Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten are both in Western Australia today ahead of their first debate, as a shock poll shows the race tightening even further.
Welcome to news.com.au's live, rolling coverage of the federal election. Our reporters are on the ground with the leaders and we'll bring you the latest throughout the day.
Live Updates
Reporter catches up with Barnaby
The Project's Hamish Macdonald has caught up with Barnaby Joyce outside a pre-polling station in Armidale to grill him about Watergate.
Macdonald revealed that during the interview Mr Joyce confirmed he used to work as an accountant for the prior owners of two properties at the centre of the controversial $80 million deal, before they were bought by Eastern Australia Agriculture.
Macdonald also asked Mr Joyce why the two properties were referred to as "shush properties".
"They were very, very, very private and I didn't have any dealings with it," Mr Joyce responded.
The Nationals MP reiterated that he'd never met the directors of Eastern Australian Agriculture and had no knowledge of the sale of anything to them.
Joyce was agriculture minister in 2017 when the government spent $80 million buying 28 gigalitres of water entitlements from Eastern Australia Agriculture relating to the two properties in southeast Queensland.
Concerns have been raised because it was one of the highest amounts paid for a water licence and was not part of an open tender process.
Mr Joyce has been under pressure over his involvement but said the deal was done at "arm's length" from himself and other ministers.
Scott Morrison is not the only politician who wears his faith on his sleeve.
Labor senator Kristina Keneally is also open about her strong Catholic faith and wrote a master's thesis in theology at the Catholic University of Dayton in Ohio.
Today she dusted off her Bible verses to hit back at the Prime Minister, suggesting he is a hypocrite for letting others see him praying in church.
The mistake Mr Morrison made was to make a subtle dig at Labor leader Bill Shorten's enthusiasm for jogging during an interview on Sunday.
Mr Morrison told ABC's Australia All Over program that he swims about a kilometre a day but said politicians should exercise out of the public eye. The comment was obviously aimed at Mr Shorten, who is regularly photographed in his joggers and even pounded the pavement with rugby league icon Johnathan Thurston.
Today Senator Keneally hit back against the comment in a tweet: "I'm just wondering if @ScottMorrisonMP, who criticises@billshortenmp for running in public view, has read Matthew 6:5-6: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them."
She followed up with another quote: "When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen."
Mr Morrison was filmed singing and praising God in his Pentecostal church, Horizon in the southern Sydney suburb of Sutherland.
I’m just wondering if @ScottMorrisonMP, who criticises @billshortenmp for running in public view, has read Matthew 6:5-6: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them.” #auspolpic.twitter.com/ZISj5VwRq5
“When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.” – From the Gospel according to Matthew, Chap 6, verses 5 &6
Looks like Fraser Anning is not the only senator unwilling to give up his position at this year's election.
Former army officer Jim Molan became a Liberal senator in 2017 after scoring a surprise ticket to parliament when Fiona Nash was found to be a dual citizen.
But this year he's again been placed back in an unwinnable position on the party's Senate ballot paper in NSW.
Instead of accepting his fate, Mr Molan has now mounted his own campaign to get people to vote for him below-the-line.
The tenacious senator has printed out his own How to Vote cards to, hoping to circumvent the Liberal Party's plans and get the 150,000 below-the-line votes he needs to get elected.
"If you vote above the line, I'm dead," Molan said in a tweet recently. "I've got a lot to offer the people of NSW and I want to continue doing so."
Two mobile billboard trucks hired by the Liberal Party in Canberra were vandalised on the weekend, with one of them smeared with faeces.
A bag of faeces was left on the truck bed and faeces was also smeared inside the door handle on the driver's side – which was discovered when an employee of the advertising company tried to open the door.
The other truck had the word "false" spray painted on it and the number plate was also sprayed.
Both trucks featured images of Labor leader Bill Shorten and Chief Minster Andrew Barr with the words "Labor will tax you to death". They had been parked near Ainslie football club where the Liberal Party held its ACT campaign launch on Sunday.
Big Impact Advertising managing director Tamar Bakr said he had run the mobile billboard business for 11 years and had hosted campaigns for Labor, Liberals and other business.
"In 11 years I have never seen a vandalism act to this disgusting degree," he told news.com.au. "This is a low act."
Mr Bakr said his employees had found the faeces on Sunday and he had to call extra people in to work to clean them up.
"It took four hours to get the truck back on the road this morning."
A Canberra Liberal spokeswoman said: "Those responsible for this abhorrent behaviour have no respect for their fellow Canberrans, no respect for the small business owner or truck drivers who are just doing their job".
Anthony Chisholm hits back at Clive Palmer
Labor Senator Anthony Chisholm has fired back at Clive Palmer's comments that Bill Shorten lied about preferences.
In a press statement, Mr Chisholm explained his side of the story and said he did not negotiate or offer anything to Mr Palmer. Interestingly it doesn't deny that he contacted Mr Palmer, suggesting that he was simply doing "due diligence". Here is the statement in full:
"Most Australians know that Clive Palmer is chaotic and dishonest, and his recent press statement was another example of that," Mr Chisholm said in the statement.
"In regards to the 2019 Federal election, I attempted to do due diligence on what the Palmer Party’s intentions were, as I have done in previous elections.
"In recent weeks I had two very brief phone conversations in an attempt to discover what role Mr Palmer would play in the Federal election.
"At no stage did I negotiate or offer Mr Palmer anything in regard to preferences.
"I was not authorised to offer anything and I didn’t.
"Bill Shorten has made it clear that no arrangements with Mr Palmer could be entertained while Queensland Nickel workers remained out of pocket, and I agree with Mr Shorten’s principled position.
"There is only one Party that has a deal in place with Mr Palmer and it is the Liberal National Party.
"That deal could see Mr Palmer, and his shambolic team, elected to the Senate and control the balance of power.
"Mr Morrison needs to explain how the chaos and dysfunction Mr Palmer would bring to the Senate is a good outcome for the Australian people.
"It’s clear that a vote for the LNP is a vote for Clive Palmer, and vice versa.
"Scott Morrison will bring the cuts, and Clive Palmer will bring the chaos."
Shorten's stumble could haunt him
Something Bill Shorten said during his press conference at a Perth childcare centre could come back to haunt him.
The Labor Leader was there to sell his promise to give subsidise childcare for parents and increase the wages of early childhood educators. He was asked whether workers in other industries deserved a similar boost.
“Mr Shorten, you promised a pay rise for childcare workers. Why not single out workers in other low paid industries to get a similar pay rise?And if not, could that open the floodgates for union claims for pay rises in other sectors?” asked Channel 7 reporter Olivia Leeming.
“We have picked childcare workers to go first,” Mr Shorten replied.
“I think this is a strategically important industry. We talk a lot about the national interest, but what could be more in the national interest than quality care and education of our zero to five-year-olds? That is pretty important.”
He brought up Emma, a worker he had met on his way into the childcare centre, who had 11 years’ experience in the industry.
“She has plenty of friends who come in with the best hopes in the world but the money’s so crap, the money’s so bad that they have to sacrifice their passion just to make ends meet. We’re going to change that,” Mr Shorten said.
“We have deliberately said that we think the early childcare educators is an area where the normal system’s not working.
“Childcare has a lot of government funding. So when the government funding is tight, there is simply no money for the wage rise.”
There are undoubtedly other industries where workers could use a hand from the government, but granting their wish would be expensive.
Labor has budgeted $537 million over four years of forward estimates for the childcare wage rise – but the change is being phased in over eight years, so we don’t actually know the full cost.
“You said before that childcare workers would be the first. Are we looking at a raft of almost unprecedented government intervention in getting wage rises? Will other industries expect it?” another reporter asked Mr Shorten.
“I don’t mind repeating what I said earlier, because it is an important point,” he said.
“No, I don’t see this as being economy-wide, this approach. At all. But I do accept that in certain sectors of the economy, we have a wages problem, don’t we?
“And I put it to you – childcare educators, there’s only four things that could be done. One, they just never get a pay rise. Two, we ask the parents to pay a lot more. Three, we just ask all the operators to increase their costs and not pass it on to anyone. Or four, the government assists, provides money to the sector so workers can get better wages.
“This is a problem everyone acknowledges. All of us agree that childcare wages are too low.
“If we know there’s a problem, it’s then a matter of choices, and that’s what this election is about.”
Scott Morrison has already pounced on Mr Shorten’s comments.
“What about people in the retail industry? What about people who are hairdressers? Is he going to subsidise their wages too?” the Prime Minister said at his own media conference.
Expect that line of questioning to pop up again.
ScoMo's gag falls flat
Scott Morrison has dodged rain drops and childcare questions while visiting a ship building yard in Perth this morning.
Grey skies loomed as the Prime Minister toured Civmec’s ship building facilities in Henderson – in Labor MP Josh Wilson’s seat of Fremantle – as part of today’s announcement that he’ll commit to building three new vessels if re-elected.
Hundreds of hi-vis clad workers gathered around the industrial site as Mr Morrison whirled through, asking random employees how long they’ve worked at the facility.
The response from workers ranged from unenthused to confused, as the PM was ushered around.
“Don’t really care. At least we get 15 minutes off work,” one worker shrugged about the appearance.
“Where’s he goin’?! Our smoko shed?!,” another exclaimed as ScoMo neared the sacred grounds.
Fortunately, he did not enter.
Rain began to fall when Mr Morrison started getting pelted with questions about childcare, which he declined to immediately answer.
Eventually pressed on whether he’ll match Bill Shorten’s $4 billion pledge, he said: “I’m not going to engage in Bill Shorten’s spend-a-thon.”
He added: “Bill Shorten is spending like there’s no tomorrow!”
He also stumbled through what he hoped would be a timely gag about the Opposition leader, who spent the morning across town reading the The Very Hungry Caterpillar to kids at a childcare facility.
“Bill Shorten is going to be a very hungry caterpillar chomping into your wallet,” he proudly declared.
It wasn’t the rain that put a dampener on the gag.
The surreal nature of campaigning
Nothing encapsulates the unparalleled weirdness of an election campaign quite like a visit to a childcare centre.
Bill Shorten showed up at Goodstart Early Learning in the Perth suburb Nollamara this morning.
It’s obvious why political leaders – all of them – do events like this. They get to pose for cute photos with young children, which can make them look like actual, normal human beings instead of unfeeling, slogan-spouting robots.
But those photos, and the video footage, don’t quite show the insanity of the whole exercise.
On the 6pm news tonight you’ll see Mr Shorten sitting on a couch, surrounded by adorable kids, reading the undisputed king of classic childhood literature, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
You’ll catch only a glimpse of the pack of 30 reporters, cameramen and political staffers crowded around them like parents fighting over the last imitation Acapulco egg chair at Kmart. Every time a child threatens to do something cute, the pack pounces.
A girl hugs Mr Shorten and there’s a blinding flash as every camera in the room clicks. A young boy gets up on his knees to point at the book, and everyone scurries to get the best angle. I know this, because I was one of them. Here, witness the fruits of my labour.
The most incredible part of these events, however, is how utterly unfazed the children are. A total stranger has walked into their midst to read them a story for five minutes. He’s followed by dozens of other strangers, who point incessantly flashing cameras and microphones at them as though they’re on the Oscars red carpet.
When the stranger is done reading, he immediately leaves. And none of the kids seem to think anything out of the ordinary is happening. It really gives you a new appreciation for how chill children can be.
Clive Palmer drops bomb on Shorten
Clive Palmer has held an explosive press conference in Brisbane, outlining alleged extensive discussions with the Labor Party over preferences.
If true, it contradicts repeated staunch denials from Bill Shorten that he or any officials made serious approaches to the United Australia Party.
Mr Palmer slammed the Opposition Leader, describing him as a "liar" who lacks "the moral character to be Prime Minister".
The Queensland mining magnate confirmed UAP preferences would go to the Liberal Party, but said Labor was just as keen for them.
Mr Shorten and frontbencher Anthony Albanese launched an attack last week on Scott Morrison's arrangement with Mr Palmer.
Mr Albanese even described the UAP leader as "a tosser".
Mr Shorten has been particularly critical of the PM getting into bed with someone who has not paid millions in owed entitlements to workers at his collapsed Queensland Nickel refinery.
But Mr Palmer claims he spoke to Labor senator Anthony Chisholm on several occasions in recent months.
"Last week, I received a phone call from him … he said he was with someone named Bill. He asked me if it was possible to get UAP preferences," he claims.
It followed a phone call from Senator Chisholm a week after the Budget, when the pair spoke in the Parliament, he claims.
Mr Palmer says Senator Chisholm sat next to him on Budget night and asked “when we were going to get together to discuss preferences in the 2019 federal election".
He received a phone call a week later and they agreed to meet.
It followed a lunch in Brisbane earlier this year with "a former Labor minister" who encouraged Mr Palmer to meet Senator Chisholm.
Mr Palmer said he was open to negotiations with all parties until last week when Mr Shorten began attacking UAP's discussions with the Liberal Party in the media.
"I realised Bill Shorten was lying to the Australian people," Mr Palmer said.
He wanted nothing more to do with Labor, believing "they were two-faced liars".
"He’s unfit to be Prime Minister of Australia," Mr Palmer said of Mr Shorten.
"What bothers me about the Labor Party is their willingness to lie repeatedly. It’s certainly not the quality of an individual you want to be the Prime Minister," he said.
"Shorten’s repeated lies about preferences confirmed my judgement that he’s not morally fit to be Prime Minister."
Labor has sought to play down reports about its politicians making approaches to the UAP.
In addition to Senator Chisholm's interactions, it has also been revealed that New South Wales senator Deborah O'Neill had contact with a UAP official.
Earlier today on Sky News, Mr Albanese brushed off claims about Senator Chisholm's interactions with Mr Palmer.
He characterised him as a "senator from Queensland". This disregards his power within the Labor Party.
Senator Chisholm was the Queensland secretary of the party and ran the 2015 state election campaign.
He was elected to the Senate in 2016.
News.com.au has approached the Labor campaign for comment.
Labor candidate's lizard overlords theory
A Labor candidate should be dumped for bizarre and anti-Semitic posts on social media, Bill Shorten has said.
Wayne Kurnoth, the party's number two pick for the Senate in the Northern Territory, shared a conspiracy theory on Facebook claiming that the world is run a Jewish society of shape-shifting lizard beings.
Seriously.
He linked to a video from British figure David Icke that centres on the controversial academic's belief that an inter-dimensional race of huge Jewish lizards has taken over Earth.
These evil aliens are preventing humanity from realising its true potential, apparently.
According to Icke, the world's most powerful people – from American presidents to British royalty – are descendants of the reptiles.
Speaking to the media in Perth about the posts, which were exposed by The Australian newspaper today, Mr Shorten defended Labor's pre-selection procedures, which failed to identify the odd posts.
"I don’t think he should be our candidate anymore," Mr Shorten said.
Today's revelations come just days after Mr Kurnoth was forced to apologise for posting an Islamic State-inspired cartoon that depicted former PM Malcolm Turnbull beheading ABC journalist Emma Alberici.
"I understand it’s in train for him to step down," Mr Shorten said today.
Icke is a notorious conspiracy theorist who subscribes to a range of views, which he shares online and at seminars held around the world.
Labor previously campaigned to block him from entering Australia for a speaking tour.
Among his beliefs is that the September 11 terrorist attacks were an inside job, presumably carried out by the lizards.
The moon is also a hollow alien military base… or something.
