PM says Opposition leader’s criticism ‘the comments of an armchair critic’ – as it happened

Prime minister Scott Morrison in Cairns on day 36 of the 2022 federal election campaign. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

11.33am BST

What we learned today, Monday 16 May

Much of today’s focus was on the fallout from the Coalition’s housing policy announcement. The future makeup and role of the crossbench was also a theme. Here are today’s headlines:

• Scott Morrison faced the ABC’s Leigh Sales in a rapid-fire interview on 7.30. There were no huge revelations, but he did appear to say seats with teal independents are rich enough to be insulated from economic woes. Voters will love that.
• The Coalition’s housing policy is likely to push up property prices, experts say. Greg Jericho named five housing policies that wouldn’t.
• The Greens had their campaign launch, and their leader, Adam Bandt, outlined seven demands of the future government.
• Bandt and independent MP for Warringah, Zali Steggall, said they’d hesitate to work with Morrison.
• In a rare intervention, former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard spoke out to back Katy Gallagher for the Senate.
• Paul Karp and Josh Butler filed from the campaign trail, and have all the latest (along with Daniel Hurst) in today’s election briefing.
• There was a barney about the Coalition apparently pushing back against requests from the US to involve Labor in the Aukus discussions.
• And we asked: Will the opinion polls prove accurate this time?

It’s going to be a big week. And a bigger weekend. Amy Remeikis will be back in the morning to guide you through the next stage. Deep breaths. It’s going to be fine. See you tomorrow!

Updated at 11.38am BST

11.04am BST

Morrison is refusing to speculate on the election’s aftermath – whether he’ll remain as Liberal leader if he loses, or how he might negotiate with a crossbench.

He says:

The scenario that my team is working for, is not to have a weakened parliament. To not to have a government that has to negotiate for its existence every day. If I had to do that, Leigh, over the last three years, Australia would not be in a stronger position than we are today. We would be in a weaker position. People would be worse off. I want to avoid that.

Asked who he would blame if he did lose, he says:

I would always accept the result of an election because I trust my fellow Australians.

He squeezes in one more (truncated) stump speech, and it’s over.

Updated at 11.05am BST