Federal election live, Sunday May 12: Coalition launches its campaign
Victorians were in stitches yesterday after Bill Shorten pounced on something said by the government — and brutally turned it against them.
- Labor will match Government’s first home buyer scheme
- Labor promises to review Newstart
- Shorten’s ‘African gangs’ dig at Peter Dutton
- Best moments from ScoMo’s campaign launch
- Front row missing former PMs
- ‘Just let us get on and do it’: ScoMo’s dig at Victorian government
- Morrison ‘on a mission’ to fund youth mental health
- First homebuyers promised big things
- ‘If you can’t manage money, you can’t run the country’
- ScoMo’s ‘unromantic’ marriage proposal
- Treasurer Josh Frydenberg a hit at Coalition campaign launch
- Shorten ‘doesn’t care’ about regional Australia
- Lib candidate sings the National Anthem
- Sarah Henderson kicks off the Coalition campaign launch
- Environment Minister Melissa Price plays ‘Where’s Wally’
- ScoMo launches a “cause close to (his) heart”
- Adani protesters storm Coalition campaign launch
- Coalition launches its campaign
Live: Federal Election
Welcome to news.com.au’s live blog of the federal election campaign.
The countdown to polling day is well and truly on now. We’re less than a week from the end and you can expect to see that urgency reflected in each leaders’ campaigning as they ramp up the pitches and promises. We’ll bring you live updates throughout the day.
3:30pm
Labor will match Government’s first home buyer scheme
Hours after the Government announced it would give first homebuyers a huge leg-up to enter the property market, the Opposition has agreed to match the policy.
Speaking at the Coalition’s campaign launch today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said young voters were struggling to break into the property market.
“We need to go further. It’s hard to save for a deposit. Especially with the banks pulling back and larger deposits of 20 per cent now being standard,” he said.
“It is not getting easier. We want to help make the dreams of first homebuyers a reality. So we have decided to go further at this election.”
The policy will allow allow first homebuyers below a certain income threshold — $125,000 for singles, $200,000 for couples — to secure a home loan with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent.
In a statement this afternoon, Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen promised Labor would match the five per cent commitment.
“After six years of failure, and six days before an election, the Liberals are desperately trying to tell young Australians they understand their struggles to buy their first home,” Mr Bowen said.
“First home buyers know the Liberals are out of touch and only for the top end of town. We back genuine support for first home buyers — that’s why we are also reforming negative gearing for future purchases, so young Australians don’t have to keeping losing out to wealthy property speculators.
“We can afford to deliver a fair go for all Australians and reverse the Liberals’ cuts, because we are closing down loopholes for the top end of town.
“Morrison will keep spending billions of dollars on loopholes for wealthy investors to buy their sixth or seventh house.”
Mr Morrison declared earlier today the policy would help first homebuyers enter the market in less than half the time it normally takes.
“This will make a big difference, cutting the time taken to save for a deposit by at least half,” Mr Morrison said.
2:30pm
Labor promises to review Newstart
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said a Labor government will review Newstart payments along side other benefits linked to the dole and as such is unable to put a figure on what that will mean for the budget.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg again attacked Labor’s campaign costings that were released on Friday because it did not include items such as a likely increase to Newstart.
“We’re going to review Newstart, but we also have to see in the review, the whole network,” Mr Shorten told ABC’s Insiders this morning.
“There are other benefits that people receive. We want to see exactly what is the best way to deliver unemployment support to encourage people back into work. I’m not going to pre-empt that.”
Mr Frydenberg said his government will not be increasing Newstart.
“We have made it very clear what is going to be increased in our budget,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“Labor have given false hope to people by not providing the detail and the funding in their costings.”
Mr Shorten also confirmed a Labor government would not go beyond the childcare sector in providing a direct increase to their wages.
However, he reiterated Labor would restore penalty rates for those in the retail, hospitality and pharmacy sectors and where workers have seen their wages cut by $60 or $80 a week.
“I’ll see all of the low-paid workers, who (Prime Minister Scott) Morrison wouldn’t know if he tripped over them, I’m going to make sure that they get their penalty rates back,” Mr Shorten said.
He said his party will also treat women equally and make it easier to run pay equity cases.
It will also clamp down on “dodgy” labour hire and make sure that there’s less sham contracting where workers are brought in from overseas to undercut the local labour market.
1:30pm
Shorten’s ‘African gangs’ dig at Peter Dutton
Labor leader Bill Shorten has chided Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton who said last year Victorians were scared to go out to dinner because of African gangs.
“I am reliably informed that tens of thousands of Melburnians were too scared to go out to dinner last night — in case they ran into Peter Dutton,” he said.
He also gave the coalition frontbench a whack for their absence during the campaign, zeroing in on Environment Minister Melissa Price.
“With six days days to go, there is more chance of the Tasmanian tiger holding a press conference than the current minister for the environment,” Mr Shorten said.
He had the crowd laughing when he compared Labor’s choice for deputy prime minister Tanya Plibersek with Nationals leader Michael McCormack.
Mr Shorten also announced a rail loop linking Melbourne’s suburbs will get a $10 billion injection from an elected Labor government, as the Opposition Leader hones in on Victoria in the final week of the campaign.
Federal Labor will chip in for the $50 billion Suburban Rail Loop, a 90 kilometre rail ring around Melbourne with 12 new underground station’s connecting the city’s major train lines.
Addressing a campaign rally in his Melbourne electorate of Maribyrnong on Sunday, Mr Shorten described the underground train system as the “mother of all infrastructure projects”.
“We will finally defeat the proposition that to get anywhere else in Melbourne you have to go into the middle,” he said.
Labor’s candidate for the blue ribbon seat of Higgins in Melbourne’s east, Fiona McLeod, introduced the opposition leader with a brutal sledge to Scott Morrison.
“I also want the next prime minister of Australia to know that he isn’t an oxygen thief because the current bloke certainly is,” she said.
On Wednesday, Mr Shorten will head to Western Australia where the Opposition is eyeing a handful of seats.
Labor has committed $30 million to develop the WACA into a boutique 10,000-seat sporting stadium and community facility.
— AAP
1:00pm
Best moments from ScoMo’s campaign launch
Labor’s campaign launch a week ago was very much a team effort.
Bill Shorten was joined on stage by his entire shadow ministry, and the party made a big show of former prime ministers (and bitter foes) Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard being nice to each other in the crowd.
Scott Morrison didn’t bother with any of that today. Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott weren’t even in the room.
Only three other Coalition politicians appeared on stage — imperilled Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson, Nationals leader Michael McCormack and a surprisingly funny Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Mr Morrison was very much the centre of attention, and from his perspective, maybe that was a good thing.
Without the distraction of any former leadership rivalries polluting the event, Australians saw a more personal and relatable side to the Prime Minister, largely thanks to a video featuring his wife Jenny.
The clip cut between Mr and Mrs Morrison as they described how they met, and later, how Mr Morrison’s hilariously unromantic marriage proposal unfolded.
Then it took on a more serious tone as the pair discussed their 14-year struggle to have a child.
Anything that reminds voters their politicians are actual human beings — as opposed to unfeeling, slogan-spouting robots — can only be good.
The Prime Minister’s speech was an extended riff on his regular campaign themes, with a couple of fresh policy announcements thrown in to spice things up.
The most significant was a scheme to help first homebuyers get a loan with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. Expect to hear a lot more about that in the coming days.
We’re officially in the home stretch of the campaign now.
There are no more big ticket events, no more debates — just six days of last-ditch campaigning around the country in an attempt to swing as many votes as possible.
12:40pm
Front row missing former PMs
The spotlight was well and truly on the Prime Minister today at the Coalition campaign launch — but eagle-eyed viewers also spotted the few people missing from the audience.
The Coalition launch was quite the contrast to Labor’s launch last weekend, which brought together former prime ministers Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating.
But former Liberal PMs Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott and John Howard were all be absent today.
The PM was asked yesterday whether it was “a sad indictment” on the party that his predecessors wouldn’t be there.
But he said the launch wasn’t going to be “about party hoopla”.
“These are the choices I’ve made as the leader of this party. It’s to ensure tomorrow is an opportunity to focus very much on the people who will be watching and reading about what I have to say tomorrow at home,” Mr Morrison said.
“It’s not about party festivals and slapping backs and doing all that sort of stuff. People aren’t interested in all that rubbish. What they’re interested in is their own lives.
“What I’m going to be focused on tomorrow is what my agenda going forward is for their lives and how we are going to make life that little bit easier.”
Mr Shorten weighed in on the three missing PMs yesterday.
“To me what’s more interesting is who’s not going to be at the launch and what they’re not going to say.
“I mean, I love that the current fellow says he’s a sort of ironman and he does lone ranger and doesn’t need the Liberal Party.”
12:30pm
‘Just let us get on and do it’: ScoMo’s dig at Victorian government
Mr Morrison boasted about the Coalition’s $4 billion commitment to the East West Link in Melbourne, using it to launch a not-so-subtle critique of the state’s Labor government.
“Today we’re renewing and upgrading our commitment to the East West Link,” the Prime Minister said.
“It’s OK. It’s OK. Labor may choose to continue to ignore residents of eastern Melbourne. I’m not going to pick a fight with them about that. They’ve made their choices,” he said, while very much picking a fight with them about that.
“We’re not going to ignore the residents of eastern Melbourne struggling with road congestion. We’re going to stand by them.
“By increasing our commitment in the way that Josh (Frydenberg) has set out this morning, this project can proceed without the need for the state government to divert resources from the many other projects they have identified.
“So, taking no issue with that.
“I accept that the Victorian government has not identified the East West Link as a priority for them. So just let us get on and do it.”
12:20pm
Morrison ‘on a mission’ to fund youth mental health
The Prime Minister lowered his voice as his launch speech moved to youth mental health.
“Friends, one in four young Australians experience mental ill-health each year,” he said.
“Suicide is the leading cause of death of our young people. Jenny and I are making a commitment, I am making this commitment, to combat youth suicide as a national priority. It’s a curse on our nation and it’s a curse we must break together. 428 young lives lost last year. And with every life lost, and we have all been touched by this in some way, shape, or form, countless more lives shattered or damaged in their wake.”
Mr Morrison said there was nothing he was “more passionate” about than funding youth mental health services, a claim he said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg could back up.
“With 30 new Headspace centres, Headspace was established by the Liberal-National government. More counselling, particularly after disasters. Reaching out, particularly into rural and regional Australia where we know they are hurting badly. Better treatment for early psychosis. Building up the mental health of our young people so they grow up healthy. More support, particularly for Indigenous youth, out there where we know they are taking their own lives,” he said.
Mr Morrison said he was “on a mission” to make sure young Australians are “living their life positively for the future”.
“And, as Jenny knows, when I get determined I get very determined,” he added.
12:15pm
First homebuyers promised big things
Mr Morrison used his speech to announce a new policy to help make property more affordable for first homebuyers.
“We need to go further. It’s hard to save for a deposit. Especially with the banks pulling back and larger deposits of 20 per cent now being standard,” he said.
“It is not getting easier. We want to help make the dreams of first homebuyers a reality. So we have decided to go further at this election.”
The new policy is similar to one the New Zealand government has been running.
It will allow first homebuyers below a certain income threshold — $125,000 for singles, $200,000 for couples — to bring their deposit down to just five per cent.
“This will make a big difference, cutting the time taken to save for a deposit by at least half,” Mr Morrison said.
He stressed the scheme was not “free money”.
“They (lenders) will still do all the normal checks on the borrowers to make sure they can meet their repayments.”
But the Prime Minister said the policy would help people get “their first leg on the first rung” on the property ladder.
12:05pm
‘If you can’t manage money, you can’t run the country’
Once Mr Morrison got into the meat of his speech, we heard the core of the Coalition’s election pitch — that a strong economy is necessary to fund good services.
“It all begins with keeping our economy strong,” Mr Morrison said.
“Countries with weak economies do not have good hospital systems. They do not have a reliable pension. They do not have affordable medicines. They do not have Medicare. They do not have Headspace. They do not have a fully funded National Disability Insurance Scheme. They are not increasing investments in their public schools and aged care.
“If you can’t manage money, you can’t run the country.”
Mr Morrison said he was “not getting into a spendathon with Labor”.
“They’re welcome to it,” he said.
“Reckless spending is not a vision. It is a burden on future and current generations.”
11:45am
ScoMo’s “unromantic” marriage proposal
The most important moment at Scott Morrison’s campaign launch may have happened before the Prime Minister even took the stage.
The crowd was shown a video featuring Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny, which gave Australia a rare window into their personal life.
It started with a lighthearted and humanising tone, cutting between the couple as they each described how their relationship had unfolded.
Scott: “Jenny and I met when I think I was 12. Eleven or 12.”
Jenny: “I think I was about Year 9. And I saw him again and thought he was cute and all the rest. He took my number on the train. And then he never called.”
Scott: “You know, it’s all a bit, sort of corny. But I remember, I saw her and that’s it. I was smitten. That’s it, I was done.”
Jenny: “He is bringing flowers, some roses. That stopped after we got married. I suppose things sometimes do. They shouldn’t!”
That drew plenty of laughter, but the hilarity only grew as Scott and Jenny were then asked to described how he proposed.
Scott: “That is a terribly unromantic story.”
Jenny: “It was so unromantic.”
Scott: “We were just walking through Macquarie Street one day.”
Jenny: “And then we stopped and he said let us sit on the seat.”
Scott: “A little bench just outside, at the top of Martin place.”
Jenny: “He sat me down and said, ‘Would you marry me?’”
Scott: “I was pretty impressed with myself because I surprised her.”
Jenny: “I laughed and I did not believe him, because I thought, ‘Really? Here?’”
Scott: “She did not see it coming. She did not know what would happen.”
Jenny: “He told me he was serious as I said yes. And then he went to the little flower vendor in Martin Place and bought me a bunch of flowers.”
The mood then grew more serious as the couple described their struggle, spanning more than a decade, to have children.
After the video Jenny, Mr Morrison’s mum Marion and his daughters Abbey and Lily invited him on stage.
The Prime Minister appeared, a bunch of flowers in each hand. He started his speech by wishing Marion and Jenny a happy Mother’s Day..
11:40am
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg a hit at Coalition campaign launch
The room started to warm up as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg took the stage. He was the first to get a proper standing ovation.
Mr Frydenberg told jokes. They were funny!
“Welcome Prime Minister, your mother Marion, your wife Jenny, your beautiful girls, to Melbourne,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“The city that never sleeps! That has four seasons in one day. And that, tragically and sadly, has seen another Carlton loss to Collingwood. But as a long suffering Carlton supporter, we say we’re 15 years into our five-year redevelopment plan,” he said.
AFL! That’s big in Melbourne. The guy knows how to play to a crowd.
“A particularly warm welcome to all the mothers in the audience, and my mum and my wife,” Mr Frydenberg continued.
“I promised you a small, intimate special event on Mother’s Day. And here we are!”
That one drew a healthy amount of laughter.
Many of the audience members were Liberal volunteers, who have been doorknocking throughout Melbourne. He had a gag tailored for them too.
“After my first campaign, my wife went to work and one of her colleagues said to her, ‘Amy I see your husband’s photo everywhere in the electorate. Is he a real estate agent?’” he said.
I kid you not, the man was funny.
11:30am
Shorten ‘doesn’t care’ about regional Australia
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has said Bill Shorten “doesn’t care” about regional Australia.
“Labor does not have a plan for regional Australia. Nothing. Not a plan. No vision. Regional Australians aren’t on Labor’s radar,” he said.
“I say to farmers, we value what you do. Thank you for what you do. And I’m proud to be in a government that wants to ensure Australian children — all children — know where their food and fibre comes from. And that is Australian farms.”
— Sam Clench
11:25am
Lib candidate sings the National Anthem
Before Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack took the stage, the Liberals’ candidate for Fenner Leanne Castley sang the national anthem.
She was good! They should get her to do the grand final this year.
Ms Castley sang one verse. I’m told two verses were sung at the Labor launch a week ago. But who’s counting?
— Sam Clench
11:20am
Sarah Henderson kicks off the Coalition campaign launch
Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson, who is defending an absurdly tight margin of 0.03 per cent, opened the launch.
“This election is so important. Polling is already under way, and each day Australians are deciding who they trust,” she said.
“Trust is important in politics, and at this election the choice could not be clearer. A choice between our Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Bill Australia can’t afford.
“Ladies and gentlemen, how good is Scott Morrison?” she said, a cheeky reference to Mr Morrison’s catchphrase.
— Sam Clench
11:05am
Environment minister Melissa Price plays ‘Where’s Wally’
It’s been a while since Environment Minister Melissa Price has been seen in public, prompting journalists to joke she’d been playing “Where’s Wally” with the media.
ABC’s political editor Andrew Probyn said earlier today he was happy to see the Durack member at the Coalition campaign launch.
“It’s a bit like she’s been playing Where’s Wally with us,” Probyn said.
What this govt has been reduced to: smuggling senior Cabinet ministers in and out of party campaign launches #auspol #ausvotes https://t.co/D6mWYefAT2
— Kimberley Kitching 🇦🇺 (@kimbakit) May 12, 2019
Ms Price’s apparent invisibility came after her West Australian electorate of Durack, which is the largest in the nation, was the seventh worst for habitat destruction.
More than 310,000 hectares of threatened species habitat has been destroyed in the electorate, harming animals including the northern quoll, Carnaby’s black cockatoo and the night parrot, a new analysis from the University of Queensland revealed.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud’s Queensland electorate had the worst threatened species habitat loss in the nation over the past two decades.
Scott Morrison is running very low on senior women he can rely on. Julie Bishop is gone, Kelly O’Dwyer too. Michaelia Cash and Melissa Price don’t like facing the media these days, while Sussan Ley is trying to save her own seat.
— Natalie Wolfe
10:45am
ScoMo launches a “cause which has hit close to home”
As we wait for the fun to start in earnest here at Scott Morrison’s campaign launch, here are a couple of new policy announcements from the government.
Mr Morrison has promised $36 million to roll out a “Mums, Dads and Bubs” check across the country.
The policy is designed to tackle peri-natal depression among new parents.
“This is a cause close to my heart which has hit close to home,” Mr Morrison said.
“Too many parents have suffered in silence, but we’ve got their backs.
“Rolling out this check to every new mum, dad and bub will be a key part of the other health check-ups new families go through.”
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph last week, Mr Morrison’s wife Jenny revealed her struggle with depression when the couple’s two daughters were young.
And the Coalition has pledged to “end inaction on the East West Link once and for all” by putting $4 billion on the table, which covers the full government contribution for the eastern section of the project.
“We respect the Victorian government does not share this priority for residents in eastern Melbourne. That’s why we are prepared to go ahead without them,” the Coalition said, throwing some very thinly veiled shade at the Victorian Labor government.
— Sam Clench
10:30am
Adani protesters storm Coalition campaign launch
It wouldn’t be a political campaign launch without some protesters disrupting things outside.
The first thing we saw as we rolled up to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for Scott Morrison’s launch was a group of several dozen people protesting against Adani and for action on climate change.
Their chants weren’t creative, but they were loud, partly because they brought drums along.
“Stop Adani! Stop, stop Adani!” went one chant.
“What do we want? Climate action! When do we want it? Now!” went another.
Truly inspired stuff.
The most impressive part, as far as I’m concerned, were the two protesters who had dressed up as giant poo. That takes commitment.
There was also a fake Malcolm Turnbull, drawing attention to the former prime minister’s absence from the launch.
— Sam Clench
10:00am
Coalition launches its campaign, Shorten celebrates his birthday
It’s a big day for Scott Morrison.
The Prime Minister has his last big set piece event of the campaign today at the Coalition’s official campaign launch.
I know, it sounds weird to have a “campaign launch” when the campaign’s already been going for a month. Just roll with it. Politics is weird.
Mr Morrison will address the party faithful in Melbourne, but his real audience will be the voters watching at home — and those who have better things to do, and might see the highlights of his speech on the news.
Expect quite the contrast with Labor’s launch, which brought together former prime ministers Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating.
Former Liberal PMs Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott and John Howard will all be absent today.
The Coalition is going all in on Mr Morrison, leaving the spotlight for him alone.
It also happens to be Bill Shorten’s birthday today. The Opposition Leader started his day with a 4km fun run before appearing on Insiders.
There is no doubting the leaders’ stamina. If I weren’t being paid to cover this stuff I would have slept until 11am.
— Sam Clench
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