Election 2022: Albo says polling day is his grand final; PM says he can still win
Anthony Albanese has likened himself to a footy team captain, saying the election is his grand final, after Scott Morrison declared he can win a second ‘miracle’ term.
Anthony Albanese has likened himself to a footy team captain, saying Saturday’s election is his grand final.
“It’s my grand final tomorrow,” he told Woolworths workers who wished him good luck.
It was Mr Albanese’s last campaign stop of the day which saw a blitz of marginal seats across three states.
“I’m the captain and this is my vice captain,” he added, pointing to deputy leader Richard Marles.
He said he was hoping to add another player to the team benches in Chisholm candidate Carina Garland.
Labor believes it has a good chance of unseating Liberal MP Gladys Liu in the ultra-marginal seat, which she holds on a razor thin margin of 0.5 per cent.
Mr Albanese, his vice-captain by his side, spoke briefly with the employees and thanked them for their hard work during the pandemic to keep the store open.
They took selfies with the employees and at one point Mr Albanese wondered aloud if they could “break the record for the number of Woolies employees in a selfie”.
It comes after Mr Albanese has hit back at criticisms of his mistakes during the campaign in a heated interview on the eve of the election.
Mr Albanese was grilled by the ABC’s 7.30 host Leigh Sales over a number of campaign missteps, prompting the Opposition Leader to push back.
“During the campaign, you made the unemployment figure mistake. You said this week that Australia’s borders were closed when they’re not. You supported a 5.1 per cent wage increase and then wound it back to say that it would only be for minimum wage earners,” Sales said.
“That’s not right,” Mr Albanese responded.
Sales maintained her claims were correct, to which Mr Albanese repeated, “That’s not right.”
“That‘s not right. That’s not right. Some of the nonsense that has gone on,” he said.
“I’ll tell you what happened. We were asked a question about if the Fair Work Commission came out with a 5.1 per cent increase, would you welcome it? And I said absolutely. Absolutely I would.”
Sales maintained Mr Albanese had been unclear in his position on wage rises.
“During this campaign, with respect, some of the nonsense that’s gone on from some of the journalists thinking the campaign was about them and gotcha moments is one of the things that puts people off politics,” he said.
Mr Albanese said he had fessed up to the unemployment figure mistake at the time and, unlike some parts of the media, had moved on.
Mr Albanese faced a number of difficult questions including on claims made by Labor during the 2016 election that the Coalition would privatise Medicare.
“Medicare is not being privatised, though, that‘s what Labor said. You want us to trust you now, that’s what you said in 2016, and it never happened,” Sales said.
A more recent criticism was of Labor’s policy of supporting tax cuts to wealthy Australians while leaving “unliveable” welfare payments unchanged.
“What even is contemporary Labor if you don’t have that as a priority ahead of tax cuts for the rich?” Ms Sales asked.
Mr Albanese responded: “I’ll tell you what happened - we lost the last election. We lost the last election and those cuts, the tax cuts, have been legislated.”
He said Labor would consider doing what it could for people who were “clearly doing it tough” but noted the country was in $1 trillion worth of debt.
The Labor leader was grilled on the state of Medicare, which many say is not fulfilling the medical needs of vulnerable Australians.
Sales rejected Mr Albanese’s suggestion Labor’s policy of 50 urgent care clinics would fill the gaps.
“That goes nowhere to what I just raised,” she said.
Mr Albanese responded: “Labor will always be better on Medicare and health care.”
He said more than the government’s response, regular Australians were responsible for the country’s relative success coming out of the pandemic.
“Australians responded magnificently to the challenges. That’s what Australians do. The strength of our Australian society was shown,” Mr Albanese said.
The Opposition Leader said during the pandemic, Labor put the national interest first by supporting many of the Coalition’s measures.
It comes after Scott Morrison boldly declared he can win a second ‘miracle’ term with the latest poll showing the gap narrowing.
The Prime Minister late today spruiked his government’s plan to strengthen Australian supply chains and boost the number of apprentices during his last visit in Western Australia, where he went to a water treatment manufacturer, Mak Water, in the marginal electorate of Cowan.
The Coalition is hoping to unseat Labor MP Anne Aly, who holds the seat in a knife-edge 0.9 per cent.
Mr Morrison announced the company would receive a $2m grant under its supply chain resilience program.
Wearing a hi-vis jacket, he toured the factory and learnt about the water desalination process.
Mak Water chairman, Peter Hood, said many of the parts were brought in from overseas but could be manufactured in Australia.
“The market is almost big enough,” he said.
“The containers could be made here in the short-term.”
Mr Morrison said sometimes the certainty of supply by making products domestically trumped the price because it saved on shipping costs.
Mak Water’s clients include the resources sector, including Woodside and Chevron.
The company also exports their products to Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Mr Hood said “every free trade agreement adds another possibility”.
Mr Morrison said remote location in WA were challenging but “once you can crack the technology there, you can actually take it anywhere in the world”.
“Australia tends to be a bit further ahead on these things because both with the capital that’s invested in our sector,” he said.
Mr Morrison also met with four electrical apprentices working at the site.
One apprentice, Luke, said he joined the company about a month ago.
“That’s terrific,” the Prime Minister said.
“I know its tough and you’ve got to work hard.
But at the end of it you can pretty much write your ticket in this country with those sorts of trade skills and qualifications.
“Those who are getting trades will be in extremely high demand in this country because we’re going to be doing more and more.”
Mr Morrison’s visit to the business marked his fifth event of the day in a last minute seat blitz in Western Australia.
The Prime Minister will head interstate to shore up some other crucial seats before returning to Sydney to vote in his electorate of Cook on election day. Labor leader Anthony Albanese says he has ‘nothing left in the tank’ after a brutal campaign.
Mr Albanese kicked off the final full day of the campaign in Adelaide, having coffee with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard before being given a rock star welcome by students at Cabra Dominican College.
It comes as the Coalition has gained ground on Labor in the final days of the campaign, with Labor's primary vote lead shrinking by five percentage points since a previous poll 12 days ago.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Morrison said "of course" he can lead the Coalition to victory at Saturday's federal election.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow," he said.
Shortly after, the smell of a sausage sizzle wafted through the air at Wanneroo Rugby Union Club on Friday afternoon.
It was a sea of green as kids in rugby guernseys and supporters in striped polos eagerly awaited the Prime Minister’s arrival - his second stop in the key seat of Pearce.
He posed for picture with a group of young female players, before heading straight to the barbecues.
Donning a black apron and some blue disposable gloves, Mr Morrison turned a few sausages before declaring they were done.
He then joined the production line helping put sausages in hot dog rolls.
Mr Morrison was at the club to pledge $4m for the club to upgrade its facilities and cater for the growing number of female players.
And in a move designer to play it safe one day out from the poll, he steered clear of the rugby field, after an accidental tackle of a young soccer player in Tasmania.
ALBO’S QUICK STOP TO TASSIE
Anthony Albanese has made a quick stop to a prepoll booth in Launceston.
It’s part of his final day blitz in marginal seats Liberal seats.
His visit caused chaos in the Petbarn car park as media and supporters blocked off the exits.
A One Nation screamed at the Labor leader to sign a so called “pandemic treaty”.
It caused a Labor supporter to sigh and tell reporters “well, you know the crazies are here”.
After a bit of a back and forth about the location of a sharpie, Mr Albanese signed a corflute with his face on it for a supporter.
Bass is held by Bridget Archer on 0.4 per cent margin.
The Liberal MP was also there handing out how to vote cards.
The entire visit, the reason why Mr Albanese travelled to Tasmania for the afternoon, was over in less than five minutes.
Speaking to reporters at a coincidentally timed press conference, Ms Archer declined to say if Scott Morrison should remain as leader, win or lose.
“ Well, look, I think those are the decisions that will be had into the future as they always are,” she said.
“I don’t have a view at the moment at the moment.”
LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER COVID-19 VOTE CONCERNS
Independent Kooyong candidate Monique Ryan has pledged to give back the $126,000 raised for the Federal Court challenge for Covid telephone voting.
On Friday Scott Morrison confirmed a last-minute change to Australia’s electoral laws that could have otherwise prevented more than 100,000 people from voting.
The Australian Electoral Commission reversed a rule that might have seen some people with Covid-19 unable to vote if they hadn’t already enrolled for a postal vote before the deadline.
This would have left anyone who tested positive to Covid-19 ineligible to vote over the phone and unable to attend a polling booth in person due to isolation requirements.
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers on Friday morning signed a brief to the government recommending that eligibility for the telephone voting service for people who have tested positive to Covid-19 be expanded, the AEC tweeted.
Overnight, a GoFundMe for the Kooyong candidate’s legal fund had raised over $126,000 for the Federal Court challenge.
On Friday Ms Ryan said: “Last night 1364 amazing people responded to our call to support legal action to ensure that all people who contracted Covid in the past week were able to equally access telephone voting.
“While media reports and government statements would indicate that we have won, until we have a law – not an announcement – we are continuing to support action in the Federal Court on this issue.
“There have been some costs to get to this point, but regardless, we anticipate that there will be significant funds left over after this incredible community response, which raised $126,843.98.
“Our intention is to offer a refund of unspent funds to all donors as soon as possible. Some donors have indicated that they don’t want refunds. In that event, we will donate any remaining funds to a charitable legal advocacy fund to keep fighting for all Australians’ ability to vote. ”
CHAOS AT PRE-POLLING BOOTH AFTER CAR HITS VOTERS
Two people have been rushed to hospital after a car hit voters outside a pre-polling booth in Ringwood.
The car hit the voters outside the Maroondah Sports Club in Ringwood just after 1pm on Friday.
One person was taken to the Maroondah Hospital while another was taken to the Royal Melbourne. Neither are believed to be in a critical condition.
Full story here.
SCOMO RESPONDS TO BILOELA FAMILY
AN ASYLUM seeker family whose daughters were born in regional Queensland are unlikely to be afforded ministerial clemency to stay in Australia should the Coalition be re-elected, after the Prime Minister said the “most empathetic thing” he could do was “keep borders secure”.
Mr Morrison during an eleventh hour blitz of key seats in Perth—where the Murugappan family are now based—was pressed on whether his move toward empathy in government meant the asylum seeker family from Sri Lanka could get ministerial permission to resettle.
The family, Priya and Nadesalingam Murugappan, arrived in Australia by boat before settling in Biloela and having daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa.
But they were later detained on Christmas Island in August 2019 after earlier detention on the mainland as they sought refugee status in the courts, before being sent to Perth after the younger child suffered a blood infection.
Ministerial intervention means the Immigration Minister could grant the family permission to remain in Australia and go home to Biloela.
But Mr Morrison argued granting visas to people who had illegally entered Australia was a slippery slope, saying the government “may as well start writing the prospectus for people smugglers”.
“The most empathetic thing to do is when it comes to border protection, (is to) keep our borders secure,” Mr Morrison said.
Federal Labor has committed to ministerial intervention in the specific case of the Murugappan family.
ALBANESE CAMPAIGNS WITH FORMER PM JULIA GILLARD
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has declared Anthony Albanese doesn’t need her “advice” on forming a minority government as his strong campaign will secure him the seats he needs to be elected in his own right.
Ms Gillard made her first appearance of the 2022 election campaign in Adelaide in the Liberal-held seat of Sturt on Friday morning with Mr Albanese and several South Australian MPs.
Asked if she had any tips for Mr Albanese’s final day on the trail, Ms Gillard said “he doesn’t need my advice”.
“Honestly he’s campaigning magnificently so he doesn’t need my advice,” she said.
Pressed on whether she had any pointers for navigating a potential hung parliament, Ms Gillard again said her former cabinet colleague did not need her advice on forming a minority government.
South Australian Senator Don Farrell said there would be no need for a minority government.
Mr Albanese said his focus was in forming government outright.
“Our objective is 76 (seats),” Mr Albanese said.
Catching up at the Sfizio cafe, Mr Albanese ordered a piccolo, his partner Jodie Heydon did the same, while Ms Gillard ordered a long black.
Mr Albanese joked about having to pace himself with coffee on what will be his busiest of the campaign, confirming his coffee at the cafe was his third for the day so far.
Mr Albanese and Ms Gillard reminisced about their first meeting, debating the exact date but landing on 1982 when the former prime minister was 21-years old and Mr Albanese was 18.
They discussed how even then education equality was a key shared interest, and Mr Albanese revealed he knew no one from his school who had also gone on to university with him.
They also talked about how the Coalition had ended a lot of the youth programs Labor had set up and were keen to reinstate if elected.
Asked if she would continue campaigning on Friday, Ms Gillard said she would be at the next Adelaide event with Mr Albanese and confirmed she had already voted.
“I did a postal vote … and I was proud to vote Labor,” she said.
Labor frontbencher Mark Butler brought his three and half month old son Charlie to meet Ms Gillard and Mr Albanese.
Mr Albanese held Charlie for several minutes while the group discussed the “baby boom” in parliament in the last term.
Labor MP Marielle Smith joked the party were setting up to ensure there would be a strong contingent of supporters in 18 years time.
Mr Albanese joked this would be when they were going for a seventh term in government.
The group discussed Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth’s penchant for wobble boarding, after she explained she had spent the morning doing so before meeting up with Mr Albanese.
Ms Haydon revealed her father had also been wobble boarding this campaign.
The group discussed how Ms Gillard seemed to have kicked off the cavoodle trend, with many politicians now owning that breed of dog.
Mr Albanese showed the group a picture of his poodle Toto.
ALBO GETS ROCK STAR WELCOME
Mr Albanese has received a rock star welcome by the students at the Cabra Dominican College in Adelaide.
The Catholic school is located in the marginal South Australian seat of Boothby, which Labor is eager to snap from the Liberals following the retirement of Nicolle Flint.
Candidate Louise Miller Frost met with the Labor leader, Julia Gillard, Penny Wong and Peter Malinauskas for a tour of the school grounds.
After a quick meeting with the school captains – who Mr Albanese remarked were just a bit younger than Ms Gillard and he were when they first met – the bell rang.
It didn’t take long for the horde of teenagers to circle the group in their quest for a selfie.
Some of the kids couldn’t name the Labor leader, simply referring to him as “the guy up against ScoMo” and a proportion seemed much more excited to see the Premier and the former prime minister.
First time voter Tessa, 18, told News Corp she was surprised to see Mr Albanese on campus.
“We were told by email this morning the Premier was going to be here so I’m a little bit surprised.”
Asked if the visit had swayed her vote, she shrugged.
The scrum of students followed Mr Albanese as he walked around the school.
“The stampede is killing me,” one student offhandedly remarked.
“I just wanted a quiet recess.”
SKY NEWS ELECTION COVERAGE
Check out the latest coverage of the election on Sky News below
Sky News will be providing live coverage of the election from Saturday afternoon. There will be coverage on our sites throughout Saturday and into the night.
PM HIT WITH QUESTIONS ON PACIFIC ‘LEAK’
Scott Morrison has refused to weigh in on a national security committee leak which claimed a pitch for more funding in the Pacific to prevent foreign interference was rejected.
The Prime Minister, who was grilled over the issue, rejected suggestions his own team was leaking against him one day before the election.
Mr Morrison said his ministers were “tight” before pointing the finger at other officials in the room. “I’m not going to confirm one way or another,” he said.
“What I can tell you, what I can tell you is that the National Security Committee is not just attended by ministers.”
Asked if he would have the leak investigation, Mr Morrison said he wouldn’t confirm that there was a leak.
“I don’t discuss national security matters,” he said, adding he would not play a game of yes or no.
Mr Morrison rejected suggestions that doubling pacific aid funding would counter Chinese influence in the region.
“We invest in the Pacific, because they’re our family and they trust us, and we always will. We don’t seek things in return,” he said.
The Prime Minister also took aim at a journalist, who grilled him over claims he needed to change, saying he was being a “bulldozer” himself.
Asked whether his government would allow the Biloela family to return to Queensland in a show of empathy, Mr Morrison said the “most empathetic thing to do” about border protection was to “keep our borders secure”.
He also called on more Aussies to move West and take up opportunities in the states.
Mr Morrison said the GST deal he did with the state enabled it to build roads and infrastructure needed to support its growth.
“We need more people moving west, there's plenty of room, there's plenty of opportunity,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the case of monkeypox detected in NSW was concerning but there were treatments and it was far less contagious then Covid.
“No one should be alarmed at this point,” he said. “We've got the best health authorities in the world.”
AWKWARD MOMENT ALBO ASKED ABOUT GILLARD BETRAYAL
Mr Albanese has dodged questions about whether Julia Gillard could rely on his support after previously switching his support for her before she was ousted in the 2013 election.
The Labor leader was asked if he had learned from the time as he appeared with Australia’s first and only female Prime Minister on the last day of the campaign.
After an initial hesitation by Mr Albanese, Ms Gillard stepped in to answer the question and told reporters: “Can I say the following about your question about the long and distant past. My clear memory of that period is Albo and I worked together every day, we occasionally had differences of views, we never exchanged a crossword, we worked together productively in the interests of the Government every day.
“And when the opportunity came to vote for Albo as Deputy Prime Minister, I did.”
Ms Gillard urged Australian women to vote for Labor at the election, promising the party would form a government that would best represent them.
Australia’s first and only female Prime Minister appeared out and about in Adelaide with Labor leader Anthony Albanese on election eve.
“It’s a pleasure to be here and as you know I don’t do this much anymore,” she told reporters.
“I never do it anymore but I have made a particular exception today and the reason I’ve done that is because I wanted to come and support my friend, Albo.
“Albo and I might look really young but the truth is that we have known each other for more than 40 years right back to when we were university students.
“And with the authority that the more than 40 years of friendship gives me, I can certainly say the following about Albo.
“He is ready to be the Prime Minister, he will be a great Prime Minister.”
Ms Gillard said she had a “particular message for Australian women”.
“Having served as the only woman to hold the job as Prime Minister, you would know in the years since that I’ve made my focus on women’s leadership, amongst the biggest things that I do,” she said.
“What I want to see for this country is the government that cares about, values and includes women.
“And I know that a government led by Albo will do precisely that.”
Mr Albanese said his mum would be “proud as punch” if she knew a boy from Camperdown was close to becoming the next prime minister of Australia.
When asked how much he’s thought about his late mother during the campaign, he said: “Julia knew my mum and she would be the only one here who did. She would be proud as punch”.
“She made a courageous decision in 1963 to keep a child she had out of wedlock,” he said.
“She chose, in order to – to deal with the pressures that were on a young Catholic woman at that time, in those circumstances, to take my father’s name, and I was raised, being told that he had died.
“That’s a tough decision. It says something about the pressure that was placed on women and the pressures that are still placed on women, when faced with difficult circumstances.
“So, the fact that – that young kid is now running for prime minister, says a lot about her and her courage. But also it says a lot about this country.”
LATEST POLLS SHOW CONTEST TIGHTENING
Mr Albanese has stressed he is not contemplating the prospect on a hung parliament, despite opinion polls tightening.
Speaking to reporters in the South Australian seat of Boothby, Mr Albanese said he was focused on winning 76 or more seats for the Labor Party.
But he declined to answer questions on what he would do if faced with the reality. The Labor leader was flanked by his long-time friend and former prime minister Julia Gillard, who said she worked closely with Mr Albanese while she presided over a hung parliament.
"My clear memory of that period is that Albo and I worked together every day, we occasionally had differences of views, we never exchanged a crossword, we worked together productively in the interest of the Government every day," she said.
Ms Gillard also set the record straight on if there was any bad blood between the two after the leadership spill that saw her deposed as Labor leader in 2013.
“When the opportunity came to vote for Albo as Deputy Prime Minister, I did,” she said.
The Coalition has gained ground on Labor in the final days of the campaign, with Labor's primary vote lead shrinking by five percentage points since a previous poll 12 days ago.
Labor's primary vote fell two points to 36 per cent while the Coalition's first preference jumped three points from 32 per cent to 35 per cent (excluding undecided voters), according to The Australian Financial Review/Ipsos poll.
The Greens are on 13 per cent, One Nation five per cent, the United Australia Party three per cent and others and independents are on eight per cent. Based on 2019 preference flows, Labor still comfortably leads the Coalition by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.
ALBO SAYS ‘NOTHING LEFT IN THE TANK’
Mr Albanese has declared he has “nothing left in the tank”, saying he has given his election campaign “everything” as he stares down his final full day on the road.
The Labor leader will visit three states today – South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria – in a final marginal seat blitz. Speaking with ABC’s AM, Mr Albanese said he won’t stop campaigning until 6pm tomorrow.
“Today, I'll be in four states, commencing here in Sydney, going to Adelaide and then travelling to two more states,” he said. “And I'll keep going until six o'clock on Saturday because I absolutely believe that Australia needs a better future.”
But Mr Albanese remained coy on his future should he fall short on Saturday. “I'm contemplating a majority Labor government on Saturday. That's what I'm working towards, at 6pm. That is my only consideration,” he said.
His campaign will be bolstered by a rare campaign appearance from Julia Gillard on Friday. It’s a significant intervention from the former prime minister who has largely stepped away from political life.
The pair will sit down for a chat and coffee at a local cafe in Norwood. It’s the first time she has personally appeared on the campaign after writing to ACT residents to endorse senator Katy Gallagher’s re-election bid.
Mr Albanese and Ms Gillard will meet in the Liberal held electorate of Sturt this morning. It’s the seat formerly held by frontbencher Christopher Pyne. It’s currently held by James Stevens on a 6.9 per cent margin.
But state Labor’s recent victory has some concerned the traditional Liberal seat could fall to Labor for the first time. In what could be considered a move of artful trolling, the Labor campaign stop is just doors down from the electorate office of Mr Stevens.
LIBERAL GATECRASHERS TRY TO CRASH GILLARD CATCH UP
As Liberal gatecrashers holding “it won’t be easy under Albanese” signs waited out the front, the Labor leader and Ms Gillard slipped in through the back.
The group of four had tried to enter the cafe with their signs in tow but were promptly ejected from the venue.
Speaking with News Corp later, they said they were Liberal volunteers but did not work for James Stevens, who has an office just a couple of doors down.
The pair met with members of the South Australian Labor team, minus Penny Wong who made a fashionably late entrance.
Outside, a passer-by asked what was going on.
“Oh. Ugh,” she responded when they found Mr Albanese was inside.
“Do you think I can still get a coffee?”
An older lady pointed to the commotion inside the cafe and remarked: “If you really want to get Covid you should go in there”
But the gatecrashers weren’t the only concern for Mr Albanese.
As he sat there holding Mark Butler’s baby boy Charlie, a TV screen showing Seven’s the Morning Show was playing a package of the campaigns greatest gaffes.
On repeat? The Labor leader’s awkward unemployment rate gaffe from the first week of the campaign.
“We all make mistakes” the strap read as the man who used to hold the seat Mr Albanese was campaigning in, Christopher Pyne, beamed down above him.
“Should we expect our politicians to be on 24/7,” the TV strap flicked to.
Mr Albanese will be hoping the answer is no.
CHARLTON, LIBS CLEARED TO RUN
Star Labor candidate Andrew Charlton will not be referred to the AFP after it was found he was enrolled at a different address to where he lives.
Mr Charlton, who was parachuted into the seat of Parramatta, earlier apologised for an "oversight" which saw him allegedly breach electoral laws by listing a Woollahra property owned by his wife as his place of residence.
He moved out of his Bellevue Hill mansion in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs after purchasing a four-bedroom property in North Parramatta in April.
But the businessman did not register the North Parramatta property or his $16.1 million mansion as his residential address with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for the Federal Election on May 21.
There were similar issues raised in relation to the eligibility of Richard Welch, the Liberal Party candidate for McEwen and Bruce Nockles, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro.
In a statement on Friday, the AEC said: “As with similar previous matters, the AEC has investigated each of these matters and at this point it is our view that there is insufficient evidence of enrolment fraud or false declarations to support referring any of them to the AFP.”
COVID POSITIVE VOTERS WARNED OF DELAYS
Mr Morrison has confirmed a last-minute change to Australia’s electoral laws that could have otherwise prevented more than 100,000 people from voting.
The Australian Electoral Commission reversed a rule that might have seen some people with Covid-19 unable to vote if they hadn’t already enrolled for a postal vote before the deadline.
This would have left anyone who tested positive to Covid-19 since last Friday May 13 ineligible to vote over the phone and unable to attend a polling booth in person due to isolation requirements.
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers on Friday morning signed a brief to the government recommending that eligibility for the telephone voting service for people who have tested positive to Covid-19 be expanded, the AEC tweeted.
It will include anyone who has Covid, regardless of when they test positive.
The Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers confirmed to the ABC that it is expanding telephone capacity to deal with the emergency measure. He warned there will be delays.
ALBANESE IN EMOTIONAL PITCH TO VOTERS
Mr Albanese has returned to the street of his childhood home to make his last-minute pitch to Australian voters.
The Labor leader has released his final campaign advertisement to try to sell a message of hope as he describes what Australia could be like with a change of government.
"I believe that Australia is the best country in the world. We have so much to be proud of but we can be so much better," he said. narrating the video.
In the ad, Mr Albanese is filmed walking past what appears to be the public housing block in Sydney's inner west where he grew up with his mum.
"I grew up here in Camperdown. Mum brought me up to work hard and be proud of our community," Mr Albanese said.
"We never thought about how little we had – We thought about how much we could achieve."
Mr Albanese said in the clip that every parent wants more for their children than they had and that "it's not like that anymore but it should be".
"Everything I am, I owe to my family and my community," he says. "It all started on this street. I will always be grateful for that. I want everyone to have that same chance to succeed."
Mr Albanese tells viewers they have a choice of three more years of "the same" under a Coalition government. Or, he says, they can choose "unlocking the potential of this great country by working together".
RAIN COULD HELP THE COALITION
Widespread rain across eastern Australia on Saturday could strangely help the Coalition.
A Swiss study found a 1.2 per cent drop in people voting for change when it was raining. The study found if there's no rain, people tended to be more positive and optimistic and more likely to vote for change.
But if it's raining, it causes more negative emotions and they vote more cautiously – sticking with the devil they know.
Queensland and New South Wales are set for yet another soaking this weekend – prompting flood fears – and possible storms could lash parts of Western Australia. NSW and Queensland are expected to cop falls of around 20-30mm each day, with some "isolated heavier falls".
HOLMES A COURT APOLOGISES TO HUME
Millionaire climate change campaigner Simon Holmes a Court has apologised to a female government minister after confronting her at a polling station, sparking allegations of bullying.
Kooyong candidate Monique Ryan distanced herself from her donor, declaring his spat with Superannuation Minister Jane Hume had nothing to do with her campaign.
Ms Ryan spent an awkward day after Mr Holmes a Court reacted on Wednesday after being accused of bad taste and anti-Semitism over a tweet attacking former prime minister John Howard as the “angel of death” over his record on climate change.
Mr Holmes a Court was videoed confronting Senator Hume outside the polling station in Melbourne’s inner east, refusing to end the clash and later being described by an onlooker as a bully.
“Bullying, bullying,” the woman can be heard to say on the video, which was released by the Liberal Party.
A note to any activist sons of billionaires 🎩🥂thinking of stalking the booths today: Team Liberal is still fronting up, still delivering, still making our case, still unintimidated #KooyongVotes#auspolpic.twitter.com/zd9kqiBsOe
— Jane Hume (@SenatorHume) May 19, 2022
On Friday, Ms Hume tweeted ‘A note to any activist sons of billionaires thinking of stalking the booths today: Team Liberal is still fronting up, still delivering, still making our case, still unintimidated’.
WHERE THE LEADERS ARE TODAY
Hitting two electorates on Thursday, Mr Morrison’s final sprint of the campaign began the day in the Labor-held Tasmanian seat of Lyons, before heading to Werriwa in Sydney’s southwest with expectation of starting Friday in Perth.
Anthony Albanese is spending another night away from his travelling media pack on the eve of the final full day of election campaigning.
The Labor leader was in Sydney on Thursday night, while journalists who usually travel with him were sent to Canberra after a chaotic day on the campaign trail involving an attempt to distance Mr Albanese from scrutiny over Labor’s costings.
Mr Albanese will spend Friday campaigning in marginal Liberal-held seats in South Australia, Tasmania and NSW, as part of Labor’s 48-hour “final sprint” around the country.
In Perth, Mr Morrison will campaign in key West Australian seats the Liberals must hold in order to have a chance at retaining government.
In a bid to signal to voters a re-elected Coalition and Mr Morrison would evolve, he said the next term would herald a “gear change” and a “more inclusive” government on how the economy moves forward.
But “strength in the job” would continue, with the comments coming just minutes after Mr Morrison dug the boot into floundering Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.
He accused Mr Albanese of “running away from scrutiny” over a reneged plan to ditch the travelling press pack in Canberra while he travelled to Brisbane.
Asked if he agreed with Mr Albanese that Coalition attacks ads saying “it won’t be easy under Albanese” was offensive word play of a migrant name, Mr Morrison accused his opponent of being “precious”.
“If he’s that precious, and he can’t hack a campaign, then how on earth is he going to handle running this country?” he said.
Mr Morrison confirmed a trip to the Solomon Islands was on the agenda should he be re-elected, though he didn’t specify a timeline.
He said it was his “intention” to visit the Solomon Islands and “many of the other Pacific countries” that he had hoped to visit over the pandemic.
“Most of the diplomacy we had to do in the last three years was on the phone but over that period of time, I made over 100 direct contacts and calls with Pacific leaders,” he said.
“And so yes, I would look forward to doing that and look forward to having an opportunity (to meet leaders in person.”
Mr Morrison, who did not state his personal view on the matter, said it was “not our policy” to prioritise debate on the issue of lifting federal laws preventing territories from debating their own voluntary assisted dying scheme.
Federal Labor has committed to dealing with the debate to restore the territories’ rights in its first term of government.
RUDD’S ‘CREEPY’ TATT PLEDGE IF SCO-MO WINS
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took The Project panel off-guard tonight with an off the cuff moment while appearing as a guest host.
Speaking about Saturday’s Federal Election, Mr Rudd also shared some anecdotes from his time in office including why he infamously blew up while recording a message in Chinese.
But one particular moment from Mr Rudd’s guest episode had the panel in stitches.
After discussing both parties’ approach to housing affordability, host Waleed Aly veered off to pitch a high-stakes wager to the former Labor leader.
“Will you get a Scott Morrison tattoo if he wins the election?” Aly asked.
Surprisingly, Mr Rudd agreed, with one small caveat. “If it is removable, yes,” he said.
Mr Rudd went even further and said he’d allow Aly to pick where he got ScoMo’s mug tattooed on his body.
“Creepy …” Lisa Wilkinson said.
While the bookies and an NT croc have Labor as the standout favourite, Mr Rudd admitted there was “still 36 hours to go” on the campaign trail.
If Scott Morrison pulls off an outside win, it looks like it’ll be a trip to ink city for the former Labor PM.
TAME ACCUSES PM OF USING WIFE AS ‘OBJECT OF BLAME’
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has attacked Scott Morrison, again, this time for using his wife Jenny Morrison as an ‘object of blame’.
“There’s something very telling about a man who repeatedly outsources his morality to his wife,’’ Ms Tame tweeted.
“A woman he uses as an object of blame, to ease his conscience about his bad behaviour, clarify abuse, make Anthony — who has a less traditional family — look morally inferior, and so on.”
The tweet was liked by more than 8000 and retweeted by more than 1800.
Sky News contributor Caleb Bond described the comment as “utterly ridiculous”.
“Being normal doesn’t mean you have to have a family, you can have a partner or you can live on your own – it really doesn’t matter a jot,” Mr Bond told Sky News host Peta Credlin.
There’s something very telling about a man who repeatedly outsources his morality to his wife. A woman he uses as an object of blame, to ease his conscience about his bad behaviour, clarify abuse, make Anthony—who has a less traditional family—look morally inferior, and so on.
— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) May 18, 2022
“It’s just a desperate attempt from Grace Tame to attack Morrison at any opportunity and get chummy with Albanese as we see she does quite often.”
Ms Tame won plenty of praise for her tweet but there were some that were just over her attacks on the PM.
“I just wish you would stop thinking you’re appropriate to keep up your barrage against the PM I’m not a Scott Morrison fan far from it however this constant barrage is just sooooo yesterday,’’ one wrote.
Another wrote: “Grace, articulated so well. There always been something his use of Jenny that makes me feel uncomfortable. I imagine this appeals to many Baby Boomers who think their traditional model of the world that has served them, and them only, is under challenge.”
Ms Tame also weighed in on the soccer kid who was bowled over by the PM.
“As much as I love taking the mickey out of politicians, I can’t help but feel for the young boy who just got tackled to the ground. While his image is reappropriated for jokes, and footage of him falling is replayed nationwide, he’s probably too young to fully understand it all.”
INDEPENDENT’S PREDICTION ON ‘TEAL’ SEATS
Cathy McGowan has made a bold prediction on how many independent candidates will get over the line at the election this Saturday.
Having paved the way for the independent movement at the upcoming poll, the former member for Indi weighed in while appearing on the ABC’s Q+A on Thursday night.
Ms McGowan said out of 23 independents standing in this year’s election, just three would win.
She predicted independents would snag seats in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Ms McGowan said many independents were largely running in safe seats where the odds were against them winning.
“What most of the communities are doing are trying to get better representation. They’re definitely wanting to make their seats marginal. And if they can get over the line, that’s a good thing,” she said.
Ms McGowan said as well as high-profile independents in affluent inner city electorates, many were standing in regional, National-held seats.
“I don’t know if they can actually get over the line. But there’s a number of National Party seats that are gonna come really close,” she said.
Liberal Senator James Patterson said his main desire for the next parliament was for a majority government.
Senator Paterson claimed independents jeopardised this stability.
“It’s a vote for a weaker government and a weaker country, leading to uncertainty,” he said.
“In uncertain times that’s the last thing we need. I want a strong majority government. “Obviously I would prefer it be a Liberal/National one. But if it weren’t, I would rather it be a Labor one than a weak hung parliament.”
BARNABY HECKLED BY ANGRY VOTER
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was heckled by an angry voter while campaigning in the hotly contested Hunter Valley town of Muswellbrook on Thursday morning.
The Hunter electorate is largely defined by its coal industry which has long-served as a battleground for the various parties on climate.
Delivering a rambling attack to reporters about Labor and the phasing out of coal, Mr Joyce asked one man to estimate how much mining workers earned an hour – intending to compare it to jobs in the renewable sector.
“Out at the mine, you’d be on about 46 bucks an hour. What do you reckon, sir?” Mr Joyce asked.
“I reckon you and One Nation got together so the people who are employed by hire companies are not getting the same amount of money as every other normal person,” the man replied.
Mr Joyce attempted to continue with his point and speak over the man, who repeated his accusation of “hire” workers being shafted.
The man may have been referring to a 2021 deal between the Coalition and One Nation to overturn the right of casual coal industry workers to claim holiday pay on top of their loading.
One of Mr Joyce’s minders tried to silence the heckler, who responded that he was practising freedom of speech.
It is an example of the frustration felt by many in the Hunter who have grown used to being used as a political football.
Since 1910, the Hunter has been held by Labor, most recently by Joel Fitzgibbons, who has been the electorate’s member since 1996 and will retire after Saturday’s election.
In his place, Labor has put forward Olympian and former coal industry worker Dan Repacholi, whose opponents include One Nation candidate Dale McNamara and young-gun James Thomson from the Nationals.
Labor’s margin of support has slipped drastically to just three per cent leading into the election and fears are pro-coal platforms being run by some candidates could see a historic upset.
Despite softening in its approach to emissions reductions, the Coalition remains largely supportive of maintaining coal industries, including in the Hunter.
Mr Joyce said under the Coalition, workers would have the choice to go from a job in coal to an equally well paying one in a new industry, such as hydrogen or critical minerals.
“We’re not shutting down any industries and shutting down any jobs,” he said.
However, aside from a vague mention of jobs in new cleaner industries, neither major party has provided any detail on what the transition will look like and how much support will be available for workers.
Singleton local Myles Egan, who is studying coal community transition as an honours student, said the issue had become so “politically toxic” as to obscure how the transition will look.
“People can’t see the transition and can’t see how they access new industry jobs,” he said.
Mr Egan said in the absence of a clearly articulated pathway, the Nationals, One Nation and other “pro-coal” candidates were getting away with running a “fear campaign”.
“In the absence of a clear alternative, people are going to be protective of what they’ve got,” Mr Egan said.
The key point, Mr Egan and others say, is that the clean transition is happening regardless of who Australia elects and will result in drastically fewer coal mining jobs than Australia currently has.
Got a story tip? Email us at federalelection@news.com.au
Know some goss or seen something in your electorate? Contact us at election.confidential@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as Election 2022: Albo says polling day is his grand final; PM says he can still win
Join the conversation
Warning on Aussie leader in Trump era
Jim Chalmers has dished out a scathing assessment of one Aussie leader’s ability to navigate Australia’s “complex relationships” in the wake of the US election.
Read more
Albo drops big election date hint
Anthony Albanese has revealed when Australians can expect to cast their ballots next year.
Read more