Federal Election campaign: Day three

Peter Dutton has admitted he regrets the comment he made about his Labor rival, but doesn’t think it will affect his re-election chances.

Peter Dutton has said “yes” he does regret his comments about Ali France but doesn’t think it will impact his re-election.

The Home Affairs Minister and MP for the marginal Queensland seat of Dickson sparked controversy when he accused his Labor rival of “using her disability as an excuse” not to move into the electorate.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he thought Mr Dutton’s comments were taken out of context but the minister later doubled down his remarks, saying “I lot of people have raised this with me”.

After coming under fire from Labor senator Kristina Keneally, who called Mr Dutton “mean and despicable” and a “thug”, Mr Dutton tweeted an apology to Ms France.

“I apologise to Ms France for my comments yesterday. My argument with the Labor candidate is about how our respective policies would affect the people of Dickson,” he posted.

When Mr Dutton was asked about his comments today at a Liberal National Party campaign rally held at the Brisbane Showgrounds, he said that “yes” he did regret them.

“I made comment yesterday obviously in relation to it, I regret having said the words I said,” Mr Dutton told reporters.

“Now the focus, as the prime minister said, in this campaign is making sure we can manage the economy well and pay for the services we need.”

Ms France, who had her leg amputated after she was hit by a car protecting her child in 2011, said she had been unable to find an accessible home in Dickson but would buy a house and modify it if she won.

But Mr Dutton said voters in his seat were angry that Ms France was using her disability as an “excuse” for not moving into the electorate.

Asked whether the comments had hurt his chances of re-election in Dickson, which he holds with a 1.6 per cent margin, Mr Dutton said: “No.”

“My focus is always been on what’s best for the local area, that’s why I’ve been so passionate about making sure we can deliver.”

Peter Dutton.

Ali France.

PM’S PITCH TO YOUNG VOTERS

The AC/DC song Back in Black blasted as the Prime Minister arrived at a Liberal National Party rally in Brisbane to chants of “ScoMo, ScoMo”.

About 150 people gathered at the Brisbane Showground on Sunday afternoon to support the party with guests including ministers Peter Dutton, Michaelia Cash, Josh Frydenberg, Karen Andrews and Mathias Cormann.

Taking to the stage, Mr Morrison preached about the importance of supporting young people and shared a story about his parents, who ran boys and girls brigades for 45 years.

“They invested themselves in the youth in their community,” he said.

“In my view I’m honouring their mission for young people.”

Scott Morrison addresses the crowd at Brisbane Showground. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

He said one of his proudest achievements was the 100,000 young Australians who got a job last year.

“Jobs change lives, jobs change communities, jobs change nations,” he said.

“So if you want to ask me what this election is about, it’s about jobs because people matter.”

The Coalition has pledged to create 250,000 extra jobs for young Australians over the next five years. This will make up one in five of the 1.25 million jobs it wants to create in Australia.

On Sunday it announced it would spend $58 million on helping young people to do vocational training. This includes 400 Vocational Eduation and Training (VET) scholarships worth $17,500 each for youth living in 10 regional areas. Priority will also be given to those who have recently left the Australian Defence Force, indigenous young Australians, those with a disability and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The government has said it will establish 10 industry training hubs in regional areas of high youth unemployment, where the scholarships would be available. The hubs will be located in Grafton and Gosford in NSW; Alice Springs in the NT; Maryborough and Townsville in Queensland; Port Pirie in South Australia; Burnie in Tasmania; Shepparton in Victoria; and Wanneroo and Armadale in WA.

Mr Morrison said young people were facing many pressures today.

“We’ll be reaching out to young people to ensure they know this very important fact, that they are not alone, that Australia loves and cares for its young people,” he said.

“They deserve not to have the legacy of debt, they deserve not to have our generation spend their future on our standard of living.”

But he said they also deserved not to be burdened with higher taxes or lost opportunities because of an economy that was weighed down.

“They deserve to have hope,” he said.

Mr Morrison acknowledged that young people also deserved to know there was a focus on issues that concern them.

“Of course we have to take action of climate change and we are taking action on climate change,” he said.

SHORTEN TAKES BATTLE TO PM IN SYDNEY

Bill Shorten focused much of his speech in Sydney today on health, promising $40 million in new training programs and scholarships for carers, and spruiking Labor’s cancer policies.

“Your tests and scans and ultrasounds and MRIs will be covered by Medicare. Your appointments with specialists, your chemo, your radiation therapy, will be covered by Medicare.

“If you are in the fight of your life, if someone you love is in the fight of their life, it should not matter whether you live in the city or the bush. Your postcode should not matter.

“Under Labor there is only one thing that matters, only one thing you will need - your Medicare card.”

It has been a fairly chill weekend for Mr Shorten so far.

The Labor leader visited the NSW Central Coast yesterday and faced his first town hall with voters, then made an appearance at the Royal Easter Show.

RELATED: The ‘gift’ that Bill Shorten wants to take away

Bill probably already that these people voting for him already to be fair.

Today he addressed a rally of Labor supporters in the marginal Sydney seat of Reid.

He also announced a plan to revive the “slip, slop, slap” awareness campaign on skin cancer - and demonstrated his own unusual method for applying sunscreen. You can watch it in this video.

.@billshortenmp has announced Labor will join forces with @CancerCouncilOz to launch 'Slip, Slop, Slap 2.0', while @KKeneally has lashed out at @PeterDutton_MP over disability comments he made about his Labor opponent in Dickson.

MORE: https://t.co/dMV3ndeQ0o #SkyNewsNational pic.twitter.com/YwgrcvrxEz

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 13, 2019

The party’s candidate for the seat, Sam Crosby, kicked off the rally with a cheeky dig at Scott Morrison’s awkward moment on the campaign trail yesterday, where he greeted an Australian-Korean woman with “ni hao”, which means “hello” in Mandarin.

“Friends, welcome to Burwood. Welcome to Reid. Or as the Prime Minister likes to say, ni hao!” Mr Crosby joked.

It drew an easy laugh from the friendly crowd.

“If we’re going to win this seat, it will only be as a result of your hard work. You are the lifeblood of our great party,” Mr Crosby told the volunteers.

He opened up about his childhood, revealing he had been “functionally illiterate” at the age of eight. Teachers told Mr Crosby’s parents he was “nice, but slow”.

His mother did not accept that, and it eventually emerged that he was dyslexic.

“I was lucky. I had a great mum - I have a great mum. Hi mum. But I was also fortunate enough to have a family who could provide that early care,” Mr Crosby said.

“There are tens of thousands of students out there every day who are not getting that.”

Mr Crosby was followed on stage by Tanya Plibersek, who ripped into “pea-hearted Peter Dutton” over his attack on Labor’s candidate in Dickson, Ali France.

“The dial on the scare campaign has been dialled up to 11,” Ms Plibersek said.

“What we are getting from the Liberals is lie after lie after lie. Labor doesn’t need a campaign of lies because the truth is scary enough.”

In a brutal dig at Mr Morrison, she said she would “take a union leader over a failed ad man every time”.

Bill and Chloe Shorten then entered the room to a standing ovation and chants of “Bill! Bill! Bill!”.

Mr Shorten was last in Reid just two days ago, strolling around the Sydney Markets and meeting voters. His movements are a sure sign that Labor believes it can take the seat from the Liberals at the election.

Its current MP, Turnbull loyalist Craig Laundy, is retiring, and Scott Morrison’s efforts to recruit a high profile replacement fell flat. Former NSW Police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas and broadcaster Stan Grant both rebuffed him.

Mr Morrison was playing defence in Reid yesterday. He visited Strathfield to announce $42 million in funding for mental health research, stroll around the streets meeting locals, and make dumplings.

Maybe @TonyAbbottMHR is on to something here... @onionsaust, what do you reckon? pic.twitter.com/5Q3PUHjwh8

— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) April 13, 2019

MINISTER’S BIZARRE ONION BITE

Tony Abbott eat your heart (onion) out.

Resources Minister Matt Canavan has tweeted a video of himself taking a big old bite out of an onion in something not seen since Mr Abbott’s odd onion-bite in 2015.

And his verdict?

“Not as bad as I thought,” he said.

MINISTER’S AWKWARD SKY INTERVIEW

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann faced a grilling on Sky News about proposed tax cuts to high income earners.

Speaking to host David Speers, Mr Cormann was asked how much high income earners would save in tax cuts over long-term changes proposed to the tax system under the Coalition.

“How much of that $230 billion in future tax cuts is actually going to those in the highest income bracket?” Speers asked.

Mr Cormann replied: “Well we’ve got a seven-year plan to provide tax relief to hard working families and it has prioritised low and middle income earners.”

But the Coalition plan would also include tax cuts to those earning more than $180,000 within five years, something Labor has said it won’t do.

Mr Cormann continued: “You ask a question about whether the tax system, effectively asking me if the tax system remains progressive.”

Speers quickly jumped in saying “No I’m not, I’m asking how much of your tax cuts...” before being cut off by Mr Cormann.

No I’m not.

Cormann.

“I’m asking...I’m asking,” Speers continued to try and the minister.

“How much of your tax cuts go to those in the highest income bracket, those earning more than $180,000 a year?”

Mr Cormann replied: “Let me tell you what the answer is, the top 20 per cent income earners continue to pay 60 per cent of all income tax revenue once our plan is fully legislated.

“The top 5 per cent of income earners continue to pay a third.”

Again Speers asked for a figure and Mr Cormann repeated his statement about the top 20 per cent of earners.

“What tax cut are you giving them in dollar terms?” Speers asked.

“Well in dollar terms I’m happy obviously to provide you with further detail,” he said without providing it.

Speers asked Mr Cormann asked if figures from the left-leaning Australia Institute that $77 billion of tax cuts would benefit those earning more than $180,000.

“I don’t accept that figure,” he said.

.@David_Speers: The Australia Institute says you’re giving $77b in tax cuts to those earning more than $180,000 a year. @MathiasCormann: I don’t accept that figure.

MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #speers pic.twitter.com/JTbIJpygDx

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 13, 2019

‘EVERYONE COME AND GET YOUR SPICY GRILLED WRAPS’

The Prime Minister was eager to sell his government’s message this morning but some market stallholders were more interested in spruiking their own products.

As Scott Morrison shook hands with stallholders at Redcliffe markets and stopped to take a photo with volunteers at Liberal MP Luke Howarth’s booth, one entrepreneurial lady took her chance to call out: “Everyone come and get your spicy grilled wraps”.

Another woman handed his wife Jenny a small pair of Happy Pants, while another took the opportunity to give her some lip products.

Mr Morrison also patted several dogs during his streetwalk in the marginal electorate of Petrie, although not all of them took to the PM. One huge “68kg” St Bernaud named “Mouse” cowered under a clothing rack as the PM tried to pat him.

Another cheeky resident wished the PM well before appearing to make some references to drug use, saying “pull the tac” and then “bong on”.

Earlier Mr Morrison had breakfast with participants of the PaTH program that helps get young people into work by providing them with short internships.

Afterwards he took a street walk around the markets and met Redcliffe residents like Margaret Weiks. She told reporters she had previously voted for Labor but had changed at the last election, voting instead for the LNP’s Luke Howarth.

“Bill Shorten as far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t think before he opens his mouth and all these little electric cars, come on, fair crack of the sav here, bloody electric cars, why don’t you fix the roads? What are they going to do? You get out on a road especially going out back, I mean central western Queensland, where is electricity going to be run there? What are they going to plug it into a bloody gumtree?

“Why don’t they fix the hospitals? A life is more important than an electric car I thought?”

Ms Weiks, a retired aged care worker, said her priorities were aged care, hospital funding and childcare but she didn’t believe Mr Shorten’s promises about hospital funding.

The 69-year-old said she had been a lifetime Labor voter and had lived in the area for 50 years.

She said she thought Mr Morrison seemed like a “good man” and would vote for Liberal MP Luke Howarth, even if One Nation ran a candidate.

The PM at Redcliffe markets.