Election 2022 live: Scott Morrison defends bulldozer call before ABC’s gaffe
Scott Morrison discussed his own popularity heading into the election including referring to himself as a bulldozer, after the ABC has made an embarrassing error on TV.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison was interviewed by Leigh Sales on ABC’s 730 on Monday evening.
Mr Morrison discussed his own popularity heading into the election including referring to himself as a bulldozer.
“I’m just being honest, Leigh. I can be. And during the last two or three years, but frankly, at other times in the various jobs I’ve had, that’s been very necessary,” he said.
Mr Morrison described public concerns of his track record on ducking responsibility and blame shifting as “Labor’s criticisms”.
“What I get is people really just want to see me be more inclusive in terms of how I go forward and that’s the challenge going forward,” he said.
Mr Morrison preferred to discuss his government’s economic plan and what he claimed to be Australia’s successful pandemic recovery.
“I don’t think anyone would contend the investments we made during the pandemic were unnecessary,” he said.
“That’s why that debt is what it is. It saved the country, Leigh. It saved jobs, it saved businesses.”
He also defended a controversial plan to allow first home buyers dip into their superannuation to buy a house.
“I mean, our housing market, each year, I think some $687 billion. This measure affects up to 1 per cent of it. The suggestion this will have any sort of significant impact, I don’t think bears up to scrutiny,” he said.
“This is how you help people with cost of living. You let them use their own money. You don’t lock it away from them. Where someone else is in control of it. They should be in control of it. It’s theirs.”
Mr Morrison said the “single biggest challenge facing the economy today” was an undersupply of workers.
He said his government was investing in “skills and education”.
“We’re investing in the skills of Australians. The jobs we’re creating are skilled jobs. These are jobs where we currently have 220,000 Australians in trade training right now,”
“That’s the highest level we’ve ever seen, since records began.”
Mr Morrison supported an increase to wages but also backed the decision being made by the Fair Work Commission.
“I support the Fair Work Commission making decisions on wages, taking into account all the factors that impact on people’s cost of living and whether they’ll be better off. I support wage increases,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the end of coal fired power in Australia should be decided by “commercial viability”.
“There will be a change that will take place in Australia and around the world that will happen over time. That’s why we believe in investing in carbon capture use and storage technologies,” he said.
He added, “for all the renewables to work, the intermittent renewables, the ones that rely on
solar and wind, they need firm power as it’s called, or reliable power, to support them to make the whole grid work so you don’t have variability problems.”
“We have a plan to get to net zero by 2050 based on the technologies that will not only solve the problem in Australia, but around the world,” he said.
On the rise of independent candidates threatening several Liberal-held electorates Mr Morrison asked voters not to take Australia’s strong economy for granted.
He said inner city electorates where Independents were looking most threatening, voters tended to have the luxury of focusing on other issues over a strong economy.
“Out in parts of regional Australia, and the broader suburbs of the country. They’re places that cannot afford the sort of risk that comes with a Labor Party and a leader that just is a bit loose on the economy. They will pay the price for that,” he said.
He added, “I do know this – you can’t address climate change and invest in the technology you need to deal with climate change, unless you have a strong economy.”
Mr Morrison refused to answer whether he would stand down as leader if the coalition loses the election and said he would accept the result win or lose.
“I don’t speculate on things like that,” he said.
Proving it’s not only the politicians that are susceptible to gaffes during an election campaign, the ABC made an embarrassing mistake ahead of an interview with the Prime Minister.
In a tweet publicising the major interview, someone at the ABC forgot to complete a template with Mr Morrison's name and title before publishing.
Where they were supposed to include Mr Morrison’s name the image read “name of special guest” followed by “title and other details”.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will also be interviewed on 730 during the campaign’s final week.
Earlier today, Mr Morrison’s plan for first home buyers has been savaged for adding to the housing crisis and threatening the retirement savings of millions of Australians.
One of his ministers, Jane Hume, has conceded the policy will “bump up house prices”.
It comes as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has clashed on air with Labor’s Tanya Plibersek over the policy, in an exchange that left Sunrise host Natalie Barr feeling “sorry for Australians”.
Follow our rolling updates below and have your say in our comments section.
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KELLY’S BIZARRE CLAIM
Craig Kelly made a bizarre claim that Australia would turn into China if the country joined forces with global experts.
The controversial Liberal-turned-United Australia Party MP said he would fight the World Health Organisation’s plan to develop a global accord on pandemic prevention if negotiating in the event of a hung parliament.
He is speaking at the National Press Club as part of a “Cross Bench” panel.
Greens leader Adam Bandt, Warringah independent MP Zali Steggall and independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick are also answering questions on Monday.
Mr Kelly said he didn’t want to see widespread lockdowns like those happening in China occur in Australia, seeming to suggest this would happen if the WHO’s plan to strengthen pandemic prevention and preparedness went ahead.
“We will ensure that that doesn’t go ahead. We’ll expect a commitment from either side of politics,” he said.
“We’ve seen how they do things in China that locked down Shanghai, putting cats and dogs in bags and beating them to death.
“We cannot surrender the sovereignty of our nation, our medical decisions to the World Health Organisation.
“Secondly, we will ensure that all the mandates end.
“No one in this country should be forced to ever have to put the risk of losing their job to undergoing medical intervention or injecting any substance in their body.
“Everyone that is currently mandated out of their work must have their job back.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt said that his party had been very clear about what their demands were if they held the balance of power.
“We won’t support a return of this current government, it’s time for the government to change,” Mr Bandt said.
“But the next government needs to do better.
“And we’ll push the next government to act on the climate crisis and our position during those negotiations would be – stop opening up new coal and gas projects.”
Senator Patrick said there should be no fear in a hung parliament.
“That is just bread and butter for the Senate,” he said.
“There is no – should be no fear in what it is that happens with a hung parliament.
“One of the things that people need to do, however, when they’re considering who they vote for is understand that it’s a long game.
“It’s not just about the first moments of the parliament when there’s a choice about confidence or a choice about supply.”
The crossbenchers have said they don’t support stage three tax cuts and don’t believe they should go ahead.
The Coalition’s stage-three tax cuts have been debated, winning some support from the crossbench MPs.
The stage-three cuts will involve everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000 paying 30 per cent in tax.
That means removing the 37 per cent bracket for those earning more than $120,000.
The highest 45 per cent bracket will also begin at $200,000 instead of $180,000.
Part of a long-term overhaul to the taxation system, the cuts were legislated in 2018 and are supported by both Labor and the Coalition.
Mr Kelly said he didn’t support the stage-three tax cuts.
“We can’t have tax cuts funded from borrowed money to start with,” he said.
Mr Bandt reiterated that the Greens opposed the cuts.
“The Greens oppose it. It will bring $244bn out of the budget. Labor and Liberal support it sadly. I don’t think billionaires need a $9000 a year per year forever tax cut,” he said.
“That’s what Liberal and Labor are proposing. We would much rather that $244bn goes to schools and hospitals instead of giving Clive Palmer a tax cut.
Senator Patrick said: “I would like to look at this in the context of a plan but I don’t think we need tax cuts for the wealthy. I think that’s hugely problematic.”
But Ms Steggall said that she was in favour of them.
However, she said she also wanted to see a rise to the minimum wage.
“I do support them, they’re legislated but what I want to see is a rise to the minimum wage. I do support that that be raised and I do think we need to simplify our tax system when it comes to, for example, the payroll tax,” she said.
“We need to work at growing the pie and that is how we can do it. Small businesses are the backbone of our country. Politicians talk about it all the time, but very little is ultimately done to assist them.”
PM, ALBO IN LIGHTNING-FAST VISITS
Anthony Albanese gave himself an early mark on Monday, clocking off from the campaign at around 12.30pm Perth time after a lightning-quick visit to a pre-poll booth in Pearce.
The Liberals hold the seat in Perth’s north on a margin 5.2 per cent but Labor is hopeful of its chances following the retirement of embattled former Attorney-General Christian Porter.
The Labor leader stopped briefly for a chat with candidate Tracey Roberts who he said made him ask twice before agreeing to be his candidate in the seat.
Meanwhile, Mr Morrison made a lightning visit to Cairns in the seat of Leichhardt, which is held by the LNP’s Warren Entsch on a 4.2 per cent margin.
Visiting the railway halls at Manunda, Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny met with group of more than 20 independent retirees.
Dartboards lined the walls of the hall, home of the district darts association.
The Prime Minister was there to promote a $99.3m budget investment in 80 medical study places at rural university campuses.
This will include 20 extra places at JCU Cairns, at a cost of $25m.
The move aims to give more Australians the opportunity to study and become a doctor in rural areas, in a bid to prevent ongoing workforce shortages.
Plates of biscuits lined the tables, as attendees sipped on cups of tea and coffee as they waited for Mr Morrison to arrive.
Mr Morrison reinforced Mr Entsch’s commitment to the region and spoke about what the government was doing to help retirees; such as offering more health cards and freezing the deeming rate.
At the home of the Cairns District Darts Association, Mr Entsch challenged Mr Morrison to a game.
Mr Morrison joked about the rules of the game by standing close to the board before getting competitive.
While his first shot was reasonably close to target, his second was almost a bullseye, prompting a few yells from the prime minister.
“That wasn’t too bad,” Mr Morrison said.
“Now I’m in trouble,” Mr Entsch replied.
The Leichhardt MP quickly threw his three darts but Mr Morrison was the winner.
PM BITES BACK: ‘IT’S THEIR MONEY’
The Coalition’s plan to let first home buyers access their retirement funds to enter the property market is “well designed and well thought out” Mr Morrison has said while refusing to reveal if the government had commissioned analysis or research on the policy.
He also rejected criticism the policy would raise house prices, claiming the super scheme needed to be viewed “in balance” with the government’s other housing policies, including HomeBuilder and the first home super saver scheme.
Mr Morrison, during the Coalition’s campaign launch in Brisbane on Sunday, revealed a plan to allow first home buyers to tap into up to 40 per cent or take $50,000 from their superannuation funds in order to break into the property market.
The new housing pitch, known as the “Super Home Buying Scheme” has been criticised by economists, finance peak bodies, the property council and industry super Australia.
Federal Labor has also panned the policy saying it would cause housing to become less achievable.
Mr Morrison said the policy was “well thought out” and “well designed”.
But he refused to confirm if the Coalition had done any analysis into the benefits of the scheme to counter criticism from most fronts — except construction bodies and property developers — that doing this would cause house prices to rise even higher.
“What could possibly be wrong with letting Australians use their own savings to buy the most important asset they will ever own?” Mr Morrison said.
“The proportion of first time buyers of the entire real estate market is marginal and therefore many of the assumptions that others have made about this have been based on false assumptions.
“What I know is Australians, they want access to their own savings, to buy their own home, to support them and their family.
“I’m sticking with our plan, because I know our plan stands by the homebuyer, not by those who, frankly, don’t want you to be in control of your own money.”
Economist Saul Eslake skewered the scheme as one that would inflate house prices and “do nothing to increase home ownership”.
“This policy will be welcomed by those who already own properties, just like anything that allows Australians to pay more for housing than they otherwise would,” he said.
Mr Morrison said unlike the Labor Party the coalition wanted Australians to “be in control of your own money”.
“I’m so surprised the Labor Party doesn’t support this,” Mr Morrison said.
“What could possibly be wrong with letting Australians use their own savings to buy the most important asset they will ever own in their lives.”
The Property Council of Australia also signalled the focus needed to be on increasing the supply of housing, though it stated “targeted demand-side policies” to support aspiring buyers were welcome.
Industry Super Australia warned throwing super into the housing market “would be like throwing petrol on a bonfire”.
“It will jack up prices, inflate young people’s mortgages and add to the aged pension, which taxpayers will have to pay for,” ISA chief executive Bernie Dean said.
Earlier on Monday, Superannuation Minister MP Jane Hume admitted that the government’s super housing policy will “bump up house prices”, at least in the short term.
“I would imagine that there would be a lot of people that bring forward their decision to buy a house,” Senator Hume told ABC Radio.
“So I would imagine in the short term, you might see a bump in house prices.
“But that doesn’t play out the long term benefits of more home ownership, fewer people relying on rent.”
When asked if she was comfortable with the possibility that a government policy would drive up house prices even further, Senator Hume said the government’s plan was something she felt confident about.
“I’m very comfortable with having more Australians owning their own home sooner, having the financial certainty and security of owning their own home,” she said.
Senator Hume could not answer the question of whether the government had done any modelling on how the policy would impact the market.
Liberal party heavyweights – including former treasurer Peter Costello and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull have rubbished the policy.
DUTTON IS ‘BIGGEST SECURITY THREAT’: MCGOWAN
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has put Defence Minister Peter Dutton on blast, labelling him the “biggest threat to national security”.
His response was to a question about the hi-tech Chinese surveillance ship spotted off the coast on West Australia last week.
Mr McGowan said the rhetoric from Mr Dutton was “highly dangerous”.
“It’s inflammatory and unnecessary and I just think he’s the biggest threat to the National security.”
ALBANESE CLAIMS LIB POLICY ‘DESPERATE’
Anthony Albanese has branded the Liberal’s landmark housing policy a “desperate thought bubble”.
The Prime Minister has set up a battle on housing affordability in the last week of the campaign by announcing his plan to allow first-home buyers to access their superannuation savings to pay for a deposit.
Speaking to reporters, a fired up Labor leader slammed the policy as an attempt to “gut” people’s super savings.
“The Government in its desperation has come up with a thought bubble that, according to itself, has not been modelled,” Mr Albanese said.
But he did not provide a clear answer on if he was concerned the policy would sway the youth vote ahead of May 21.
“This policy is not a good idea,” Mr Albanese said.
“I’ll give you this big tip – if you take super away from people, then you’ll have higher deficits and bills from the government in the future.
“What super is about is making sure that people can retire with a decent income. That is the purpose of the superannuation system.
“If you gut people’s super savings, that means down the track, more people dependent upon the pension, more pressure on budgets in the future. That’s what it’s about. That’s what this debate is about.
“But this government, every opportunity they have to attack super, they do so.”
PM REJECTS AUKUS CLAIM
Mr Morrison had said it is “absolutely false” that he went against the wishes of the United States for the AUKUS agreement to be bipartisan by only briefing Labor the day before the announcement was made.
“We understood absolutely what the requirements were and we met them 100%,” he said.
“I find it strange that you think that we wouldn’t have maintained the absolute discretion, as we did with so many of our own cabinet?
“ (AUKUS is)the most significant defence security agreement Australia has entered into in over 70 years.
“And I was not going to risk that on the Labor Party.”
The Labor leader took another swipe at the Prime Minister over the AUKUS security pact.
Mr Albanese has taken issue with the fact he was not briefed about the landmark security pact prior to it being inked last September.
Asked if the reason he was kept in the dark had concerns over if deputy Richard Marles would have leaked the agreement, Mr Albanese quickly shot down the accusation.
“I have national security briefings all the time. What this Prime Minister always does is put the political interests first before the national interest. It’s always about politics,” he began.
“Even though Labor could not have been more clear, more decisive, or more certain about our support for AUKUS, this Prime Minister has continued to play politics and to suggest that that wasn’t the case at each and every opportunity.
“The problem for this Prime Minister is that he’s always looking for a conflict and a division. That’s what he feeds off.”
He seized on the questioning to list off the perceived diplomatic failings of Mr Morrison.
“What I haven’t done, is release private text messages between people let alone between leaders of other countries, which this Prime Minister quite clearly has done,” he added.
GILLARD IN RARE POLITICAL STATEMENT
Former prime minister Julia Gillard largely stays silent on political issues, but that’s changed this federal election.
In a sign Labor is concerned about its hold over the ACT Senate, Ms Gillard has endorsed ACT Labor Senator Kate Gallagher.
Ms Gallagher, the opposition finance spokeswoman, is likely to lose votes because of the high visibility of two progressive independent candidates – David Pocock, a former Wallaby, and Professor Kim Rubenstein.
ALBO REFUSES TO DETAIL POLICY COSTINGS
Mr Albanese again refused to detail when he will release his policy costings, insisting repeated questions on the matter were “quite absurd”.
The Labor leader repeatedly dodged questions over when he will outline the impact his policies will have on the budget bottom line.
But he took his defence a step further on Monday, telling reporters he’d already released them.
“One of the things that we have done this entire election campaign is with each policy, we announce what the costings are,” he said.
“The idea that we don’t have costings out there is, quite frankly, absurd.”
Mr Albanese was also under pressure to say whether his policies would lead to higher budget deficits than the Coalition over the forward estimates.
“If you want an answer, you’ve got to stop talking. OK. That’s the deal. What we will have is a fiscally responsible policy.
“You can’t say on the one hand that Labor isn’t announcing enough expenditure, enough big things.
“And then on the other hand say that we’re not being fiscally responsible, because we are,” he said.
Mr Albanese is campaigning with WA Premier Mark McGowan and visiting health services.
“OMG, it’s Albo,” he shrieked. “I can’t believe it”.
Mr Albanese waved at the teen before greeting his candidate Zaneta Mascarenhas and Heath spokesperson Mark Butler.
‘It’s good to be back in the West,” he said as he shook the premiers hand.
The pair met with Dylan Botica, a nurse in his fourth year at Bentley Health Service in the marginal seat of Swan.
Later, Mr Albanese met with Patrick Spratt who had travelled to Perth for an operation. Donning an Eagles shirt the Labor leader shared their sympathy that his team were thrashed by Melbourne Demons at the weekend.
“Not a great outcome, but the Dees are pretty good,” Mr Albanese awkwardly remarked.
‘EMBARRASSING’ BARNABY BLOW-UP
Barnaby Joyce blew up in an “embarrassing” fiery exchange with Labor MP Tanya Plibersek on Monday morning, as the pair went head-to-head over housing policies.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr said she “felt sorry for the people of Australia trying to figure out what on earth we were voting for on Saturday” after Mr Joyce and Ms Plibersek both failed to answer key questions on the housing policy.
It comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in his official campaign launch on Sunday that first home buyers would be able to access a “sensible” part of their superannuation to secure their first home.
Ms Plibersek said “there is a reason John Howard, Peter Costello … and Malcolm Turnbull rejected this policy”.
But Mr Joyce said it was a better policy than the one Labor had put forward, where the government would pay 40 per cent of the house, provided wannabe homebuyers met the income threshold.
Mr Joyce continually asked Ms Plibersek whether that was taxable or gross income, a question she could not answer and instead hit out at the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Joyce became increasingly frustrated by Ms Plibersek’s inability to answer.
“How do you not understand your own policy?” he asked.
Ms Plibersek said she “felt embarrassed” that Mr Joyce “carries on like that”.
I’VE GOT Covid, HOW DO I VOTE?
If you’ve caught Covid right before polling day, don’t panic. You’ll still need to vote, but there are options. We explain how you can still vote – including, for the first time in Australia – by phone in our handy how-to guide here.
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