Federal election: Dan Andrews steals Anthony Albanese's spotlight at press conference

In a delightfully awkward campaign trail moment today, everyone seemed to temporarily forget who was actually the opposition leader.

Anthony Albanese was left lurking in the background while Daniel Andrews took centre stage at today's press conference.

Welcome to another day of live election campaign coverage.

Scott Morrison has once again backed his controversial candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, during one of his most sustained grillings of the campaign.

In a frequently combative press conference, the Prime Minister was also asked whether he was a "buffoon" for calling the NSW anti-corruption body a "kangaroo court".

Anthony Albanese was in Victoria this morning to spruik more than $2 billion in funding for the Suburban Rail Loop. Mr Morrison has accused him of being a "pushover" who will "throw money" at Labor state governments - a claim that set off Premier Daniel Andrews' temper today.

And though it feels as though we just had a debate, another one is looming tomorrow night, so Scott Morrison and Mr Albanese will be sharpening their arguments ahead of that.

Read on for the latest updates.

Live Updates

3:21 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

Moment Andrews stole Albo's spotlight

Sam Clench

We covered the substance of Daniel Andrews' rant about Scott Morrison and the federal government earlier, but I neglected to mention the amusing spectacle of him stealing the spotlight from Anthony Albanese.

There was a period of about three minutes during their joint press conference where Mr Andrews was the centre of attention, and everyone seemed to forget the federal Labor leader existed.

A reporter asked the Premier about Scott Morrison's assertion that Mr Albanese would be a "pushover" for Labor state governments. Mr Andrews didn't think much of that – see the earlier post for his full remarks.

As he delivered those remarks, Mr Albanese didn't seem to know quite where to stand behind him. First he had a drink of water. Then he took to hovering over Mr Andrews' left shoulder, barely visible.

Then, as the Premier wrapped up his answer, Mr Albanese shifted behind him, moving to his right shoulder in anticipation of reclaiming the front-and-centre position. But another journalist piped up with a question for Mr Andrews, asking about the Liberals' assertion that he was a "drag" on federal Labor's vote.

Mr Albanese awkwardly receded to his previous position.

"This is the thing about the federal Liberal Party. They say lots of things and they do very little. They do very little. If only their talk mattered. If only the pure politics of these people mattered," he said.

"When Victorians were at their darkest time, senior federal Liberals proved to be Liberals first and Victorians second. They thought they were bagging our government – they were bagging every Victorian who was following the rules and doing the right thing. And that might be one of the reasons why they're in a bit of trouble in their seats."

(Side note: the whole "if you criticise me you're actually criticising regular Australians" thing is tiresome when Scott Morrison does it, and it's equally tiresome when Dan Andrews does it.)

"At the end of the day, this is Albo's press conference, and back to him!" Mr Andrews finished.

Everyone laughed at that, just a little bit too much. Imagine a wedding where the best man has just given a 20-minute speech being funnier and more impressive than the groom. "At the end of the day, this is Albo's wedding, and back to him!" That kind of vibe.

2:24 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

PM quizzed on Afghan refugees

Sam Clench

During a campaign stop in Sydney, Scott Morrison was asked about his support for Afghan asylum seekers.

As SBS reporter Shuba Krishnan notes, the government has set aside about 30,000 places in the humanitarian intake for Afghan refugees and their families. There are more than 150,000 applications.

1/2 The PM has been confronted for the second time during the campaign over Afghan refugees. Omid Ahmadi asked for more help to get Afghans to Australia. Scott Morrison told him “16,500 extra are going to be taken, on top of the normal intake”. @SBSNews #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/eBSr7tvVRV

— Shuba Krishnan (@ShubaSKrishnan) May 10, 2022

1:46 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

'Not rocket science': Labor on aged care crisis

Sam Clench

Let's backtrack again to Jason Clare's interview on Sunrise this morning. Host David Koch asked him about aged care.

"Workers in two states walking off the job today, demanding better conditions. I noticed the National Seniors Association has come out supporting the aged care workers. What's Labor going to do in this area to fix it?" Koch asked.

"Can you think of a worker in Australia that's doing a job that's more important and that's paid less in Australia at the moment, than people in aged care?" Mr Clare said.

"You know, the stories in the papers today tell stories of people doing double shifts, being paid bugger all, and that's part of the problem here. We need to make sure our aged care workers are paid better, otherwise they're going to continue to leave. If you're watching the program today, and you've got mum and dad on the verge of going into aged care, you'd be terrified at the moment with all the stories about maggots in wounds, or people being left in soiled clothes or basically being starved to death.

"I had someone contact my office last month, her mum fell out of a chair at aged care, she had a stroke, there was no one there in the room and so she was left to suffer, taken to hospital the next day and she died there. It seriously is a crisis."

"How do you fix it?" Koch pressed.

"It's not rocket science though. We've got a Royal Commission report. It was titled ‘Neglect’. It said this is the problem and these are the things you need to do to fix it," said Mr Clare.

"You know, it's not free. But do we want to live in a society where we let our older Australians die in neglect? And that’s what's happening at the moment."

12:49 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

Albanese supports 5.1 per cent wage rise

Sam Clench

During his media conference earlier, Anthony Albanese said he "absolutely" supported a wage rise of 5.1 per cent to keep up with the rate of inflation.

"I believe the minimum wage should at least keep up with the cost of living," Mr Albanese said.

"We think no one should go backwards. People should at least be keeping up with the cost of living.

"Does that mean you'd support a rate hike of 5.1 per cent to at least keep up with inflation?" a journalist asked him.

"Absolutey," he replied.

This followed an earlier, vaguer remark on ABC radio.

"I've said that the Fair Work Commission, in my view, should not allow people to go backwards when people are really struggling, and the idea that the minimum wage can't keep up with the cost of living in terms of inflation, in my view, is something that the Fair Work Commission should bear in mind," he said.

12:37 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

Alan Tudge found at last

Sam Clench

Sky News has managed to find Alan Tudge, the stood-down Education Minister, campaigning in his own electorate.

Mr Tudge confirmed he will return to that role after the election, should the Coalition win. He also offered no new information about the payout of more than $500,000 to his former staffer and lover, Rachelle Miller, from the Department of Finance.

"As the Prime Minister said, he's unaware, I'm unaware. It's a matter for the Department of Finance," he told Sky.

"If you've been cleared of the allegations though, why would they be organising a half-million dollar payout?" the reporter asked.

"I'm not aware of any of those things, I have no information," he protested.

"I haven't been called as a witness. I haven't been asked to provide evidence. And as the Prime Minister said, if it involved me, he would have been made aware, and he hasn't been made aware."

12:35 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

'How are you helping?': PM stopped at event

Ally Foster

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was stopped just as he was making his way out of an event in Western Sydney, with a member of the public asking about his plan to help women in the workforce.

Mr Morrison was being ushered out after a whirlwind visit to the Western Sydney Jobs Fair when a woman emerged from the crowd and posed an important question to the PM.

"Women in non-traditional trade, how are you helping them?" she asked.

Mr Morrison gladly stopped and revealed he had announced $30 million today as part of the government's skills program, along with an additional $10 million to support "digital and manufacturing jobs for women".

"The gender pay gap now has come down from 17.4 per cent when we were first elected to 13.8 per cent," Mr Morrison said.

"But there is still a pay gap," the women countered.

"Of course there is," the PM responded, adding: "We are working on it".

During his visit, Mr Morrison stopped at multiple stalls, speaking to the public about job creation and his plan for a strong economy.

He posed for selfies with attendees, with an excited group forming around him as he made his way through the event.

"It's ScoMo! It's ScoMo!" one attendee was heard saying to a friend.

"Let's stand here so we can get a photo," another person said.

However, there were some who were less than impressed with the tornado-effect caused by the PM's presence.

"It's like a stampede!" one person complained.

"Sorry, I'm distracted by the media storm behind us," a volunteer at the event said.

One man simply said "goodness gracious" as he attempted to weave his way out of the crowd.

12:21 pm May 10, 2022 Highlight

Election result may be delayed by weeks

Sam Clench

I meant to write a post on this hours ago, but then the flurry of press conferences happened. So let's return to it now.

There has been a surge in Australians applying for postal votes, compared to the last election. And that could cause something all election watchers dread: a long delay in tallying the results.

Why? Because the postal votes won't be counted on election night. They can actually be received up to 13 days after the election date.

Evan Ekin-Smyth, from the AEC, told The Guardian he expected "something like 1.7 million to 1.8 million" postal vote applications in this election, up from a total of 1.5 million last time.

While that isn't a "remarkable" difference, it could conceivably cause problems.

"Any additional votes in envelopes is tricky," Mr Ekin-Smyth said.

"We don't count any postal votes on the night. And if you have some close seats, you've got less votes counted, you're less likely to get an indication on them."

If you do want to vote by mail, incidentally, you have until May 18 to apply online.

The AEC's stance is that you should vote on the day if you can. If you can't, early voting is now available. And if you can't make use of early voting, that is when you should resort to a postal vote.

The crux of the issue here is this: if the election isn't close, no dramas. The postal votes will trickle in gradually, as they always do, and we'll probably have to wait for official results in a handful of seats.

If it is close, things get dicey, because the question of who forms government may hinge on seats where the result isn't known for days – or even weeks.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, ANU Professor John Warhurst said the high number of seats being contested by independent candidates could lead to more close contests, increasing the risk of a delayed election result.

"The combination of a very large number of postal votes, plus more seats being in contention, means if we're looking at the possibility of a hung parliament, that it's certainly the case that we may not know for several weeks," Prof Warhurst said.

Dr Stewart Jackson, a lecturer in politics at Sydney University, concurred.

"If it's genuinely 50/50 and we're waiting on postals for Wentworth, North Sydney and Kooyong, then yes, we'll be sitting there for two weeks wondering what's going to happen."

Isn't that a delightful prospect.

11:43 am May 10, 2022 Highlight

Falling support among women plagues PM

Sam Clench

The latest figures from news.com.au's State of the Nation survey show support for Labor is growing, and the women's vote may end up making Anthony Albanese prime minister.

Just 22 per cent of women said they intended to vote for the Coalition, compared to 31 per cent for Labor. Those figures were much closer – 25 and 27 per cent, respectively – before the last election.

The Coalition's large advantage among men also appears to have narrowed, with 30 per cent now backing the government and 28 per cent supporting Labor. Last time those numbers were 35 and 26.

There's all sorts of data from the survey to run through – you can read all about it here. You'll also find a breakdown of the two major parties' positions on key policies.

11:32 am May 10, 2022 Highlight

NT Chief Minister suddenly resigns

Sam Clench

This isn't federal election-related but the Northern Territory's Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, has resigned effective immediately.

Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison will take over for now.

At the end of April, Mr Gunner announced the birth of his second child, a boy named Nash. That appears to have changed his priorities.

"The birth of our second child the week before last confirmed something for me: my head and my heart are no longer here. They are at home," he told the territory's parliament a short time ago.

"I have grappled with this decision for some weeks, but welcoming little Nash into the world sealed the deal.

"There is never a perfect time to step back, to give others a go, but for me and for my family, this feels like the right time."

Hello Nash!

You think you remember all the love and joy from first time round – then bam – totally overwhelmed.

Nash Michael Huckleberry Gunner born happy healthy 3.8kgs 48 cm. Mum well. Nash well. Hudson being the best big brother you could wish for. pic.twitter.com/jSbxXx9oQP

— Michael Gunner (@fanniebay) May 1, 2022

10:55 am May 10, 2022 Highlight

PM appears to be blindsided during Deves grilling

Ally Foster

Just returning to the Prime Minister's press conference for a moment.

Scott Morrison appeared to be momentarily blindsided during that grilling about Warringah candidate Katherine Deves.

Right off the bat, Mr Morrison was asked whether he still stood by Ms Deves, given she'd walked back her previous apology for saying trans people were "surgically mutilated" (she insisted that was the "correct terminology" during an interview with Sky News yesterday).

The Prime Minister said the issue of transgender reassignment surgery in "young adolescents" was an incredibly sensitive topic.

"What we're talking about is gender reversal surgery for young adolescents. And we can't pretend that this is not a very significant, serious issue. It is. It's complicated," Mr Morrison said.

"The issues that have to be considered, first and foremost, are the welfare of the adolescent child and their parents. We can't pretend that this type of surgery is some minor procedure. This is a very significant change to a young person's life, and it is often irreversible.

"It's a troubling issue. And for us to pretend that it's a minor procedure – it's not. It is extremely significant, and it changes that young adolescent child's life forever."

Mr Morrison then appeared to be taken aback when a reporter pointed out that only people aged 18 and over can have gender reassignment surgery in Australia, meaning "young adolescent children" can't even undergo the procedure Ms Deves is so vehemently against.

The Prime Minister pivoted quickly, saying: "Even at any other stage, this is a serious change. It is an irreversible change."

His language noticeably changed as he continued to address questions about Ms Deves, with the emphasis on "young adolescents" vanishing.

"Children in Australia under 18 can't undergo gender reassignment surgery in Australia. So how are your comments relevant?" one reporter asked him.

"You will also understand that this process can begin in adolescence," he said.

"You would know that the process of discussions about gender and gender reassignment – the surgical procedure can't, but the process by which these discussions commence and when issues of gender are being discussed with adolescents, that's when a process can commence.

"And those are issues that I have no doubt Australians are very concerned about. parents are very concerned about it."