been intercepted and that the position of the Australian government, the Morrison-led government is very clear – that there is zero chance of being able to come to Australia by boat illegally."
She said that the Labor government posed a risk to Australia's borders because of its opposition to temporary protection visas, which are aimed at denying permanent resettlement.
"The risk that an Albanese government, a Labor government poses to us has been demonstrated by those two attempts that we know of to come to Australia by boat," she said.
ASHLEIGH GLEESON
A Nationals MP whose wife was harrassed by an opposing candidate’s volunteer has been caught on camera saying “it took every ounce of energy not to punch”.
The tussle occurred at Hastings Public School in Port Macquarie, where Cowper incumbent Pat Conaghan had just arrived to vote around 9am this morning.
As Conaghan and his wife, Ilona, were heading into the school to cast their votes, the volunteer shoved an independent how to vote card in their faces, repeatedly encouraging them to vote for “integrity” this election.
According to the couple, that particular volunteer had been causing Conaghan grief over the course of the campaign. The incumbent MP lodged a formal complaint with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) over this morning’s incident, which he described as forceful. – GEMMA FERGUSON
Teal independent candidate for Wentworth Allegra Spender says she would be willing to work with Scott Morrison in the event of a hung parliament.
The 43-year-old mother-of-three and successful businesswoman – who is running against Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma – said on top of the issues of climate and integrity, she would be considering business interests and the economy as priorities.
"I will vote issue by issue during the parliament, because as an independent, that's what the community expects you to do," she said.
"Wentworth is a very business focused electorate so I'll be very much considering business interests and the economy when I'm voting, but I will also be considering climate and progressive social issues because again, those are the values of this community."
But whereas Warringah independent Zali Steggall has signalled that she would be more likely to support the Coalition in a hung parliament if Mr Morrison was not the Prime Minister, Ms Spender said she felt otherwise.
"I don't know Scott Morrison personally, I've never had any dealings with him. You know I've always been about the policies. It's not about the party," she said.
She said that climate wasn't an issue that was a left or right ideology.
"Look at the NSW government, they're a Coalition government and they're willing to do the right thing on climate.
"Look at the Tory Party in the UK and they are doing enormous things on climate.
"So climate isn't actually a left or right issue, it's a question of science and it's a question of the unique economic opportunities Australia faces." ASHLEIGH GLEESON
A Liberal backbencher has made a surprising move after Peter Dutton’s controversial election pledge to roll back Indigenous flags.
A key poll is painting a grim picture for Anthony Albanese as Labor gears up for next year’s looming vote.
