Federal Election 2019: Campaign Day Ten: Bill Shorten ‘struck deal with Greens’

Scott Morrison accuses Bill Shorten of clinching a deal with the Greens to rush through key tax and climate change policies.

That concludes PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live commentary on Day Ten of the federal election campaign. Water buybacks, energy and claims of a Labor deal with the Greens dominated the agenda. Join us again tomorrow.

Greg Brown 4.45pm: Shorten arrives in Queensland

Bill Shorten has arrived in Brisbane, where he will spend Easter Sunday, in his first trip to the key state of Queensland on the campaign.

The Opposition Leader’s foray into the sunshine state is likely to bring the Adani coalmine into stronger focus, with Greens founder Bob Brown on an “anti-Adani convey” in the state over Easter.

Labor strategists have conceded the Palaszczuk government’s reluctance to approve the mine could impact Mr Shorten’s fortunes in the central and north Queensland seats that are in play, including Herbert, Flynn and Capricornia.

But the issue is not as potent in Brisbane, where there is a swag of marginal seats Labor is targeting, including Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson, which the Home Affairs Minister holds on a margin of 1.69 per cent.

Other Brisbane and suburban-fringe seats Labor is targeting are Forde and Petrie, held on wafer thin margins of 0.63 per cent and 1.65 per cent respectively.

Labor holds just eight of 30 seats in Queensland, compared to 15 held after being led to victory by Kevin Rudd.

The Coalition hold nine Queensland seats on a margin of less than 4 per cent.

Mr Shorten will go to church tomorrow morning with his wife, Chloe, and their children.

Richard Ferguson 4pm: Turnbull attacks Coalition over NEG

Malcolm Turnbull has made his first election intervention today by attacking the Coalition he once led over the national energy guarantee.

The former prime minister dropped his signature energy policy in a bid to hold onto power last year, but today said its abandonment would lead to “higher emissions and higher electricity prices.”

Read the full story here.

Rosie Lewis 3pm: PM dismisses water buyback audit

Scott Morrison has dismissed Bill Shorten’s calls for an audit into the government’s $80 million water buyback in 2017 that has made headlines this week, saying the process was initiated by the Queensland government and the decision made at arm’s length from ministers.

The Department of Agriculture bought 28.7 gigalitres of overland flow water from two Eastern Australia Agriculture properties in August 2017.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor was a co-founder and director of Eastern Australia Irrigation, which was EAA’s ultimate holding company, years before the government purchase.

Special drought envoy Barnaby Joyce was agriculture minister at the time of the buyback.

“I understand that process was initiated by the Queensland government and the terms of that arrangement were settled at arm’s length from ministers as you’d expect them to,” the Prime Minister said today.

“I understand the Senate has actually inquired into this matter and sought production of documents from the government regarding those transactions, which the government has provided.

“That strikes me there’s a high level of transparency on that and this is an issue that has been raised before and has been addressed. I know Labor are revisiting it at the moment, this is what Bill Shorten does when he gets desperate and he can’t answer questions about his own policies, he starts throwing mud around.”

Mr Morrison would not say if he would bring back the Senate in June if he won the May election, nor whether one of his priorities would be to legislate expanded income tax cuts for low and middle income earners.

The income tax cuts, which are due to kick in from July 1, need to be passed by parliament before they take effect.

“We’ll seek to pass them as soon as possible. I’m not making any assumptions going into this election,” Mr Morrison said.

Rosie Lewis 2.35pm: Shorten ‘on cost merry-go-round’

Scott Morrison has declared he understands Bill Shorten’s emissions reduction policy better than the Labor leader, claiming his political rival was on a “cost merry-go-round” as he struggles to say how much his more ambitious target will hit the economy.

“It seems as though I understand Bill Shorten’s policy better than he does, and it’s not even my policy, I don’t support it. I don’t support it because I understand and if you don’t understand it I wouldn’t suggest you vote for it either,” the Prime Minister said.

“The real difference between Labor’s policy and our policy is this: Our target to meet our 2030 emissions reduction target is 328 million tonnes ... Bill Shorten has a plan to reduce emissions by 1.3 billion tonnes.

“One of the questions he won’t answer is what proportion of that 1.3 billion tonnes is going to be satisfied by buying foreign carbon credits? Today those credits cost about $43 Australian bucks per credit, that will go to $52 by 2030. Our best estimates is around half of him meeting that target will be through carbon credits purchased offshore. That’s about $35bn.”

The Prime Minister rejected the government’s emission reduction target of 26 per cent to 28 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels would result in 250,000 job losses, saying the McKibben report had not modelled the government’s policy.

Mr Morrison also ramped up his attack on Labor’s costings as Mr Shorten continues to come under pressure to reveal the cost to Australian businesses and consumers from his 45 per cent emissions reduction target and to detail elements of his $2.3 billion cancer package.

“Bill Shorten’s on a cost merry-go-round when it comes not only to these issues but many issues I think he should come clean on,” Mr Morrison said.

“I think he should get off that cost merry- go-round and actually start coming clean with people about actually what the costs of his policies are. If he won’t explain them to you I don’t know why you’d vote for him.”

.@ScottMorrisonMP: Now, the other announcement we're making here today is a $100 million investment in extending access to clinical trials to Australians out in regional, remote and rural areas.

MORE: https://t.co/rHGxuYW0Wl pic.twitter.com/NnmZZnRGZp

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 20, 2019

Rosie Lewis 2.05pm: Shorten ‘struck deal with Greens

Scott Morrison has accused Bill Shorten of clinching a deal with the Greens to rush through key tax and climate change policies before the start of the new Senate, following revelations Labor was planning to “maximise its changes” of reversing penalty rate cuts before June 30.

The Weekend Australian today reports Labor has approached several crossbench senators to ask generally about a passage of ALP legislation before the Senate of the 45th parliament expires.

New senators elected on May 18 begin their terms on July 1 but if the Senate was to sit before then the existing senators would vote on legislation.

Labor has had success in the current Senate, being able to pass some of its own legislation and motions that have embarrassed the government.

The Prime Minister refused to say if he would recall the Senate before July if he won the election or what his priorities would be.

“First of all cool your jets Bill, there’s an election first,” Mr Morrison said after campaigning at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.

“I do find it interesting he seems to want to reconvene the parliament before the 30th of June. I don’t know what he assumes the makeup of the Senate will be after the 30th of June but it sounds to me he’s struck a deal with the Greens.

“The Greens are up for death taxes, even (Labor frontbencher) Andrew Leigh’s up for death taxes let alone the union movement, what is the deal that Bill Shorten has with the Greens to get all of his taxes through and to get all of his carbon abatement policies, emissions reduction policies, which he won’t explain tot he Australian people?

“I find it a bit off he’s making these comments. A, it’s pretty arrogant but, two, it sounds like that he and the Greens are a lot closer than he’s prepared to indicate.”

Greg Brown 1.20pm: Shorten commits to NEG

Bill Shorten has committed a future Labor government to legislating the national energy guarantee - even if it is opposed by the Coalition.

The Opposition Leader said he would attempt to legislate Malcolm Turnbull’s signature energy policy without the support of opposition.

Labor had previously indicated it would only pursue the NEG if it received bipartisan support.

“We think that it is a good framework,” Mr Shorten said, when asked if Labor will pursue the policy if it is opposed by the Coalition but has majority support of the parliament.

“We will use some of the Turnbull, Morrison, Frydenberg architecture and we will work with that structure.”

A key aspect of the NEG is legislating an emissions reduction target for the electricity sector. Labor’s target is 45 per cent across the economy.

.@billshortenmp: What the Coalition call cost, I call investing. At what cost does this govt think it’s too expensive to save the planet? Our research is based on not just the best science, but also the best consultations of industry.

MORE: https://t.co/tarl8ccHIS #livenow pic.twitter.com/KhWO6lmInu

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 20, 2019

Greg Brown 1.05pm: ‘Audit water buyback’

Bill Shorten has called for an audit of an $80 million water buyback - the biggest ever - signed off by Barnaby Joyce when he was agriculture minister.

The 2017 buyback was from Eastern Australia Agriculture, a company Energy Minister Angus Taylor helped start and worked for until 2009.

“This water scandal is really starting to come to light. This was the nation’s biggest water purchase, the most expensive water purchase, and now we are seeing question marks about the probity of it,” Mr Shorten said.

“The Prime Minister needs to say one thing: is he completely confident that everything is above board? Is he going to stake his reputation over whether or not everything is above board?

“If he is will he agree to an audit, a commission of inquiry, to demonstrate the questions being raised are not valid.

“He needs to come clean, he needs to say: does he 100 per cent guarantee Barnaby Joyce’s actions? Does he 100 per cent guarantee everything Angus Taylor did?”

Bill Shorten on the carousel with his daughter Clementine at Luna Park in Melbourne. Picture Kym Smith.

Greg Brown 11.40am: Shorten dodges ERT costs

Bill Shorten says his 45 per cent emissions reduction target will “not cost the taxpayer” but has repeatedly refused to say what the cost of his ambitious climate change policy will be on consumers, business and the economy.

The Opposition Leader said people were looking for a “mythical figure” in asking about the price of Labor’s emissions policy because it did not take into account the cost of climate change, which he last week put at $18 billion.

“There is no one mythical figure. The point about it is, that we either tackle climate change or we don’t,” Mr Shorten said in Melbourne today.

“Your question makes no allowance for the impact of climate change. How much do you offset the costs of getting a company to stop polluting against the cost of extreme weather events? Your question is only part of the equation. The cost of climate change is now being passed onto consumers,” Mr Shorten said.

“Our policy will not cost the taxpayer. The current government is paying billions of dollars in an emissions reduction fund.

“We are not raising a tax, we are not seeking to spend taxpayer money to pay big emitters not to emit.”

He again claimed the cost of his policy was “comparable to the government’s” because Labor allowed international carbon credit trading.

This is despite Australian National University professor Warwick McGibbin - whose work Mr Shorten pinned his costings on - telling The Weekend Australian the future price of the international credits was “completely uncertain”.

Mr Shorten also dismissed Professor McGibbin’s revelation Labor had never consulted him about his four-year-old report before the party last week used it to underpin its policy.

“The McKibbin report is publicly available and of course we relied on it in part,” he said.

The Labor leader also vowed to attempt to legislate Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee if he wins power, locking in the 45 per cent target by law.

.@billshortenmp: What the Coalition call cost, I call investing. At what cost does this govt think it’s too expensive to save the planet? Our research is based on not just the best science, but also the best consultations of industry.

MORE: https://t.co/tarl8ccHIS #livenow pic.twitter.com/KhWO6lmInu

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 20, 2019

Rosie Lewis 11.19am: PM at Westmead Hospital

The ScoMobile is on its way to Westmead Hospital, in the longtime Labor-held seat of Parramatta, as the Prime Minister turns his focus to health. Scott and Jenny Morrison will meet with young patients at Westmead Children’s Hospital and in the spirit of Easter hand out a chocolate egg or two.

The Coalition has two health announcements today - $100 million for rural, regional and remote clinical trials across the country and $65m to establish the first adult cystic fibrosis unit at Westmead Hospital.

Greg Brown 10.15am: Labor ads attack penalty rates

Bill Shorten will spend Easter Saturday morning at Luna Park in Melbourne’s St Kilda, ramping up his pitch to restore penalty rates.

The Opposition Leader will talk to workers at the theme park in the marginal seat of Macnamara, which Labor is fighting to hold in a three cornered contest with the Liberals and the Greens.

His visit comes as Labor releases ads today attacking the government over allowing penalty rates to be cut by the Fair Work Commission, taking advantage of several public public holidays during the campaign.

Both major parties agreed to halt political advertising on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

“Scott Morrison’s penalty rate cuts will leave low paid Australian workers in retail, hospitality, fast food, restaurant and pharmacy losing as much as $370 out of their pay packet this Easter,” Mr Shorten said in a statement this morning.

“When everything is going up except people’s wages, the last thing that workers need is another cut to their take-home pay packet.”

Labor has crunched numbers arguing the penalty cuts will cost fast food workers $218 and hospitality staff $282 in the ten-day period from Good Friday.

Mr Shorten said retail workers will lose $277, while pharmacy workers and restaurant staff will lose $369 and $225 respectively.

The Australian reported this morning Labor is preparing to “maximise its chances” of getting the reversal of penalty rate cuts through the Senate before June 30 if it wins the election with a quick resumption of parliament to consider some of its industrial relations reforms.

9.45am: ‘No need for water inquiry’

The federal coalition has dismissed the need for a royal commission into water purchases under the Murray-Darling Basin plan, saying a review is already planned for for next year.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is writing to the Auditor General requesting an urgent audit into all purchases signed off by former minister Barnaby Joyce. “The Auditor has a responsibility to investigate how $80 million of taxpayers money was paid for water that doesn’t exist,” the senator tweeted on Saturday. “We need a Royal Commission. #watergate”.

I am writing to the Auditor General today requesting an urgent audit into all water purchases signed off by Barnaby Joyce. The Auditor has a responsibility to investigate how $80m of tax payers money was paid for water that doesn’t exist. We need a Royal Commission. #watergate

— Sarah Hanson-Young💚 (@sarahinthesen8) April 19, 2019

Liberal campaign spokesman for the 2019 election Simon Birmingham said a royal commission is not necessary.

He said a 2020 review is already legislated under the the Murray-Darlling Basin plan.

“So that review will take place next year as is already required,” Senator Birmingham told ABC television.

8.20am: Shorten aims to reset ledger

After a disastrous first week of campaigning, Bill Shorten is looking to reset the ledger with a focus on industrial relations, widely considered a key Labor strength.

“In addition to reversing cuts to penalty rates, Labor will protect Australians from unfair labour hire so workers doing the same job get the same pay, and we will act on insecure work and unfair working conditions.”

Mr Shorten spent Good Friday serving the homeless at a soup kitchen in Melbourne, after he and Mr Morrison agreed not to campaign, out of respect for the holy day.

AAP

What’s making news:

Labor is preparing to “maximise its chances” of getting the reversal of penalty rate cuts through the Senate before June 30 if it wins the election with a quick resumption of parliament to consider some of its industrial relations reforms.

Scott Morrison will promise $100 million to open new medicines and treatments for regional Australia, in a counterpunch to Labor’s health-focused election strategy.

Tanya Plibersek has revealed she will be minister for education and training, and minster for women, if Labor wins the election, and will play a lead role in policy co-ordination and implementation within cabinet as deputy prime minister.

Labor senator Pat Dodson — who would likely be indigenous affairs minister under a Shorten government — would face pressure to ­deliver unprecedented reforms for indigenous Australians, including an overhaul of programs, more money for the Closing the Gap targets and the immediate rollout of social housing in remote areas.

Paul Kelly writes: The Labor Party is caught with the arrogance of being the election favourite for too long. The economist whose research Labor belatedly invoked this week has dismissed Bill Shorten’s assertion that Labor and Coalition climate change policies “cost the same”.

Chris Kenny writes: The Easter break won’t have come soon enough for Bill Shorten. He desperately needs to regroup after a disastrous first week of the federal election campaign.