Federal election 2019: Key figures attend Lib rally in WA seat of Swan
Julie Bishop has praised Scott Morrison’s achievements, appearing with the PM at a Liberal Party rally in Perth this evening.
- Morrison caught on key detail
- Abbott vote ‘may hold’
- Birthday bulls on charge
- Greens ‘within range’ of Treasurer
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the federal election campaign. As the campaign enters its final week, today’s Newspoll show the Coalition has yet to make up enough ground against Labor nationally to hold on to government.
9.00pm: Bishop heaps praise on Morrison
Julie Bishop has heaped praise on Scott Morrison at a Liberal Party rally in Perth this evening.
“Scott’s been campaigning so well. I’m feeling very confident. I’ve been saying for a long time that we will win this election,” Ms Bishop told reporters after the prime minister’s speech.
“Scott’s a very experienced politician and he was a very good Treasurer, and he took on the role of Prime Minister in less than ideal circumstances and he’s done an exceedingly good job.”
Joe Kelly 8.28pm: Bishop rejects PM’s characterisation of China
Scott Morrison and former Liberal foreign minister Julie Bishop have offered different conceptions of the Australian relationship with Beijing, after the Prime Minister likened China to a “customer”.
Speaking in the Western Sydney seat of Lindsay this morning, Mr Morrison provided his view on how to manage Australia’s relationship with both the US and Beijing - arguing that Canberra did not “have to pick sides”.
“You don’t have to walk away from the relationships that you have,” he said. “You stand by your friends and you stand by your customers as well.”
But Ms Bishop - who attended a Liberal Party rally in the must-hold government seat of Swan - this evening rejected the characterisation of Australia’s relationship with China as a “customer” relationship.
She instead argued it was a relationship between equals.
“I don’t see it that way at all,” she said. “I think our relationship with China is one of deep and mutual respect.”
“We are partners. We are trading partners. We have worked together in a whole range of areas.
“And so the relationship is one of equals.”
Mr Morrison also reaffirmed China’s huge economic and strategic importance, arguing it was an “incredibly important country for Australia’s future.”
“Our relationship with China is of course different to our relationship with the United States, but they are both critical to Australia’s future. We manage that relationship in a very pragmatic way, but one based on the values that we share and the aspirations that we have for Australia to pursue its own national interests.”
Ms Bishop declined to serve in the Morrison cabinet after Malcolm Turnbull was ousted last August and her own leadership ambitions were foiled.
Joe Kelly 7.40pm: Key figures attend Lib rally
Scott Morrison has attended a Liberal Party rally at The Camfield bar, Burswood, located in the seat of Swan - held by Liberal MP Steve Irons - with the Prime Minister declaring that WA is the “true heart of aspiration” in Australia.
Western Australia Senator Michaelia Cash revved up the crowd of supporters with key Liberal figures - including former foreign minister Julie Bishop and Attorney-General Christian Porter - in the room.
Mr Irons introduced Mr Morrison, with the Prime Minister saying he was motivated by supporting the aspirations of Australians and arguing that Bill Shorten would “tax that aspiration”.
“He’ll never understand the aspirations of West Australians,” he said. “They (West Australians) don’t believe that you’ve got to hold someone back to let someone succeed.”
Speaking about Labor’s decision to match the Coalition’s $500m scheme to support first home buyers into the market, Mr Morrison said that Labor had “tried to mimic us”.
He also said that as an “eastern states Treasurer” he understood how important it was to fix WA’s share of the GST.
“For the national economy to be strong, Western Australia must be strong,” Mr Morrison said. “WA was getting a rough deal. And that rough deal had to end. And we had a better and a fair deal.”
“I was talking earlier today about what is happening the Western Australian economy, and it’s been a tough last five or six years,” he said. “But the point about it is this... Western Australians are coming back.”
He said that the “green shoots” underpinning growth in the WA economy were under threat from Labor’s high tax agenda. “I think Western Australians get that. I think Western Australians know that.”
Rosie Lewis 6.57pm: Shorten’s interesting choice of beverage
Bill Shorten has sipped on a Morrison beer and rallied Labor volunteers at a hipster pub in the marginal electorate of Bass, urging supporters to “close the deal with the Australian people”.
.@billshortenmp says he can’t guarantee Labor will win on Saturday as he rallies volunteers in the Tassie seat of Bass to give it their best shot #ausvotes @australian pic.twitter.com/3iKYdC9wVY
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) May 13, 2019
Declaring Labor was “very competitive” five days out from the May 18 election, the Opposition Leader did not guarantee he would win but said he could be competitive.
In a similar theme to his pep talk to volunteers at the Rhodes train station in inner-west Sydney this morning, Mr Shorten told a crowded room: “If the Labor Party and its supporters work every minute between now and then (Saturday), have the conversation, make the telephone call, talk to family and friends about ‘it’s time to for a real change for Australia to end the chaos’, if all of us can say at 6pm on Saturday night there is nothing more we could have done, there is nothing more we could have said, there is no effort we couldn’t have made we hadn’t already made, I can guarantee you Labor will be very competitive at 6pm on Saturday .”
The Tasmanian seat is held by Labor MP Ross Hart on 5.4 per cent. The Liberal Party is hoping to win back the seat after just one term.
Joe Kelly 6.41pm: PM meets with the Hockeyroos
Scott Morrison has taken his campaign to the Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University in the Liberal held seat of Swan to announce $600,000 for a women’s change room.
The Prime Minister met with members of the Hockeyroos - the national female hockey team - and spoke to them about the need for female change rooms before going to speak to some younger school boys who were attending a training session.
Joe Kelly 6.02pm: Morrison’s warning on independents
Scott Morrison has attacked independent candidates running against Liberal MPs - warning they will support Labor in a hung parliament - and held out the prospect of funnelling more money into his $500 million scheme to encourage first home buyers into the market.
After declaring the election would be close earlier today, Mr Morrison said it was “very reasonable and fair” for independent candidates running against government MPs to be asked who they would back if neither major party gained a majority.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” he said. “People vote for an independent thinking they’ll respect the wishes of their local electorate ultimately about who should form a government.
“And they end up going and putting the Labor Party in.”
Mr Morrison - who made a whirlwind trip to WA to campaign in the seats of Cowan and Swan after hitting the hustings in Western Sydney - said the best way to avoid a hung parliament would be to vote for the Liberal and National parties on Saturday.
He also dodged questions on his faith and what his personal view was on whether homosexuality was sinful in the wake of the controversy over rugby union star Israel Folau’s religious views on the issue.
“I always support the law of the country,” Mr Morrison said. “I don’t mix my religion with politics ... It’s always been something that’s informed how I live my life and how I seek to care for and support others.”
Continuing to promote his $500 million policy to encourage new home buyers into the market, Mr Morrison argued the scheme could be extended if it was subject to greater demand.
“In the event that the scheme has even greater take-up, then it would be a matter of increasing the capitalisation which would be very, very easy,” he said. “If there is greater demand for this scheme, we will be in a position to meet that demand.”
Mr Morrison also refined his pitch to voters in WA, saying that the Coalition government could take a “fair bit of credit for the surplus in Western Australia given it was the GST fairer deal that was able to deliver that.”
“That’s exactly what I hoped it would achieve,” he said. “I was about bolstering and supporting and backing in Western Australians.”
Greg Brown 5.21pm: Labor to release new ad
Labor is set to release a new ad attacking the government’s record on climate change and accusing Clive Palmer of “helping create” global warming.
The ad, to be released tonight, is part of Labor’s plan to escalate its attack over the Coalition’s preference deals with Mr Palmer and Pauline Hanson.
Labor will also release ads this week accusing the government of having a secret plan to re-introduce big business tax cuts, despite the measure being ruled out by Scott Morrison.
There will be a “four c’s” focus on Labor’s negative campaigning: cuts, chaos, Clive and climate.
The television ad to be released tonight starts with saying Tony Abbott does not believe in climate change, that Malcolm Turnbull “got dumped over it” and the Prime Minister “ignores it”.
It then links in Mr Palmer and Senator Hanson, who have done preference deals with the Coalition parties.
Labor strategists say the preference deal with Mr Palmer will be particularly targeted in Queensland and Western Australia.
In a focus group in the marginal Sydney electorate of Reid, Labor says respondents described Mr Palmer as a conman, laughable, shady, untrustworthy, crackers and gross.
Charlie Peel 4.30pm: Candidate’s car vandalised
A scorched plastic bag found shoved into the fuel tank inlet of a car belonging to Labor’s candidate for the north Queensland seat of Dawson has sparked a police investigation.
Belinda Hassan was entering her car this morning when she noticed the cap to the fuel tank had been pried open and the plastic bag stuffed inside.
The bag appeared to have been set alight after it was inserted into the inlet.
Police confirmed the incident had been reported and was being treated as a case of wilful damage, but not attempted arson.
The car, which is easily identifiable and features two large decals with Ms Hassan’s photograph, was taken to Mackay police station for forensic testing.
In a statement, Ms Hassan said the incident would not intimidate her.
“This has been a scary incident — and it’s extremely concerning behaviour in the context of a campaign. Politics should be better than these dirty tactics,” Ms Hassan said.
“I’d like to thank the police for their prompt and professional response, and the community for their support.
“I’m pretty disgusted that instead of fighting on policy, someone has resorted to a dangerous attempt at intimidation.
“I’ll keep fighting for a fair go for our region because I know the local community deserves better than the hand they’ve been dealt under the Liberals.”
Nationals MP George Christensen, who holds the seat with a margin of 3.4 per cent, condemned the attack.
“There is no room for cowardly attacks against public figures — in or out of politics — in Australia,” Mr Christensen said in a statement.
“Anyone who supports a free and democratic society should join me in condemning this disgraceful act and calling for those involved to be punished to the full extent of the law.”
Overnight, in the neighbouring Townsville electorate of Herbert, several corflutes and signs were vandalised outside a pre-polling booth.
Nazi swastikas were spray painted over photographs of Fraser Anning and Katter’s Australian Party candidate Nanette Radeck, while “pedo” was written across a large sign on the back of a trailer featuring a photo of Liberal National Party candidate Philip Thompson.
Volunteers were quick to clean the black paint from Ms Radeck and Mr Thompson’s corflutes but the swastikas on two of Fraser Anning’s corflutes were still visible this afternoon.
Alice Workman 3.52pm: Howard out for Abbott
Former prime minister John Howard has hit the hustings to help another former prime minister Tony Abbott.
Mr Howard said his prominence in the election campaign isn’t a sign the Liberal party should be worried about the result on Saturday.
“I helped in the last campaign ... this is going to be a tough election, I am getting to be more confident as we get closer,” Mr Howard said.
“I think voters in Warringah ultimately want to see a Liberal government returned that’s what they want because they know the alternative is going to be an assault on their wealth, an assault on their aspiration, a threat to their children’s inheritance,” Mr Abbott said.
2.35pm: Naked trot in name of climate
A modern-day Lady Godiva has taken a ‘naked’ horse ride through Melbourne hoping to shock voters to act on climate change ahead of the federal election.
But on a chilly day in the city, the political message fell largely on deaf ears.
Wearing a black cape and long black boots with flowing blonde hair covering her breasts, 31-year-old Sarah Keecher on Monday sat sidesaddle atop the trotting horse as it passed by city landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral and the National Gallery of Victoria.
“I have stripped off to expose the inaction of government on climate change,” Ms Keecher said.
“We all need to take a stand for our planet and that starts at the polling booth on Saturday.” Walking alongside the horse were Senate candidates Paul Wittwer and Kammy Cordner Hunt, who are representing the Independents for Climate Action Now party.
The group stopped along the way, allowing the candidates to speak to the passing public.
Outside the cathedral, a group of tourists showed great interest in the horse, snapping photos. But during the other stops, only a handful of people stood and listened.
Independents for Climate Action Now was registered in April, slightly more than a month ahead of Saturday’s election, as an alternative to the Greens. “I’m regional and have been involved in spreading the Greens’ message before, but that message suffers a great deal of negative PR in country and regional areas,” Ms Cordner Hunt said.
The party has eight Senate candidates across Victoria, Queensland and NSW, including outspoken Anglican rector Rod Bower running in the latter state — AAP.
Rosie Lewis 2.20pm: Schoolgirls scream for Shorten
Bill Shorten has appealed to senior high school students at an all-girls Catholic school by talking up his record on women, including plans to introduce gender neutral CVs in the Commonwealth public service.
The Opposition Leader was mobbed by screaming school girls at St Joseph’s Catholic College in the marginal Liberal seat of Robertson, held by a margin of 1.1 per cent, who wanted to know how he would embrace the women in his party.
Students at St Joseph’s Catholic College in East Gosford (electorate Robertson) screamed as they met @billshortenmp. More chaotic than a shopping centre walk-through. Not many will be voters #ausvotes @australian pic.twitter.com/hRuMu59NgW
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) May 13, 2019
He predicted if he was elected there would be at least 49 per cent women in the Labor caucus, which had only been achieved through quotas.
Mr Shorten also listed gender neutral resumes as a priority.
Students Gabrielle Dyball and Isabella Dodsworth, both 15 and from St Joseph’s Catholic College, explain why their peers were so excited to see Bill Shorten #ausvotes @australian pic.twitter.com/H1V83myH5U
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) May 13, 2019
“You know when you write a job application … for the first round we’re not going to put someone’s name on the application. You can put forward what you’ve done, where you’ve worked, what you’ve studied but it won’t have your name on it. We’re just going to start eliminating what I call to be unconscious bias,” Mr Shorten said.
“It’d be great to have a group of people from all sorts of backgrounds.”
Sascha O’Sullivan 2pm: Clive’s Fiji getaway
In the final days of the election campaign Clive Palmer has flown to Fiji and was snapped having dinner at an island restaurant.
Multiple Australians spotted Mr Palmer having dinner at Amalfi Italian on Denarau Island, despite his $50 million ad blitz in an attempt to secure a spot in the Senate.
Mr Palmer’s spokesman said he was visiting a terminally ill family friend and would be back in Australia within 24 hours to continue campaigning.
“You can do that when you have your own private jet,” a spokesman for Mr Palmer told The Courier Mail.
“He is fully committed to campaigning and is available on the phone now,” he said. “He is just doing the right thing by a family friend.”
Some fellow diners at the island restaurant stopped to take selfies with Mr Palmer, but many people have taken to twitter to voice their outrage at seeing Mr Palmer apparently on holiday rather than taking the election seriously.
Luke Griffiths 1.30pm: GetUp push fails
The activist group’s campaign to swing a marginal seat Labor's way has come unstuck, new polling shows. Read more here
Alice Workman 1.15pm: Cross-party co-operation
Liberal campaigners have been filmed handing out Pauline Hanson how-to-vote cards in the hotly contested South Coast seat of Gilmore.
Notionally held by the Liberals on 0.7 per cent, Liberal candidate Warren Mundine is facing off against the National’s Katrina Hodgkinson, Labor’s Fiona Phillips and former Liberal turned independent Grant Schultz.
One Nation aren’t running a lower house candidate in Gilmore but are vying for NSW Senate seats.
Hey @nyunggai, why are Liberal campaigners handing out for Pauline Hanson in Gilmore? #auspol #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/rWudq4WRmU
— Australian Unions (@unionsaustralia) May 13, 2019
Alice Workman 1.05pm: Leaders spar on housing
Bill Shorten has called the Coalition’s housing plan “modest” and “small” compared to Labor’s “bigger picture” policy.
“Property investors are being subsidised by the Morrison government to buy their sixth or seventh house,” Mr Shorten told a press conference on NSW’s Central Coast this morning.
“I think the government scratched around yesterday looking for something to announce because all they do is talk about us. So they proposed a modest program, a small program, which might assist 10,000 people.”
Chris Bowen said the Coalition’s policy — which Labor has agreed to match — will only work as part of a broad suite of reforms.
Mr Shorten wished Scott Morrison a happy 51st birthday, and noted Monday also marked 2046 days since he became opposition leader.
Alice Workman 12.50pm: ‘ … who is Bill Shorten?’
Bill Shorten is the most searched political leader of the election campaign for the fourth week in a row, making up 48 per cent of inquiries, according to Google Trends.
Searches for Scott Morrison are up one per cent in the past week to 31 per cent, with Clive Palmer on 13 per cent and Pauline Hanson on 6 per cent.
Labor is also the top searched party, making up 33 per cent of inquiries to the Liberal’s 29 per cent.
The top five questions asked by Australians this week about the election are:
1. Who can vote early in the federal election?
2. Is election day a public holiday?
3. How is the Senate elected?
4. What does it mean when the government goes into caretaker mode?
5. Can you vote online for the federal election?
Climate change is the number one issue searched in the past week, followed by immigration, voter registration, negative gearing and employment.
Alice Workman 12.20pm: ‘Friendly’ fire
Labor has launched a website attacking the Greens, as part of its final push to pick up seats in Victoria.
“Can the Greens be counted on to stand up for fairness?” the website asks.
The website lists when the Greens voted with the Coalition to cut money from the pension and allow corporations to hide tax arrangements. It also refers to an article in The Australian from August 2013 when Tasmanian senator Peter Whish-Wilson said that weekend penalty rates were “outdated”.
Alice Workman 11.40am: Labor, Greens teaming up?
A Labor volunteer was snapped handing out how to votes for the Greens at the Rosebud early voting centre in Flinders this morning.
Health Minister Greg Hunt is facing a tough battle to retain his seat, which he currently holds on a margin of 7 per cent.
Alice Workman 10.30am: Phelps backs property pitch
Kerryn Phelps said she would give her “cautious support” to the Coalition’s home deposit policy, because she thinks it could help a large number of young people.
“I am very pleased to see a focus on housing affordability for young people and there is bipartisan support on an issue like this,” Dr Phelps told Sky.
“But I think it’s early days, I think it does need to be assessed … I think the concerning thing is if people are going to be borrowing 95 per cent of the cost of a house and in a falling property market, if they get into mortgage stress and they’re not able to make payments let’s say if interest rates go up without wages going up, then people may find that they’re in a situation of having to sell that property and they owe more than they own and put them further into debt and further into stress financially.”
.@drkerrynphelps on home deposit changes: I would be lending my cautious support to this particular policy. It is something that may well help a number of young people. There are some significant concerns for individuals.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 12, 2019
MORE: https://t.co/cnxAXrLKY3 #firstedition pic.twitter.com/H1nsuMuEbj
Rosie Lewis 10.20am: ‘No tricks please’
Mortgage broker and undecided voter Azita Bokan asked Bill Shorten about the new first home buyers deposit scheme, which the Coalition announced yesterday and Labor swiftly adopted.
Ms Bokan works in the electorate of Reid but lives in the Liberal heartland suburb of Chatswood, in Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher’s seat of Bradfield.
She said she would vote based on the best policies for poor and young people and the environment, and was leaning towards an independent candidate.
Ms Bokan supported the proposed first home buyers deposit scheme, which would allow Australians to purchase houses with a 5 per cent deposit, if there was “no trick in it”.
“The new idea, if there’s no trick in it, if they remove the lender mortgage insurance 100 per cent because banks are already rich. (It must be) fair dinkum, 5 per cent deposit and that is it, no catch in it,” she said.
An employee at Home Loan Experts, Ms Bokan said she already helped people with a low deposit get into the market but they had to pay high lender mortgage insurance, which only protected the banks.
She was also supportive of Labor’s “fair” plan to limit negative gearing to new dwellings despite herself owning several investment properties.
“If it’s supposed to bring people into (a) similar level, help the poor, a little bit giving from the rich, I personally don’t mind,” Ms Bokan said.
Alice Workman 9.55am: Morrison stuck on key detail
Scott Morrison says it’s “difficult to say” if the Coalition’s first owner deposit scheme would push house prices up — but says it definitely won’t bring prices down.
Mr Morrison has continued his tax attack on Labor, saying Bill Shorten has a three letter slogan: “T-A-X”.
.@ScottMorrisonMP: @AustralianLabor's answer to the housing market is to tax it more. The answer to every slogan is tax. @billshortenmp has a three letter slogan and it's TAX.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 12, 2019
MORE: https://t.co/6Ws7cWeYv4 #FirstEdition #auspol pic.twitter.com/YUIQUTPoQZ
The prime minister is confident the scheme won’t push prices lower, arguing the same wouldn’t be true if Labor’s plans to reform housing tax breaks are fulfilled.
“It’s difficult to say, it’s difficult to say,” he told reporters in western Sydney. “But I do know this: Labor’s housing tax will force the value of your home down.
“We want to see more first homebuyers in the market, absolutely, and we don’t want to see people’s house prices go down.”
Under the new home deposit scheme, the government would offer loan guarantees for first home buyers, allowing them to buy properties with deposits of just five per cent.
The government is providing the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation with $500 million to deliver the scheme, along with $25m to set it up and research the housing market.
About 10,000 people are expected to benefit, which would have been about one in 11 new homebuyers in 2018.
But Mr Morrison says that’s a current estimate and not a final figure, stressing the scheme will be aimed at low and middle income earners.
“The scheme will ultimately be determined by the number of loans approved by the lenders and the arrangements with the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation.”
Labor has committed to matching the scheme, blunting the prime minister’s pitch on housing affordability.
— with AAP
Sid Maher 9.45am: Leaders target Sydney battleground
The PM and Bill Shorten are facing off in western Sydney, where a string of close seats could decide the election. Read more here
Richard Ferguson 9.30am: Bulls on the charge
Happy birthday, Scott Morrison! The Prime Minister is 51 today.
And a belated happy birthday to Bill Shorten! The Labor leader turned 52 yesterday.
That means both of our big contenders this election are Tauruses. So what do the stars have in store for our political bulls?
Here is what The Weekend Australian’s Mystic Medusa reckons for the final week of the campaign:
“Mars in mercurial Gemini has been fab for nimble money moves, speedy currency swaps and debt innovation. But it has also thrown out your primary operating groove. You’re not a sign that works brilliantly from insane deadlines or in chaos. You get your best results from methodical, well-strategised plans.”
The cosmos is clear, Prime Minister and Mr Shorten. Stick to your lines.
Rosie Lewis 9.20am: Costings conundrum
The Coalition has confirmed it will have to update its costings before the election on Saturday after Labor accused Scott Morrison of “hiding” $6 billion for more than 40 announced projects.
“We’ll update our costing before the election. The vast majority of our plan is fully laid out and costed in the budget,” a Coalition campaign spokeswoman said.
“Labor released a fiscal fantasy on Friday and then by Sunday had added $10 billion more too. As the Treasurer said yesterday the East-West Link is a contingent liability. When it’s called on it will be reconciled in the relevant budget/budgets.
“Unlike Labor we will include fully costed details of all commitments. In contrast, Labor hasn’t detailed how they would pay for very expensive commitments to increase Newstart, foreign aid, R&D and the humanitarian intake.”
Rosie Lewis 9.10am: Labor misses the bus
Bill Shorten has delivered a pep talk to Labor volunteers at Rhodes train station, in the marginal Liberal-held electorate of Reid, urging them to do everything they can to “change a vote” before the close of polls on Saturday night.
Campaigning with Labor’s candidate for Reid, Sam Crosby, the Opposition Leader handed out pamphlets and spoke with a few commuters during a brief morning stop.
Unfortunately for the Labor leader most of the peak hour buses full of voters had already been and gone by the time he arrived.
Mr Shorten said he would be watching the seat of Reid “very closely” from 7.30pm on Saturday.
“You’ll say to yourselves 6pm Saturday night, is there any more you could’ve said and done?” Mr Shorten told Labor volunteers.
“If on Saturday night at 6pm you can look at yourself in the mirror and say there’s nothing more I could’ve done to have a conversation, to change a vote, to tell the Labor story, to paint a bigger picture of Australia, if there’s nothing more you could’ve done that’s our best guarantee of victory.
“We’ve got five days to go in this election. Five days. Five days to change the nation. Five days to stop the chaos, five days for Australia to be a more progressive country where we take real action on climate change.”
Alice Workman 9am: Abbott vote ‘may hold’
Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she expects a very close result in former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s seat of Warringah on Saturday.
“Well it will be interesting to see how Warringah votes,” she told Nine. “Up the coast, Manly and some of those beach side suburbs, they’ll be pretty strong greens activists and Zali Steggall may well be supported there. But when you go further inland I think you go further inland if think that Tony’s vote may hold.”
Mr Abbott currently hold the seat on 11.1 per cent but is facing tough competition from independent Ms Steggall who is being supported by left-wing lobby group GetUp.
Ms Bishop says she thinks the Coalition could pull off an election victory.
“I think it will be a very close election, very competitive, I would never write the Coalition off that would be a big mistake, so I’m confident.”
When asked about her future, Ms Bishop said she’s both sad and relieved to be leaving politics after more than two decades.
“I’m sad in some ways because I was there for 20 years but in another way I’m relieved,” she said. “I’m very proud of what I achieved over 20 years as Foreign Minister and now I’m just excited about the next phase in my life.”
Alice Workman 8.30am: Property plan ‘foot in the door’
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he doesn’t think the Coalition’s plan to help first-home buyers will push up property values and price young people out of the market.
“What we’ve seen is this program rolled out in New Zealand to great effect,” he told the ABC.
“We also know that first home buyers represent less than 20 per cent of buyers, so the impact on prices shouldn’t be significant. What it will do is allow first home buyers to get a foot in the door.”
Mr Frydenberg refused to say whether the Coalition had done any modelling on its policy, only saying it has been working on the policy for “some time” and have been talking to people in the sector.
My Frydenberg said he hopes to see a very strong uptake of the 10,000 spots available.
When asked about the latest Greens polling that puts him on a 52 to 48 two party preferred, Mr Frydenberg said he’s not complacent about the tough battleground the Coalition is facing in Victoria.
“I’ve said my seat is tight, I certainly don’t take it for granted,” he said. “I think it is close but I have been buoyed by the response I have had from my local community.”
Rosie Lewis 8.20am: Rhodes warriors
Bill Shorten is due to arrive at Rhodes train station shortly in the Sydney electorate of Reid, where he’ll campaign with his candidate Sam Crosby.
He’s on the offensive, with the seat held by the Liberal Party on 4.7 per cent. Former Liberal MP Craig Laundy announced he would not contest the election, meaning the Coalition has lost its incumbency.
Campaign dogs Zoe and Jazz wait for @billshortenmp at Rhodes train station in the marginal electorate of Reid, held by the Libs on 4.7 per cent #ausvotes @australian pic.twitter.com/bLxaxYBACo
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) May 12, 2019
Alice Workman 8.10am: Burnside talks up his chances
Greens candidate Julian Burnside believes he’s within striking distance of taking the blue-ribbon Liberal seat of Kooyong from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Saturday.
“I believe we can win it and the feeling on the ground in Kooyong is very strong,” Mr Burnside told the ABC.
A new poll taken for the Greens by the Environmental Research Council has Mr Frydenberg on a primary vote of 41 per cent, Mr Burnside on 21 per cent, Labor candidate Jana Stewart on 16 per cent and Mr Yates on 9 per cent.
On a two-party preferred basis the poll puts Mr Frydenberg ahead at 52 to 48.
Mr Burnside said climate change is the number one issue voters are mentioning to him on the hustings, followed by the recent dysfunction in the Liberal party.
“The response on the ground has really encouraged me because they’re thinking about these issues the say way I am thinking about these issues.”
Mr Burnside denied that the Greens were working closely with independent candidate Oliver Yates or the Labor Party to topple Mr Frydenberg.
“No, no, we’re not,” he said. “It is not the case that we have some kind of coherent plan that we have sorted out together.”
Joe Kelly 8am: Kingswood country
Scott Morrison has begun his day in the marginal Labor-held seat of Lindsay, which Newspoll is chalking up as a Liberal Party gain as he enters the final week of the election campaign.
The Prime Minister has ventured to the suburb of Kingswood in Western Sydney to sell his $500 million scheme — unveiled at yesterday’s campaign launch — aimed at helping first home buyers enter the property market.
The Prime Minister in the Western Sydney seat of Lindsay — which Newspoll shows the Liberal Party winning — talking to young families about his new scheme to help first home buyers into the market. pic.twitter.com/VczoY1Hu4e
— joe kelly (@joekellyoz) May 12, 2019
Rosie Lewis 7.55am: A captive audience
Bill Shorten will hit the hustings in Sydney today before flying to a mystery location, and is keen to remind voters it’s the five-year anniversary of the Abbott government’s controversial 2014 budget.
Media travelling with the Opposition Leader have been given various “vote them out” campaign ads, including one with the words: “Liberal cuts and chaos. Five years since the horror 2014 budget. Don’t give them another chance. Vote them out.”
Labor’s treasury team — led by Chris Bowen and Jim Chalmers — has also accused the Liberal Party of hiding $6 billion in cuts.
“The Liberals haven’t explained how they will pay for more than 40 election commitments worth more than $6bn — including announced projects like East West Link and Project Freight Link,” they said.
“The government’s budget rules clearly state that ‘new spending measures will be more than offset by reductions in spending elsewhere within the budget’. That means there are $6bn of election commitments that must be paid for — and $6bn of bidding cuts to pay for them.”
We’ll put this to the Coalition’s campaign headquarters.
Alice Workman 7.45am: Just one birthday wish for PM
Scott Morrison said he won’t have time to celebrate his 51st birthday today as he’ll be too busy on the election campaign trail.
“Thanks, won’t have time for that today,” he told Nine. “That will have to wait another time.”
The prime minister rejected claims the Coalition’s plan to turbocharge home ownerships will push prices up and push first home buyers out of the market.
“I don’t buy that at all. What I know is it will help first home buyers into the market,” Mr Morrison told Nine.
Alice Workman 7.30am: ‘This is a very close election’
Scott Morrison says Labor may have agreed to replicate the Coalition’s pitch to first home buyers but at the same time they have a housing tax policy that undermines it.
“Labor might want to mimic the policy but they can’t implement it because they’re putting a housing tax by abolishing negative gearing that abolishes the value of the home you’re already trying to buy, and that will frustrate and undermine the policy we’re putting in place, so they mimic it but at the same time they have a housing tax that undermines it,” Mr Morrison told Sunrise.
Mr Morrison said he hopes hundreds of thousands of first home buyers on lower incomes will be won over by the Coalition’s $500 million housing affordability plan.
“Mortgage insurance is already helping those on middle to higher incomes, this is about targeting the support for the deposit on low to middle incomes.”
Mr Morrison says despite today’s Newspoll results it’s not too late for the Coalition to win government on Saturday.
“I don’t agree necessarily with the presumption of the question, that this is going to be a close election. Over the last eight months, it’s been tight. I’m standing in the seat of Lindsay that apparently would fall to the Liberal party if the election was held this weekend.”
“This is a very close election, it will be very closely fought.”
Alice Workman 7.10am: Barnaby faces a fight
Barnaby Joyce will not sit on Seven’s federal election night media panel on Saturday, and his notable absence gives a real insight into how tight the contest could be in his seat of New England.
Seven’s bosses were keen to have the ex-deputy PM back for the count, despite his now-famous dummy spit and subsequent apology after the network’s NSW election coverage two months ago. Read more here
Alice Workman 6.50am: Leader heads west
Scott Morrison will head to Western Australia today in a bid to convince voters in the seat of Cowan — the second most marginal Labor seat in the country — to defeat Labor incumbent Anne Aly.
Dr Aly took the seat from the Liberals in 2016 and holds it on just 0.07 per cent. Cowan needs only 554 votes to change hands. Read more here
What’s making news:
• Newspoll: The Coalition is set to win back two marginal seats but has yet to make up enough ground for a win.
• Scott Morrison has hitched his re-election to an economic plan to drive aspiration and turbocharge home ownership.
• The Queensland ports contract worker who tripped up Bill Shorten on Labor’s tax plan for high-income earners has been suspended and forced to find another job.
• The Coalition has failed to fund a fleet of drones and maritime surveillance technology worth hundreds of millions of dollars that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said were “critical to maintaining secure borders” and due to be delivered by 2024.
• A Shorten Labor government would implement a new transparency regime for the charity sector.
• Scott Morrison has announced $36m for a “mums, dads and bubs check” aimed at addressing peri-natal depression.
‘Unique’ AUKUS deal a safeguard from tariffs: Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles spruiks Australian contributions to US military at a meeting with Pete Hegseth in Washington, as Donald Trump runs the ruler over American allies.
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.