Federal Election 2019 LIVE: Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten kick off campaigns for May 18 election

That's where we'll leave our live coverage of the first day of the 2019 election campaign. 

It's going to be an intense contest as the Coalition and Labor fight to emerge victorious on May 18. 

Seeking to overcome the bitter leadership ructions of the last few years, Scott Morrison has made clear the Coalition's focus will be on the economy and budget. Bill Shorten says Labor is a united team with a plan to deliver a "fair go" for ordinary Australians. 

Stick with us as we cover all the key issues and developments of the campaign, with journalists across the country providing the best news, analysis and opinion. 

You can follow the politics coverage of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Twitter here and on Facebook here. 

If you'd like unlimited access to our work, subscribe to the Herald here or the Age here. 

The natural interest in the horse race of politics makes it easy to overlook the problems for both sides of politics this week with the detail of what they offer Australian voters.

Scott Morrison found himself in a messaging mess with his claims this week about electric cars and the hit to motorists from Labor’s plan for stricter emissions standards.

Bill Shorten found himself light on detail for his climate change plans and vision for cars.

Morrison’s strong suit is tax. He does not convince everyone with tax cuts worth $302 billion over the decade ahead, but he has a compelling message to many voters worried about the cost of living.

Read the full piece here. 

Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten on the first day of the federal election campaign for 2019.

One of the consequences of Scott Morrison calling the election today was that Senate estimates hearings have been cancelled. 

On the schedule for today was CSIRO, who Labor was going to grill over the federal approval the Adani coal project. 

Labor is not happy about it. 

"The Morrison government needs to come clean and give the people of Australia confidence that they aren’t playing politics with the law," says environment spokesman Tony Burke. 

He is demanding that Environment Minister Melissa Price release various documents about her decision to approve the project.

"This is the transparency the people of Australia deserve."

There were also other issues that non-government senators were hoping to pursue. 

Tony Abbott is gearing up in Warringah. 

Independent Zali Steggall poses a serious threat to Abbott, who has held the ordinarily safe Liberal seat since 1994. 

Abbott's campaign, however, seems to be well-funded and up to the fight. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is worried about what a Labor government would mean for NSW.

Speaking from the nearly-completed M4 Westconnex tunnel a little earlier, Ms Berejiklian said she did not have any advice for her federal counterparts but she would do her best to help the Morrison government win.

“It does worry me that a Shorten Labor government would have a negative impact on the NSW economy and on households, and obviously I'll be doing everything I can to ensure the Liberals and Nationals continue to govern in Australia,” she said.

When asked whether the federal National party should worry about the results in NSW, which saw the party lose three seats to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, Ms Berejiklian said the elections were not comparable.

“A state election is very different to a national election, and no doubt people distinguish between the issues,” she said.

“Obviously it would be a close election, as was mine.”

Gladys Berejiklian inspecting the M4 WestConnex tunnel today.Credit: AAP

Here is a video from Labor senator Helen Polley. Posted without comment.

Could there be a more apt confluence of events than the release of the world’s first photograph of a black hole and the announcement of Australia’s federal election?

A black hole, you'd know by now, is a cosmic region where gravity is so all-encompassing that nothing, not even light itself, can escape.

Mere hours after cosmologists treated us to a photograph of this great nothingness at the core of the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87, Prime Minister Scott Morrison drove out to Government House to request vice-regal permission to launch the nation into an election slated for May 18.

Nothing and nobody will be permitted to escape the fearful gravitational pull of billion-dollar promises, campaigns designed to frighten the wits out of the populace, shopping mall mauls, robots phoning in the middle of the night, debates televised, leaders in hi-vis jackets hijacking factory workers as visual props and, most terrifying of all, everywhere, the ghastly smiles and damp handshakes of candidates imagining they are radiating sincerity.

Read the full piece here. 

Bill Shorten during his first press conference of the campaign. Credit: Justin McManus

Malcolm Turnbull's outspoken son Alex has been expressing his opinion about the contest today, zeroing in on the power of Liberal-National Party in Queensland, where the Nationals and Liberals are formally merged. 

"Harder and more right wing and naturally National elements control the LNP in Queensland despite representing relatively few seats. They ... exert influence over the party nationally. This is why Victorian and South Australian members of the [Liberal Party] are facing defeat," he has said on Twitter.

"Ultimately so long as this remains, and the values and interests of small-l liberals in southern states diverge from conservatives in the north the small-l liberals despite being vastly greater in number are going to get clubbed."

He says the solution is a split of the Liberal Party nationally or at least Queensland's LNP.

NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy is urging voters to back Labor in support of an Indigenous "Voice" to Parliament, a representative body that would advise on policy and legislation. 

Labor says it would legislate to create the body and then move to enshrine it in the constitution via a referendum. 

Left-wing activist group GetUp is quick out of the blocks today, heralding its "biggest-ever campaign effort" .

The group says 7000 volunteers are involved in the effort that will target "hard right wreckers" in key seats. 

"People everywhere are saying they’re tired of the divisive politics peddled by the Tony Abbotts and Peter Duttons of this world," said GetUp national director Paul Oosting. 

“Removing the hard right from Parliament will enable MPs to collaborate better, for a safe climate for our kids or to ensure we treat people seeking asylum humanely."

In a statement, the group singled out conservative MPs Abbott, Dutton, Christian Porter, Nicolle Flint, Greg Hunt and Kevin Andrews.

The campaign launch looks to be in Manly, where GetUp is hoping to help independent Zali Steggall defeat Abbott.