Federal Election 2013 Live: August 22, 2013

The end of another day. I believe it was day 18. What happened?

• last night's community forum gave Labor leader Kevin Rudd a spring in his step (let's stop pretending anyone 'won');
• it was judged such a success that both Mr Rudd and Coalition leader Tony Abbott will participate in another forum next week;
• Mr Rudd spent the day in Victoria prosecuting his case against the Coalition's paid parental leave scheme;
• Mr Abbott spent the day in Sydney where he announced the Coalition's $340 million health policy; and
• Mr Abbott also announced that the Liberal Party will no longer accept donations from tobacco companies.

My thanks to everyone who has read, commented and participated in our live coverage of the campaign so far. It is really a lot of fun to bring it to you. I am so impressed by my co pilots Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen - not a single day off for either of them and still bringing us the best campaign images.

See you in the morning.

 

Both Team Rudd and Team Abbott have upped stumps for the day.

Right, so, we all know Labor wants the Coalition to release its policy costings quick smart while the Coalition says they will be released some time before the campaign ends.

A leading economist, Saul Eslake, has had a look at the figures the Coalition has released so far to estimate the gap between its spends and saves.

His verdict? The Coalition needs to find almost $30 billion more over the four financial years to 2016-17 in order to be able to credibly claim that it would produce better bottom line outcomes than the ones projected by Treasury and the Department of Finance.

However, as Mr Eslake, the chief Australian economist for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, says, $30 billion is a "substantial sum" but less the half than the $70 billion figure that has been bandied about by Labor.

 

My hard hat is better than yours.

Kevin Rudd meets with workers at BAE Systems in Williamstown on Thursday.Credit: Andrew Meares

Kevin Rudd is serious when he says he wants to be the kind of prime minister who builds things.

Kevin Rudd tours BAE Systems in Williamstown on Thursday.Credit: Andrew Meares

It's a high vis vest and hard hat kind of day.

Kevin Rudd tours BAE Systems in Williamstown on Thursday.Credit: Andrew Meares

Coalition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Tony Abbott at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

I love it when Alex Ellinghausen groups his photographs.

This campaign has certainly got a well established rhythm - busy, busy, busy until a bit after lunch and then quiet.

In the meantime both leaders have called for an investigation into reports Syria's Assad regime used nerve gas in bombing civilian neighbourhoods in the country's ongoing conflict.

Kevin Rudd says the news of a chemical weapons massacre in Syria was "repugnant".

 

Opposition leader Tony Abbott at the Manly Women's Shelter in Sydney on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Enough with the kisses. Stop the kisses.

Here is the photo gallery for day 17 (yesterday) of the campaign.