As it happened: Labor’s climate plan in the spotlight; Australian inflation rate highest since GST

That’s where we’ll leave today’s national live coverage.

Here’s a summary of today’s main stories.

• Scott Morrison pointed out on two separate occasions that yesterday’s inflation figures don’t include the effect of the fuel excise cut in stemming price increases. Although this is true, he overstated the effect both times, citing the 0.5 percentage point cut to inflation to the budget estimate. The figure in the budget is half that amount. The prime minister’s office later clarified Morrison misspoke.
• Morrison accused independent candidates of being “anti-Liberal party” and “obviously existing to deliver a Greens or Labor government.”
• The Labor Party has criticised the Morrison government after yesterday’s high inflation figures. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government has “an excuse for everything and a plan for nothing”. The Labor frontbencher says if Labor is elected after the May 21 poll, the party will focus on long-term cost-of-living support, cheaper childcare and higher wages.
• The Greens revealed the party’s climate and energy plan which pledges to push for a levy on coal exports, support climate disaster recovery and fund an expansion of exports powered by clean energy to create new jobs.
• The country recorded 50 deaths and 47,453 new cases of COVID-19.
• There was no clear winner in a sometimes fiery but civilised public debate about the environment and climate change at Brighton Town Hall in the Melbourne bayside electorate of Goldstein on Thursday night.

Thank you for reading. Good night.

Thanks all for joining us this evening.

The Goldstein community forum has come to an end, with remaining questioners encouraged to stick around after the event to chat to candidates about their concerns.

We have a comprehensive report on the event coming soon from investigative journalist Royce Millar, who was there in person, so keep an eye out for that on our website.

Goldstein Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson has suggested one young questioner has been led astray by foreign websites after she said he has consistently voted against a fast transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

“We have these websites that are aggregators now, which deliberately seek to misrepresent members of parliament’s voting records, which is ... it’s a very American thing,” he said.

“It’s a very deliberately American thing that’s being imported into our country.

Zoe Daniel looks on as Tim Wilson speaks on Thursday evening.Credit: Darrian Traynor

“Most votes in parliament are actually about process and procedure. They’re not actually to do with pieces of legislation.

“The only accurate record is aph.gov.au, but what we’re seeing is deliberate websites designed to populate and Americanise, our political system to deceive people and to misrepresent what’s going on because they think it will help certain other candidates in elections.”

Wilson labelled the websites “deceitful and dishonest”, and recommended the questioner look at his official record of what he’s voted on in parliament.

Labor candidate Martyn Abbott said: “I just want to say again, the Liberals are running away from scrutiny.”

“And the fact is, that if you vote for Tim, you’re going to get Barnaby Joyce.”

Straying slightly away from the issue of climate change for a moment, and Goldstein Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson has rejected one questioner’s suggestion the proposal for a federal anti-corruption body has been dumped.

“I’m sorry, it hasn’t been dumped. We want an integrity commission that has bipartisan support and confidence and also follows due process,” he said.

“These should not be radical propositions, but it seems to constantly be a radical proposition to the Australian Labor Party and other people in the parliament who want to turn our legal system and [use] them as vehicles for political witch hunts. And I simply won’t support it.”

A moderator holds a sign indicating time left for a speaker during debate at Brighton Town Hall.Credit: Darrian Traynor

The debate is starting to wind up, with the MC announcing the last question from the audience.

The Goldstein candidates have commented on how they plan to include young people in their vision for the future and act as a voice for them.

Labor’s Martyn Abbott said he believed young people across all range of policies – not just climate change – were in touch “with what they require and what they hold close to them”.

“And the fact is that taking action on climate change is the critical thing for all of us, but especially for the younger people who will have to live with the effects of inaction more and more.”

The crowd at Brighton Town Hall listens as the candidates make respond to questions from the floor.Credit: Darrian Traynor

Greens candidate Alana Galli-McRostie said it was unfortunate for young people they had come into a world “that’s full of fossil fuels and dirty air and they don’t really have a very foreseeable future”.

“If we close all the coal and gas mines and put all that money into running renewable energies, then maybe the future might actually have some clean air and a future to see,” she said.

Independent Zoe Daniel said it was fantastic to see young people engaged in politics, and pointed to her Gen Z group that has formed as part of her campaign team as evidence of her engagement with young people.

“What I’m doing is trying to build reference groups of people that I can speak to as a member of Parliament, if that happens, to help me to formulate policies on their behalf,” she said.

Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson said his party was focused on building Australia’s clean industrial future, and “that is the basis in which you’re going to have a job and economic opportunity”.

A questioner puts it to Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson that his governance and ambitions are “so far behind the other candidates on the panel here tonight” when it comes to climate change.

Wilson harked back to his earlier statements, saying the government has to take the entire Australian community with them on the path to decarbonisation.

He said he had to point out that some candidates pitch of the roles they could “allegedly play in Parliament” was dishonest.

Tim Wilson questions whether other candidates will be able to achieve all their pledges if they’re elected.Credit: Darrian Traynor

“The reality is you need 75 people to pass anything through the House of Representatives,” he said.

Wilson said the government taking the whole country with it was “exactly what we’re doing, and we’re immensely proud to be the first government in Australia’s history to commit to a net zero target by 2015”.

Independent Zoe Daniel said Australia ranks last for climate action among United Nations members, and that was “because we have a hung parliament and Barnaby Joyce is running the country”.

Earlier, on the question of donations, Wilson said: “The truth is, I focus on representing you in the community, the federal parliament – we don’t pay any attention to [that] stuff.”

The spotlight has been put on independent Goldstein candidate Zoe Daniel, with an audience member asking three of the panel – excluding Liberal Tim Wilson – for their thoughts on independents passionate about the environment.

Daniel explained that she is backed by a community movement that nominated her for the role, and that they have funding of about $700,000 raised from the community, in addition to funding from the Climate 200 movement.

“And I think we have great momentum in this community because many people want to see politics done differently: with empathy, with honesty, sincerity and with genuineness – with direct engagement to take the views of this community forward,” Daniel said.

Candidates are fielding questions from the crowd at Brighton Town Hall. Credit: Darrian Traynor

“So you’re describing me as a teal independent. I’m not wearing teal tonight. We’re not part of any formal group.

“There are a number of other independents running around the country who have similar priorities. And I think that’s because they’re the priorities of the Australian community today.”

The Greens’ Alana Galli-McRostie said while she thought it was great to see an independent supporting reducing carbon emissions, “we have no time to waste” and “with the Greens, you know what you’re going to get”.

Labor’s Martyn Abbott said he was happy to see climate change on the table as a major issue, but he wished Daniel would consider the Liberals impact on climate change.

Wilson, who did ultimately get to answer the question, said he was referring to Zali Steggall in previous comments about independents.

“[She] proposed a bill that would allow authoritarian commissioners to be able to veto elected representatives,” he said.

Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson is next to deliver his pitch for Goldstein at the community forum, and focuses on how Australia is faring in the global context and how decarbonisation can be pursued at the same time as economic development.

He pointed to the UK as having backslid on their commitment to net zero and said, “while the US has been talking big, they’ve been doing the same”.

“And we face global challenges to decarbonise the world while countries talk big,” he said.

Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson addresses the Goldstein community forum on Thursday evening.Credit: Darrian Traynor

“There is only one candidate and one team that has clear targets; a substantial and comprehensive economy-wide plan with a track record to meet them, to beat them and build Australia’s industrial future.”

Each of the candidates has closed the Indi debate with a short statement.

Liz Fisher says climate change is not an emergency and 2050, when the government has promised to deliver net zero emissions, is a long way away.

She argues the best way to tackle climate change is “technology, not taxes”.

Helen Haines says she’s been the most tenacious MP when it comes to cleaning up Parliament. She also says she’s delivered on improving connectivity and mobile black spots.

Ross Lyman reiterates his experience serving in the military and in business.

“A lot of businesspeople in Indi felt like they were being left behind and abandoned,” he said.

None of the candidates was caught out badly by any of the questions, although Haines was the most polished in her responses.

While the seat sits on a thin margin, she remains the clear favourite. However, with three weeks still to go, much can change before election day.

This will be a compelling contest to watch.

The Greens’ pick for Goldstein, Alana Galli-McRostie, has now taken the stage at the climate change community forum at Brighton Town Hall.

She said everyone could agree that the climate emergency “is the most significant global threat that we face”, and time was of the essence.

Galli-McRostie said the Greens were aiming to reduce emissions by 75 per cent by 2030; the Liberal target of 35 per cent, Labor’s 43 per cent, and Daniel’s 60 per cent “just won’t cut it”.

Green candidate Alana Galli-McRostie on stage on Thursday.Credit: Darrian Traynor

“[We need to] stop the extraction of burning of coal, oil and gas urgently,” she said.“Yet this is the one thing that neither Labor nor the Liberals will do.

“We need to aim higher – our lives depend on it.

Galli-McRostie said the Greens would implement a range of measures to combat climate change, including investing in large-scale scale, publicly owned renewable energy and storage to replace every coal-fired power plant by 2030.

She said the Greens would invest in thousands of new jobs in renewables instead of “dirty coal”.

“We will also prepare our towns and cities for what’s ahead; legislating to make fossil fuel companies pay to clean up their mess and reinvesting those funds in our infrastructure.”