Federal election 2019: Mark Butler says it’s impossible to cost Labor’s climate change policy
Mark Butler conceded it’s “impossible” to calculate the cost Labor’s climate change policy.
- Leaders’ debate a ratings flop
- ALP’s $1bn solar panel plan
- Chloe shuts down fire storm
- Dickson quits over expose
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live coverage of Day 20 on the federal election campaign trail.
Bill Shorten won over last night’s debate audience but he is still feeling the heat from Scott Morrison over the costs of his big spending agenda.
• Top story: Labor admits its climate change policy can’t be costed
5.25pm: Queensland Nickel dollars
Businessman Clive Palmer’s lawyer has confirmed $7 million has been paid into a trust account to cover the entitlements of sacked Queensland Nickel workers, AAP reports.
Sam Iskander told reporters in Townsville this afternoon that the money had been received and so far 69 claims had been made by former workers, with the first payments expected within 10 days.
Mr Palmer said he expected there could be 335 claims in total during the four-month window, after which the money would be returned to his company.
— AAP
Ben Packham 4.45pm: Nats unveil water plan
Michael McCormack has tied the Nationals’ electoral fortunes to a promise of building more dams, despite conceding the Coalition’s failure over the past six years to get a single dam project off the drawing board. To read the story in full, click here
Primrose Riordan 3.55pm: Pitch in migrant communities
Scott Morrison has urged migrant communities in the Labor-held seat of Cowan to vote for Liberal candidate Isaac Stewart.
Mr Morrison was joined at a multicultural event in Koondoola by Liberal Senator Dean Smith, who has been very involved in the party’s campaign to take back the seat from Labor’s Anne Aly.
Mr Morrison said people in the community hall had counted every dollar to save in order to get ahead, repeating his slogan that the Liberal party believed money was best in individual’s pockets than the government’s.
About 40 per cent of the population of Cowan was born overseas, and about 50 per cent of the electorate has both parents born overseas.
A number of migrant communities were represented including the Vietnamese community, who thanked Malcolm Fraser for accepting them as refugees after the Vietnam War.
A group of women from Myanmar’s Mon ethnic group performed a dance.
Mr Morrison is set to attend a fundraiser at Andrew Forrest’s house tonight which is set to benefit Attorney-General Christian Porter’s campaign in Pearce and Celia Hammond’s campaign to retain Julie Bishop’s former seat of Curtin.
Primrose Riordan 3.30pm: Mother’s plea for veterans
Myrna Walker, whose son was killed in Afghanistan, has made an emotional plea for more support for veterans. To read the story in full, click here
3pm: Morrison defends Mundine’s pension pitch
Scott Morrison has defended one of his hand-picked candidates for promising to lift the aged pension, even though the Liberal Party has no such plans, AAP reports.
Warren Mundine has been driving a campaign bus throughout the NSW seat of Gilmore emblazoned with a pledge to increase the aged pension rate. The prime minister claimed Mr Mundine was simply pointing out the payment automatically increased every six months.
“It is indexed, going up twice a year, just like all payments of that nature, whether they be pension or Newstart, they go up twice a year,” Mr Morrison told reporters in Perth on Tuesday.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pointed out governments of all persuasions increased the pension in line with inflation.
“That’s like giving yourself a medal for getting up in the morning,” he told reporters.
Mr Mundine posted a photograph of his campaign bus to social media, but it has since been taken down.
His pension promise has since been overwritten by a pledge to build a stronger economy.
— AAP
Rachel Baxendale 2.25pm: Julia Banks campaign hits strife
The Liberal-turned-independent candidate has been forced to pulp her how-to-vote cards. To read the story in full, click here
Charlie Peel 2pm: MPs unleash on Palmer, Libs
Palaszczuk government ministers have declared the businessman would bring “chaos” to Canberra. To read the story in full, click here
Richard Ferguson 1.30pm: ‘Impossible’ to cost Labor plan
Opposition climate change spokesman Mark Butler says it is “impossible” to cost Labor’s climate change policy because Labor is not putting a direct carbon price on businesses.
Mr Butler said in Perth today businesses would ultimately influence the economic cost of Labor policy and claimed “that is what they asked Labor for” and the Parliamentary Budget Office could not cost it.
“It isn’t possible to cost this because a Shorten government ... would not be imposing a direct carbon price, and certainly not a carbon tax,” he said in Perth today.
“What we have decided to do, after talking exhaustively with business groups over the last 12 to 18 months, is simply adopt the safeguards mechanism proposed by Malcolm Turnbull.
“All that mechanism does is set a limit on carbon pollution. If businesses are able to stick to their limit, they won’t hear from government anymore ... there is no price impact at all.
“If they are not able to stick to their limit ... they will have the broadest possible range of offsets. But how business deals with that is a matter for them.
“It won’t be dictated by Canberra so it won’t be costed by Canberra.”
Richard Ferguson 1.20pm: Shorten clarifies pay rise plan
Bill Shorten has walked away from comments suggesting other female-dominated sectors could receive taxpayer-funded wage rises like he is planning for childcare workers.
The Opposition Leader has sought to shut down more sectors asking for a pay rise after he said childcare workers were “going first” and appeared to open the door for more wage increases.
“We think childcare is a unique sector. So the model that we’re going to finally sort out the underpayment of early childhood educators is a template that we will only use for childcare,” he said in Perth today.
“In terms of the first industry to see wages move, we have other mechanisms to help other industries.”
Mr Shorten said he would wait for the Royal Commission into the aged care sector to wrap up before planning a similar taxpayer-funded wage rise for aged care workers.
1.10pm: Kevin Rudd sighting
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has used his Chinese language skills to try and win over locals during a visit to the marginal seat of Banks in Sydney’s south, AAP reports.
Mr Rudd joined Labor candidate Chris Gambian and neighbouring Barton MP Linda Burney for a street walk through Hurstville today.
The ex-PM made the peace sign and gave the thumbs up as he posed for photos with locals and threw out the occasional “ni hao”. He conducted some conversations in Mandarin.
The ex-PM even introduced Mr Gambian, who is running against Liberal incumbent David Coleman, in Mandarin.
“Kevin, how’s Julia?” one man yelled as Mr Rudd spoke to pre-polling booth volunteers.
He subsequently said Mr Gambian and Ms Burney had spoken to local small businesses and received strong support from the Chinese community - in particular for Labor’s new policy on long-term parent visas. “Vote for these two very good human beings,” Mr Rudd urged while filming a campaign video.
“The Hurstville Peking duck is terrific.” Mr Rudd was “an absolute symbol and ambassador of the deep and enduring relationship that Labor has with the Australian Chinese community,” Mr Gambian said.
Hai Xun Song, a 65-year-old Hurstville resident speaking through a translator with links to the ALP, said Mr Rudd was a “handsome man” with “very good” Mandarin.
—AAP
Robert Gottliebsen 12.55pm: A rotten time to be punished
Neither Scott Morrison nor Bill Shorten understand the fear and frustration in “retirement land”. To read the story in full, click here
Richard Ferguson 12.40pm: PM blasts ‘poor judgment’
Scott Morrison has blasted an independent candidate for Julie Bishop’s blue-ribbon WA seat who has been wrapped up in a fake poll scandal.
Malcolm Turnbull’s son, Alex, has been drawn into a bizarre fake poll scandal in the seat of Curtin amid allegations that Liberal Party operatives impersonated him in spreading data that showed a 20 per cent swing to independent candidate Louise Stewart.
Ms Stewart claimed yesterday the Liberal Party was behind the hoax as part of an attempt to stop her candidacy in Curtin and to impose an “extreme conservative candidate” on the electorate.
The Prime Minister said the scandal was proof of Ms Stewart’s poor judgment and showed why Curtin voters should vote for Liberal candidate and former Notre Dame University vice-chancellor Celia Hammond.
“What we have in Curtin is an Independent who has shown why she shouldn’t be elected,”Mr Morrison said in Perth today. “She has shown a great deal of poor judgment and I think that is what is on display to the electors.
“I believe the electors in Curtin will rightly mark her down on that and I think our candidate Celia Hammond out there will do an outstanding job and it reinforces why she would be the best candidate for the people of Curtin.”
Richard Ferguson 12.30pm: Nats ‘are their own party’
Scott Morrison has refused to criticise his Nationals partners for preferencing One Nation, after the minor party lost its Queensland senate candidate in a strip-club scandal.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told The Age today that a vote-swap deal with Pauline Hanson’s party “just makes sense”.
Senator Hanson’s Queensland lieutenant Steve Dickson resigned today after leaked footage appeared of him in a Washington strip club where he made offensive race-based and sexist remarks.
The Prime Minister said in Perth today that any preference deals was a matter for Mr McCormack.
“The Nationals are an independent party. They are their own party,” he said.
“I don’t tell the Nationals how to run their political campaigns or how they make decisions in their political party. We are a Coalition. We are not the one party.
“I am sure Michael would be happy to answer those questions on behalf of his party.”
Caroline Overington 12.10pm: ‘Huge, personal attack’
Three Australian senators have this morning given evidence in the defamation trial brought by their colleague, Sarah Hanson-Young, with a Victorian Green lamenting the way in which a woman’s sex life had come up for “public debate.” To read the story in full, click here
Richard Ferguson 11.45am: PM targeted in attack ad
Labor have targeted Scott Morrison and the Coalition’s links with Clive Palmer and Pauline Hanson in its latest attack ad today.
The video shows recent clips of Senator Hanson and Mr Palmer acting erratically, with each snippet followed by a clip of the Prime Minister saying: “How good!”
Last night at the leaders’ debate, Bill Shorten repeatedly attacked Mr Morrison’s new preference deal with Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party.
The mining billionaire has claimed Labor sought a similar vote-swap deal, but Mr Shorten has denied this.
Mr Morrison has put Senator Hanson’s One Nation below Labor on all Liberal how-to-vote cards, but his coalition partner the Nationals have entered into preference deals with One Nation.
Lilly Vitorovich 11.30am: Canberra capers capture attention
2GB’s Sydney radio stars, including Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Chris Smith and Ben Fordham, have picked up new listeners amid increasing focus on Canberra and the federal budget. To read the story in full, click here
Richard Ferguson 11.20am: Unions ‘emboldened’ by ALP plan
Josh Frydenberg says Bill Shorten’s plan for taxpayer-funded pay rises for childcare workers is a “socialist experiment” and a “plan to nationalise our workforce”.
The Treasurer said Labor’s plan would lead to other unions pressuring a Shorten government for more taxpayer-funded wage increases in other sectors, as the opposition attempted to label their plan for childcare workers “a special case”.
“We learnt yesterday about Labor’s socialist experiment, its plan to nationalise our workforce, with taxpayers funding private sector workers with increased wages,” Mr Frydenberg said in Melbourne.
“The line, and the queue, outside Bill Shorten’s office is growing by the minute from unions who are emboldened by this announcement.
“Today it’s the childcare unions, tomorrow it’s the disability support sector unions, then’ll it be the retail unions - all who want a taxpayer-funded handout.”
Bill Shorten yesterday signalled he was open to broadening his wage offer across other sectors, saying his taxpayer-funded 20 per cent pay rise for childcare workers was the starting point for a future Labor government.
His comments prompted Australia’s three largest aged-care groups to urge Labor to fund pay rises for nursing home staff, saying the ALP had set a precedent.
Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor, today ruled out funding pay rises beyond childcare.
“We are saying we have no plans to do that,” he told ABC radio today, “This is an exceptional, special case.”
Richard Ferguson 11am: Lego leaves leaders behind
Last night’s face-off between Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten did not even make the top 20 most-watched TV shows last night, according to new ratings figures from the Nine Network.
Most Australians were more interested in local news bulletins on the Seven Network - aired an hour before the debate - and Nine’s new Lego Masters show (which is about people who are really good with Lego). Rounding out the top ten was the new series premiere of MasterChef.
The Leaders’ Debate on 7Two, a Seven digital spin-off channel, did not rate in the top 20 for either overall viewers or people aged between 25 to 54.
The Seven Network has been approached for their viewing figures on the debate.
Ben Packham 10.50am: Labor eyes defence review
Labor has pledged a major review into Australia’s defence capabilities and strategic purpose in the first such exercise in nearly a decade.
The promised force posture review would place the Pacific front and centre in Australia’s foreign and defence policy, Bill Shorten said today, ensuring ADF hardware, personnel and bases are able to meet the nation’s strategic objectives.
The Labor leader and his defence spokesman Richard Marles said the force posture review – the first since 2012 – would be one of the first acts of a Labor government.
“We now face the most challenging set of strategic circumstances since the Second World War,” the said.
“Since the last Force Posture Review, there have been two Defence White Papers, and a bi-partisan commitment to spending two per cent of GDP on defence, including the acquisition of 72 joint striker fighters, 12 submarines, 12 offshore patrol vessels, nine frigates, 21 pacific patrol boats and 211 combat reconnaissance vehicles.
“The review will consider whether the Australian Defence Force personnel, infrastructure and assets are correctly geographically positioned to meet our future strategic challenges.”
Scott Morrison this week announced a re-elected Coalition government would invest $1 billion to build two mine warfare support vessels and a hydrographic vessel in Western Australia.
Primrose Riordan 10.45am: Shorten’s ‘bald-faced lie’
Scott Morrison has hit back at accusations that he has a thin policy agenda, saying the focus was on maintaining a strong economy to fund essential services.
Perth radio station 6PR’s Gareth Parker said the Liberal Party was yet to outline a “positive vision” for Australia.
Mr Morrison disagreed and said the Coalition was funding schools and hospitals and helping to list medicines of the PBS, and was focused on maintaining economic growth.
Mr Morrison also hit out at Bill Shorten for his comments last night on the cost of his climate policies.
“How’s he going to do it, he won’t tell you what the cost is,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison also accused Mr Shorten of lying by saying pensioners will not be affected by the franking credit changes. “It’s a straight out bald-faced lie,” he said.
Richard Ferguson 10.35am: Christensen’s song and dance
Nationals MP George Christensen has added a musical twist to his campaign to hold onto his marginal North Queensland seat, though hopefully he is better at holding his electorate than he is at holding a tune. To read the story in full, click here
Rachel Baxendale 10.05am: Hate club convener still on ALP cards
As we reported today, Labor has been forced to reprint how-to-vote cards in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, following revelations it had given its fourth of six preferences to John Tiger Casley, an ex One Nation candidate who runs a fan club for anti-Semitic UK lecturer David Icke.
However, Labor’s statewide how-to-vote card for people voting outside their electorate still has Casley fourth, ahead of Liberal Member for Goldstein Tim Wilson and the United Australia Party’s Wayne Connolly.
The Australian has asked Labor whether they will also be reissuing their statewide how-to-vote card.
10.00am: Early voting doubles 2016 pre-poll
The number of votes cast after the first day of pre-poll voting is nearly double the number who cast their ballots on day one of early voting at the 2016 election.
The AEC tweeted this morning that a total of 122,771 votes were cast yesterday, compared with 66,894 on the first day of early voting in 2016.
A total of 122,771 votes were cast yesterday. This compares to 66,894 on the first day of early voting at the 2016 federal election. #ausvotes
— AEC (@AusElectoralCom) April 29, 2019
Ewin Hannan 9.55am: Labor rules out extending pay rises
Federal Labor has ruled out extending taxpayer funded pay rises to more female dominated sectors, declaring its $10 billion plan to fund childcare pay rises to be an “exceptional, special case.”
Bill Shorten yesterday signalled he was open to broadening his wage offer across other sectors, saying his taxpayer-funded 20 per cent pay rise for childcare workers was the starting point for a future Labor government.
“We have picked childcare workers to go first,” he said. “I think this is a strategically important industry. What we bring to the table is goodwill. And more than goodwill, we are willing to find money.”
His comments prompted Australia’s three largest aged-care groups to urge Labor to fund pay rises for nursing home staff, saying the ALP had set a precedent.
Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor, today ruled out funding pay rises beyond childcare.
‘We are saying we have no plans to do that,’ he told ABC radio today.
‘This is an exceptional, special case.”
Richard Ferguson 9.14am: ALP’s $1bn solar panel plan
Bill Shorten has unveiled a $1 billion plan to power schools with solar roof panels.
The rollout will take in up to 4000 schools, who will be provided financing through concessional loans to upgrade their solar systems.
“Solar is a smart investment for schools - annual savings from reduced electricity costs alone have been estimated to be up to $89,000 for a large school in NSW, or $15,000 for a small school,” Mr Shorten said today.
“Schools are an excellent location for solar investment and the creation of virtual power plants (VPPs), because they often don’t use energy at times of peak demand and through a large portion of summer. Schools are largely vacant for more than 150 days per year. Often demand for energy is highest when kids are not at school.
“This makes schools perfect locations for solar and battery powered VPPs, to support grid reliability and lower power prices for Australian families and business.”
Primrose Riordan 9.05am: Birmo unfazed by US-Japan deal
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has appeared unfazed by reports that American ranchers could get better access to the Japanese beef market without joining the new Trans-Pacific Partnership, putting them in competition with Australian meat exporters.
US President Donald Trump famously dropped out of the TPP, which handed the Australian beef industry an advantage exporting into Japan as it meant US beef exporters faced much higher tariffs.
Now Mr Trump has pressured Japanese President Shinzo Abe into a bilateral free trade deal which could lower tariffs for US ranchers.
Currently under the TPP, beef from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico faces a 26.6 per cent tariff in Japan, but American beef faces a 38.5 per cent tax.
Mr Birmingham suggested the Australia-Japan free trade deal could be a buffer against any disadvantage.
“ We back the competitiveness and quality of our exporters to compete on fair terms with any other nation,” he said.
“Access for Australian exporters to Japan and the US is greatly enhanced by the trade deals Liberal-National governments have struck with both nations, which Labor never could or would have negotiated.”
Trade policy specialist at the Australian Industry Group Louise McGrath explained that under the terms of the Japan-Australia deal if the US got a better deal the North Asian nation would have to conduct a review.
“While I’d be less than impressed if the US got TPP access to Japan without having to do the hard work, at least under JAEPA “ if Japan provides one of our competitors a better deal, a review will be automatically triggered with the aim of providing Australia equivalent treatment”,” she tweeted.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also responded to Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Obama-era UN Arms Trade Treaty which he announced in an address to the pro-gun National Rifle Association.
“Each country decides its own approach to treaties and this decision is a matter for the US Government,” she said.
“Australia ratified the treaty in 2014 and we believe it provides an appropriate framework for defence exports.”
“We welcome the US Government’s affirmation that it will maintain strong export controls under its existing legislation and ensure its arms sales are implemented after careful legal and policy reviews.”
Richard Ferguson 8.44am: ‘Hardly scientific’
Coalition campaign spokesman Simon Birmingham has dismissed an audience of undecided voters who declared Bill Shorten the winner of last night’s leaders’ debate.
“A studio audience of 48 people is hardly a scientific sample,” he told Sky News.
“What anybody who was objectively watching the whole show last night would have seen is that Bill Shorten refused to answer detailed questions.”
Heidi Han 8.40am: Chinese Aussies prefer Coalition
Metropolitan Chinese Australian voters overwhelmingly prefer the Coalition over Labor, according to two major polls published on leading Chinese language websites in Australia.
The two recent online polls, with a total sample size of nearly 4500 people, were conducted separately by the Sydney Today Chinese website and Oursteps.com, a Chinese forum. Both indicate a Coalition landslide as the latest Newspoll shows a tightening race three weeks before the polling day.
To read the story in full, click here.
Primrose Riordan 8.35am: PM campaigns in Perth
Scott Morrison is due to campaign in closely held seats across Perth today after the leaders’ debate last night.
There are a number of seats up for grabs including Anne Aly’s seat of Cowan which she holds by just 0.7 per cent and where the Liberal Party is running community development manager Isaac Stewart.
Attorney-General Christian Porter’s seat of Pearce - which he holds by just 3.6 per cent - is also considered vulnerable, although he may benefit from preferences from Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party now the Liberals have done a deal with the controversial businessman. The Labor Party is running former police officer Kim Travers.
Aged care minister Ken Wyatt holds his seat of Hasluck by just 2.1 per cent and faces local councillor and Labor candidate James Martin.
The seat of Perth and Swan, held by Labor’s Patrick Gorman and the Liberal Party’s Steve Irons respectively are also held on small margins of around three per cent.
Mr Morrison is also set to promote a policy to set up 2600 CCTV cameras to be installed at 500 “crime hot spots” around the country.
Richard Ferguson 8.20am: New poll shows tightened vote
Another poll has shown a tightening in the two-party preferred vote after the second week of election campaigning.
The Guardian-Essential poll released today has Labor at 51 per cent to the Coalition’s 49 per cent, a drop for the opposition from Essential’s last result of ALP 52/ LNP 48.
This is the same result (and the same tightening) Newspoll recorded yesterday.
Essential, like the latest Newspoll, has Labor’s primary vote at 37 per cent (an increase of two points in this particular poll). It has recorded the Coalition’s primary vote as 39 per cent.
Richard Ferguson 8.15am: Chloe shuts down fire-storm
Chloe Shorten has shut down a social media fire-storm after Twitter trolls claimed Finance Minister Mathias Cormann looked at her for too long at last night’s leaders’ debate.
In the video, the Finance Minister smiled at Bill Shorten’s wife, and then she looked away while he remained looking forward.
The creepiest moment you ever seen. Mathias Cormann on the perve #LeadersDebate pic.twitter.com/V3TdFX18M2
— pinky grusovin (@pinkygruso) April 29, 2019
The Twitterati leapt on the video, described as “pervgate”. The person who shared the video and made that claim originally has apologised.
However Mr Cormann was not looking at Mrs Shorten at all but at a camera monitor. Mrs Shorten shut down the faux controversy by telling the New Daily that a cameraman was blocking Mr Cormann’s view, forcing him to watch the debate on the monitor. She said she had shared a “lovely discussion about their families” with Mr Cormann.
Final word on the fake controversy re this from @chloeshorten
— ð•¤ð•’ð•žð•’ð•Ÿð•¥ð•™ð•’ ð•žð•’ð•šð••ð•–ð•Ÿ (@samanthamaiden) April 29, 2019
I am told absolutely does not think @MathiasCormann did anything at all. She says they had a lovely chat about their families. Cormann couldn’t see ahead as cameraman in way https://t.co/hxXbSRCM4F
Richard Ferguson 8.05am: Albo silent on wage rises
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has refused to answer questions on whether aged care workers and other female-dominated sectors would receive a taxpayer-funded wage rise.
Australia’s three largest aged-care groups have demanded Bill Shorten extend his $10 billion pitch to fund childcare pay rises to nursing home staff — a move that would cost up to another $30bn over the decade.
Mr Albanese refused to answer multiple questions on whether the childcare plan was a model for other sectors, but said childcare workers were particularly “deserving.”
“This is the position we are taking to this election campaign. We believe childcare workers in particular are deserving of being targeted. We make no apologies for that.”
Sascha O’Sullivan 7.20am: Dickson quits over expose
One Nation senate candidate Steve Dickson has resigned to Pauline Hanson after footage emerged of him groping dancers and making disparaging comments about a woman in a Washington DC strip club.
To read the story in full, click here.
.@PaulineHansonOz: Steve Dickson’s language and behaviour was unacceptable and does not meet my expectations, nor the greater public’s expectations, of a person who is standing for public office.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 29, 2019
MORE: https://t.co/dgjZNUI6ZI #firstedition pic.twitter.com/Pb2IQsL2nd
What’s making news:
In last night’s leaders’ debate, Bill Shorten conceded for the first time that it is not possible to put a single price on the cost of his emissions-reduction targets.
Paul Kelly writes: Neither leader won by a knockout or on points in their debate. Scott Morrison won on policy, but Bill Shorten made a case for change.
Dennis Shanahan’s debate verdict: Bill Shorten won the heart and Scott Morrison won the head in the leaders’ first debate of the 2019 election campaign.
Scott Morrison has warned voters they can’t afford the cost of changing to Labor’s big climate, health and education policies, while Bill Shorten argued they couldn’t afford not to change, citing low wage growth and declining international rankings in health and education.
Australia’s three largest aged-care groups have demanded Bill Shorten extend his $10 billion pitch to fund childcare pay rises to nursing home staff — a move that would cost up to another $30bn over the decade.
The impact of Labor’s multi-billion-dollar tax grabs on capital gains discounts, franking credit refunds and its pursuit of voters earning above $180,000 is not as prominent in the nation’s most marginal seats, analysis shows.
Pensioners and seniors who receive dental treatment without charge in the public system could use Labor’s proposed $1000 subsidies to jump the waiting list and go private instead, prompting warnings of cost blowouts.
A large commercial childcare operator criticised by Labor for awarding its boss a hefty pay rise and bonus could attract tens of millions of dollars in government-funded pay rises for its workers under Bill Shorten’s unprecedented wages pitch.
A flood of millennial voters new to the electoral roll will challenge Coalition attempts to hold several marginal seats at the federal election, which is shaping as a generational battle over the future of the country.
A grey army of age pensioners in some of the nation’s most marginal seats will prove vital this election, with Labor fighting attacks against its “retirees tax” and older voters considering independents in protest against major parties.
Billionaire Clive Palmer has sealed a nationwide preference deal with the Coalition that could vault him into the Senate by attacking Bill Shorten as a liar and declaring him “not morally fit to be prime minister”.
‘Unique’ AUKUS deal earns Trump approval
President Donald Trump has flagged his support for the complex defence arrangement with Australia after the Albanese government delivered a $798m payment.
Trump’s Gaza gambit is brazen and naive
Donald Trump has shown the gulf between his position and Anthony Albanese’s, wedging Labor on Palestine. But his plan to ‘own’ Gaza won’t work.