Federal election 2019: Live coverage from the campaign trail

Julie Bishop has made an exceedingly rare campaign appearance - and blatantly contradicted Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the process.

Sam Clench and Charis Chang with Shannon Molloy

less than 2 min read

May 13, 2019 - 1:11PM

Federal Election: Labor's negative gearing plan

Welcome to news.com.au's live, rolling coverage of the federal election campaign.

Our reporters are on the ground with Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten, and we'll bring you the latest news from the hustings throughout the day.

Updates

Julie Bishop contradicts Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison joined all the Liberal Party's Western Australian candidates at a rally in Perth this evening – an event which included an exceedingly rare campaign appearance from Julie Bishop.

Speaking to reporters after Mr Morrison's speech, Ms Bishop was full of praise for the man who beat her in a three-way leadership contest to become Prime Minister.

"Scott's been campaigning so well. I'm feeling very confident. I've been saying for a long time that we will win this election," Ms Bishop said.

"I'm not surprised at all. Scott's a very experienced politician and he was a very good treasurer, and he took on the role of Prime Minister in less than ideal circumstances and he's done an exceedingly good job."

But Ms Bishop did noticeably contradict Mr Morrison when she was asked about Australia's relationship with China – a subject on which she's something of an expert, having served as foreign minister for five years.

Earlier today Mr Morrison described China as a "customer" of Australia. Ms Bishop was asked whether she would describe it as a "buyer and customer" relationship.

"Are they our customers?" a reporter asked.

"I don't see it that way at all. I think our relationship with China is one of deep and mutual respect. 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," Ms Bishop replied.

Last week the Prime Minister was a little more expansive in his description of the relationship.

"China is an incredibly important country for Australia's future, our relationship with China is of course different to our relationship with the United States, but they are both critical to Australia's future. And we manage that relationship in a very pragmatic way, but one based on our values that we share, and the aspirations that we have for Australia to pursue it’s own national interests," Mr Morrison said.

On the topic of foreign policy, Ms Bishop would not explicitly rule out having an interest in replacing Joe Hockey as US ambassador in the next term of parliament.

"I have had the number one diplomat's job in Australia. I was foreign minister for five years, and that's the best job you can have in the foreign service for Australia," she said.

"I've been the foreign minister. I'm not looking to get a government job. I'm very happy to pursue other duties in the private sector."

Asked whether she would explicitly rule it out, she merely repeated that last sentence.

Ms Bishop would not be drawn on what the election would have been like if she and Malcolm Turnbull had remained in control of the party.

"That's a hypothetical. There's no point in looking back, we just look forward. And I think that Scott Morrison will continue to be a very fine Prime Minister," she said.

"I don't do regrets. I'm very relaxed. Very relaxed indeed, and the campaign's gone exceedingly well for the Coalition and I'm looking forward to a strong comeback and a win on Saturday night."

Shorten ends his day with a pint of 'Morrison'

Bill Shorten has ended his day with a glass of Morrison's ale at an event with Labor volunteers in Tasmania.
The Labor leader flew into the apple isle this afternoon and enjoyed meet up with his hardworking vollies.
Mr Shorten ordered a pint of Morrison, an English Special Bitter, before addressing his supporters at a craft brewery in Launceston.

A cheer went up as Bass MP Ross Hart introduced Mr Shorten as the "future prime minister of Australia".
Mr Shorten thanked his volunteers and promised a fair go for Tasmania.
He said it was not right that Tasmanians were receiving health services at a lesser standard than those on the mainland
"We have five more days, that is the opportunity to close the deal with the Australian people, to tell them our story," he said.
"We are very competitive, all I ask of you as people who believe in real change, people who believe in a bigger story for Australia … if all of us can say at 6pm on Saturday night, there is nothing more I could have done … I can guarantee you Labor will be very competitive."
In the end, let's hope Mr Shorten's choice of beer doesn't leave him with a bad aftertaste.

Morrison stops by Perth Hockey Stadium

The Prime Minister is on a tight schedule this afternoon, so he didn't stay at Perth Hockey Stadium for long.

He briefly chatted to members of Australia's female national hockey team, the Hockeyroos, who will benefit most from the $600,000 upgrade he was announcing.

"Western Australians have always been gun hockey players. Everyone from the eastern states knows that Western Australians are gun hockey players," Mr Morrison told them.

"I think everyone here's from eastern states," one of the players replied, and everyone shared a healthy chortle.

My favourite moment actually came a little later, as Mr Morrison met some young male players. Other boys were practising nearby.

"Hit him, hit him! You've gotta hit him!" one of them shouted. Moments later, a hockey ball sailed well wide of the Prime Minister.

Keep practising, lads.

ScoMo: 'I didn't take anyone's job'

The prime minister has defended how he came to be leader of the liberal party in an interview on triple j's Hack, telling the youth broadcaster he "didn't take anyone's job."

"I didn't take anyone's job, the job was vacant," Scott Morrison told Tom Tilley tonight, after he was asked how young voters could trust him to deliver a stable future parliament.

"As people know, I did support the prime minister, right until the very end. And my party elected me to take over from there.

"One of the first things I said was this has to stop, the rules have to change, I changed the rules.

"The rules have been changed. They needed to be changed for all the reasons you said, Tom. To give that assurance, to give that certainty. And that's what I want Australians to have.

ScoMo cuddles up to hockey stars

Scott Morrison is a very busy lad this afternoon.

He is now about to appear at Perth Hockey Stadium on the campus of Curtin University.

That's in the electorate of Swan, held by Liberal MP Steve Irons with a margin of 3.6 per cent.

Mr Morrison is appearing alongside members of Australia's national hockey teams, the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, and announcing $600,000 to upgrade the change and recovery rooms for the National Women's Program.

There are currently no female change rooms. Much of the money will go towards making proper ones for both men and women.

With any luck the Prime Minister will also swing a hockey stick at something.

Seeing double as ScoMo goes coast to coast

Scott Morrison has held two virtually identical events today.

In Sydney this morning, he walked through a half-constructed house to draw attention to his new first home buyer policy, then held a press conference.

In Perth, he walked through a three-quarters built house to draw attention to his new first home buyer policy, then held a press conference.

But the message he took to each event was drastically different. While his words in Sydney were clearly aimed at voters nationwide, in Perth he was very much focused on appealing specifically to West Australians.

"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," Mr Morrison said at one point.

"Bill Shorten's plans to see unions over in Melbourne telling firms in Western Australia what they should be doing and what businesses they should be undertaking, that concerns me. Western Australia is a go-ahead state. They should be left to get on with it," he said at another.

"And that's why I love Western Australia so much. It is a highly entrepreneurial, ambitious, aspirational state, and that's why I say to Western Australians – if you're looking for someone who understands the decent, honest aspirations of Australians and wants to back them in, I want you to fulfil those things here in Western Australia. Bill Shorten wants to tax them more with more taxes from Canberra."

You can see the strategy, can't you? The Prime Minister framed it as a choice between a Coalition government that understands and respects Western Australia's independence, and a Labor Opposition that wants to impose its views on the state from the eastern coast.

There was a curly moment halfway through the doorstop when Mr Morrison was asked about Israel Folau, and his own views on same-sex couples.

"There's been more talk about personal belief on this issue in the last couple of days, about whether or not it's OK for a Christian to express their beliefs. What's your belief? Do gay people go to hell?" he was asked.

"I support the law of the country and I always don't mix my religion with politics and my faith with politics," Mr Morrison said.

"It's always been something that's informed how I live my life, and how I seek to care for and support others," he continued.

"I talked about my mum on the weekend. I always saw in my mum a woman of quiet, decent faith, who translated that into action in her love and care for others. And that's the faith that I've been taught."

The walkthrough of the Perth home proceeded in much the same way as the one in Sydney this morning – though this time the Prime Minister was greeted by a delicious-looking chocolate cake to celebrate his birthday.

I didn't get a slice.

Morrison's campaign continues in Perth

If you're wondering why you have heard so little from Scott Morrison since this morning, it's because we have been in the air, flying to Perth.

The Prime Minister is going to the electorate of Cowan, held by Labor's Anne Aly with a margin of 0.7 per cent.

He's going to meet some tradespeople and their families, again speaking about his new housing policy, before holding another quick doorstop.

Howard takes aim at 'sneering' Shorten

Former Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott were on the front foot in the northern beaches electorate of Warringah today accusing Opposition Leader Bill Shorten of "sneering" and trying to steal from Australians' pockets.

Mr Howard told reporters in the marginal seat that Mr Shorten "sneers" at voters and that there's a "growing suspicion" about what motivates him.

“I detect in the community a lot of growing suspicion that Bill Shorten is after your savings,” he told reporters. “Warringah is full of people who have worked hard, accumulated a bit and don't want it taken away by higher taxes from Bill Shorten.

“They’re not the big end of town, that’s an insult. This fellow Shorten is after these people and he sneers at them."

Mr Abbott stopped to buy two sirloin steaks from a butcher, telling reporters: “If you don’t have the fat, you don’t have the taste”.

He called Mr Howard the "maestro" and beamed when talking about how "wonderful" it was to "have the old team back together."

Mr Abbott is facing stiff competition from independent candidate Zali Steggall. The former Olympic skier is the narrow favourite, according to bookies, but it hasn't damaged the former PM's confidence.

"I'm more confident now than I was a month ago, but this is going to go down to the wire," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Howard said Mr Abbott was a "great political realist" who "understands he has a fight" … but "I want to remind anybody in this electorate who might be cranky about this or that, things that the government’s done, or Tony’s done,” Mr Howard said.

"If you want lower taxes, if you want to stop Bill Shorten raiding your retirement income and bringing in policies that might reduce the value of your house — there are literally tens of thousands of people in Warringah who fit into that category — the only safe way of ensuring that is to vote for Tony Abbott.”

Activist's 'naked' ride through Melbourne

A woman riding "naked" on horseback through Melbourne says she did so to "expose" a lack of progress in tackling climate change.

Sarah Keecher, 31, hoped to shock voters ahead of this weekend's federal election. She wore a black cape and long black boots and had her breasts covered by her long blonde hair.

"I have stripped off to expose the inaction of government on climate change," she said.

"We all need to take a stand for our planet and that starts at the polling booth on Saturday."

Ms Keecher was accompanied by Paul Wittwer and Kammy Cordner Hunt, who are Senate candidates for the Independents for Climate Action Now party.

Independents for Climate Action Now was registered in April, slightly more than a month ahead of Saturday’s election, as an alternative to the Greens.

– with AAP