Labor is warning the Coalition's proposal to allow first home buyers to use some of their super to buy a home will inflate the property market, with housing spokesman Jason Clare saying many won't have much super anyway.
Look back on all of Monday's updates as they happened in our blog.
Key events
- Australian election interference plot suspected in recent hacking of Nauru police emails
- Zali Steggall, Adam Bandt, Craig Kelly and Rex Patrick feature on Press Club panel
- AEC says signs falsely depicting independents as Greens are in breach of electoral act
- Albanese pressed on policy costings
- Scott Morrison pressed on Coalition's housing policy modelling
- PM says people who access new housing scheme won't retire worse off
- Government MP concedes policy will push up prices ‘temporarily’
Live updates
By Jessica Riga
We'll wrap up our live coverage here
Thank you for your company today, and to those who sent in their thoughts on the Coalition's new housing policy.
We'll be back later in the evening to bring you the latest updates from Scott Morrison's interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30.
Bye for now!
By Jessica Riga
Remember, Scott Morrison is on 7.30 tonight
Leigh Sales will be interviewing the Prime Minister tonight, and the Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese later in the week.
It all kicks off at, you guessed it, 7:30pm.
We'll also be live blogging the interview, so we'll reconvene then!
By Jessica Riga
WA minor parties flooded with anti-COVID-19 mandate campaigners
If you're a country voter feeling let down by mainstream politics, you would be hard pressed to find a voice that isn't strongly against COVID-19 mandates.
An analysis by the ABC has found most minor parties in regional WA are running on anti-vaccine mandate agendas.
But what do country folk think?
Gloria Speakman told us she would vote for one of the two major parties, but felt the independents had a big role to play.
She said no one issue was grabbing her vote.
"Nothing specific, just overall I'm not happy with the way things are going," she said.
Marco Hobbs said he would vote for an independent, not over vaccination mandates, but rather because he felt the quality the candidates for major parties was so low.
"It's pretty sad, when you see the candidates, that it's the best Australia's got to offer," he said.
"I just think it's just good not to run with the mainstream and to give other people a chance, given how low the quality of the main parties is."
Reporting by Jacqui Lynch and Gian De Poloni
By Jessica Riga
A quick breakdown of New Zealand's housing policy
By political reporter Tom Lowrey
The PM mentioned this morning when he was talking about his new first home buyer housing policy, that there’s a similar scheme to their proposal running in New Zealand.
It’s true, sort of.
Basically, yes, in NZ first home buyers can use ‘KiwiSaver’ (superannuation) funds for a house deposit. And yes, according to the guy in the SBS article, it has put plenty of upward pressure on house prices. You can withdraw right down to $1k.
The key difference – NZ doesn’t have compulsory super, quite the same way Australia does. It’s an opt-out model, so you can choose to put nothing into super if you want.
So it is really more of a conventional savings account, than an Australian superannuation account.
The Conversation has done a great explainer on the two different super systems here.
By Jessica Riga
Anthony Albanese campaigns in Perth
The Opposition Leader returns to the West to kick off the final week on the hustings.
By Jessica Riga
Julia Gillard endorses ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher, saying parliament needs more 'strong, experienced women'
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has taken the rare step of endorsing a candidate for an ACT Senate seat, backing Labor's Katy Gallagher.
Senator Gallagher currently holds one of the ACT's two Senate seats, alongside Liberal senator Zed Seselja.
But both are competing for re-election alongside political hopefuls from other parties, including high profile independent candidate David Pocock, prompting Senator Gallagher to say she was "not a shoo-in".
Ms Gillard has rarely endorsed federal election candidates since she herself left politics.
But today, she penned a letter to Canberra voters, heralding Senator Gallagher as a "strong, experienced" politician she said deserved to be re-elected.
"There's been a lot of talk about independents recently," Ms Gillard said.
"What our federal parliament needs is more strong, experienced women. And that's why I believe the choice you face this election matters so much."
By Jessica Riga
Kids say the darndest things
By political reporter Matthew Doran, travelling with the Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese's campaign in Perth
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" a very young child with a remarkably broad vocabulary screamed, as the Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wandered towards the sandpit of a childcare centre in Perth's east.
In show business, the old adage is to never work with children or animals. But in politics, and particularly campaigning, both are televisual gold.
Anthony Albanese thinks he's on to a winner, pushing a policy of cheaper childcare for Australian families. He argues his policy will cut costs for 96 per cent of Australian families, while the rest won't see any change at all.
The assembled children, far too young to vote I might add, we're coaxed into a rendition of 'A Triangle Has Three Sides'.
If you don't know the words, and goodness you should, it goes a little something like this.
"A triangle has three sides, a triangle has three sides, up and down and back again, a triangle has three sides."
Never has such a basic banger summed up the trials and tribulations of an election campaign — up and down on policy debates, character assessments, polling and posturing, before coming back to the start again.
Mr Albanese observed some of the artful colouring in, before noting one of the children was running low on one texta in particular.
"We need more greens," proclaimed Mr Albanese — before realising the obvious yet inadvertent political double meaning.
Adam Bandt, if you're reading this…
The childcare centre was in the Liberal held seat of Hasluck — currently represented by Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt.
It's an electorate Labor would love to pick up, even if it isn't as hopeful of its chances there as it is in other Perth seats such as Swan and Pearce.
I can report there were no obvious tears at the childcare centre — genuine curiosity and general ambivalence in equal measure as Mr Albanese made his appearance.
Tears were, however, prompted when the media pack tried to kick off another round of A Triangle Has Three Sides.
Clearly not tuneful enough for the astute children of Hasluck.
By Georgia Hitch
Australian election interference plot suspected in recent hacking of Nauru police emails
Cyber experts believe a recent hacking operation targeting Nauru, which included files on Australia’s offshore processing centres, was "intended to influence” this month’s federal election.
Earlier this month more than 285,600 files stolen from Nauru’s Police Force were leaked online including details of alleged human rights abuses in detention centres.
International hacking group Anonymous was initially believed to be responsible but a new report by private security firm CyberCX has concluded another “malign” actor may have been involved given how soon Australia’s election is and several technical abnormalities connected to the hack.
“The leak also comes at a time of diplomatic tension between Australia and other Pacific countries, in particular Solomon Islands,” the CyberCX report states.
“Hack-and-leak operations are criminal activities [unlike whistleblowing, journalism or political speech] and have a history of being used by malign actors to undermine open and transparent political debate and democratic processes including elections."
The report concedes there is “insufficient evidence to definitively attribute this incident” with further investigation required to identify the culprit.
By defence correspondent Andrew Greene
By Jessica Riga
One last question about the process of debates in this country and what the panel would like to see done
Craig Kelly says: "Firstly, I think every Parliament, the debates are a disgrace. There's no real debate in the Federal Parliament. Members just get up and read speeches. We got to change those arrangements in Federal Parliament so there can be real debate. The political debates during election campaign have also I think has been an insult to all Australians the way they have been conducted. This presidentstyle election, our campaign should be about ideas and what is best for our nation. The campaign has failed for both Mr Albanese and Mr Morrison."
Zali Steggall says: "Not often that I agree with Craig but I do agree with that answer but more importantly we should have had a debate on the ABC. The ABC is our national broadcaster. It is their in times of trouble. It has kept people safe in floods and droughts and yet here we have two people who would be, want to be Prime Minister of the next Parliament, refusing to address the questions that the Australian people, on the national broadcaster. I think that is shameful. I strongly support that we return the funding level and we need to get back to clear and accountable debate. I think it is incredible, actually, this presidential-style set-up, when we are - this is not America, this is not a presidency, it is ultimately the Parliament that will determine the government and it shouldn't be about just these two people."
Adam Bandt says: "I agree with Zali, we need an independent leaders' debate commission, shouldn't be up to the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader of the day and haggling amongst commercial networks to decide what the Australian people get to hear during an election. We need an independent leaders debate Commission and we need debates on the ABC.
And Rex Patrick says: "Debates are supposed to be a competition of ideas, not a competition of insults. And sadly that's what's been happening throughout this campaign. We also haven't had a lot of exposure for the independents who do bring new ideas to the table. We need to have open debate. Sadly it's not happening, not happening in the Parliament properly, and I think this is an election campaign people will look back on and say, "That wasn't done very well."
And that's it for the crossbench panel at the National Press Club.
By Jessica Riga
And here are Rex Patrick's closing statements
"There's been too much secrecy that's gone on for too long and that's because - because we don't have a properly-funded Auditor-General, because the houses of Parliament aren't working, because our FOI laws are not being adhered to, because we don't have a federal ICAC that keeps an eye on out for corruption and and mall Secondly - malfeasance, we need to grow our economic pie, we need to do more manufacturing and value-adhere in Australia for wealth and for resilience.
"We need to make sure that corporations and particularly multi-nationals are paying their fair share of tax. We need to make sure that we are getting a proper return on our resources or the energy resources that we're exporting. We need to make sure we're not wasting money. Defence projects, I'm a big believer in defence and deterrence but we waste a lot of money on there. And stop wasting money on pork-barrelling. That's a form of corruption that has to stop.
"We also need to tackle the - to tackle climate change and the environment and now one of my focuses is on the Murray Darling. We're simply not meeting the plan and in some cases there are no consequences for not meeting the plan and that has to be address. That is - it is our food bowl. We need to make sure we look after that properly. We need to understand that we don't own Australia. Australia is not ours, it belongs to our children and our grandchildren and we must always think about that when we think about policies."
By Jessica Riga
Here are Adam Bandt's closing statements
"Droughts, fires, floods — the climate crisis is here and it's getting worse. Coal and gas are the major causes of the climate crisis, but Liberal and Labor want more. Liberal and Labor are backing 114 new coal and gas projects around the country that will put your safety at risk.
"And meanwhile, young people can't afford to buy a house and even renting is out — out of reach for many of them. We are at real risk of going down the road of becoming a US-style unequal society.
"But it doesn't have to be this way. If just a few hundred people change their votes this election we can kick this terrible government out and put the Greens in balance of power. And in balance of power, we will push the next government to take real climate action by keeping coal and gas in the ground and stop opening up new projects.
"And we'll push to tackle the cost of living crisis as well by getting dental and mental health into Medicare, building a million affordable homes and making child care free.
"The Greens will fight First Nations Justice with progress on truth and treaty as well as voice in the next Parliament. And we'll push to wipe student debt and also look after those who are doing it tough by lifting income support above the poverty line. Now, with 1-in-3 big corporations in this country paying absolutely no tax at all, the Greens will fund our plans by making the big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax — not by asking everyday people to pay more.
"So this election — vote Greens to turf out this terrible Government but to push the next Government to do better. Vote climate, vote one Greens."
By Jessica Riga
Here are Zali Steggall's closing statements
"This election Australians have a very clear choice and let's get real. The two party system is broken. Australians do not feel represented, the trust in government is falling with every year that goes past, our federal Anticorruption Commission is absolutely essential for Australians to know their taxpayer dollar is going where it should, bang for buck.
"We need to ensure we have processes in place to ensure accountability of Government. The culture of the government has to change. We need people in Parliament that are going to look at things with merit, they're going to look at — take evidence, expert evidence to ensure we actually put in place policies that are not just designed to ensure you get re-elected in three years' time, but actually ensure that in 10 years' time we are prosperous and safe nation. That means you do have to tackle the big issues.
"We have to tackle climate change. We know we are on the forefront. We are heading for over 3 degrees of warming and the policies of the major parties do not keep us in accord with the Paris Agreement. Time and time again, research and polls say to us, it is the number one concern and yet at this election we haven't heard boo from either party about it. We know we can act and these are challenges, but they are opportunities and when I look at our children, which is why I got into politics, it is to ensure a safer and healthier and better future for them.
"We can do politics differently. Don't let yourself believe the status quo and the media machine behind it that is hanging onto power for dear life, they do not want to see competition coming to it. Make this the Kodak moment of politics — 2022, you can take back your vote. Make sure you as communities are represented. That's what I stand for for Warringah and that is what so many independents stand for. Let's be the change we want to see. We can do this better."
By Georgia Hitch
Time for closing statements
That's it for questions today! We're onto closing statements and the first is from Craig Kelly.
"Firstly I need to rebut some of the things that Adam and Zali said. This idea there's all these subsidies for our fossil fuel industries is nonsense. This is the fuel excise, fuel road users excise that is not paid by farmers, miners an those that use fuel off the major roads, that's nonsense. If Zali is right about these free markets and subsidies, let's get rid for all the subsidies for Chinese solar panels and for wind turbines. We cannot tonight to trash the industries of this nation that provide our wealth and give our national competitive advantage. That's our coal, gas and Nova Scotia. We got to as Australians stand up and protect those industries. We see the idea that we go to net zero by 2050 when the communist Chinese say they will do nothing at all until 2030 and then maybe by 2060 they'll do something," he said.
"A policy of net zero, which we reject, will otherwise surrender an economic political and military advantage to the communist Chinese and I as a member of Parliament not going to stand by and let that happen and be silent about it. In a free democratic society, no Australian, ever, should be forced to undergo a medical intervention against their free will being coerced to do so just to hold their job. There are thousands of Australians, tens of thousands at the moment, that are sitting on the sidelines of this economy unable to work. We'll ensure they all get back to work and this never happens again. The people's medical privacy is protected. We have set out a plan to repay the debt, we set out a plan for tackling housing affordability. One of the most important things we must address is to return the great Australian dream to a young generation of Australians and the plans that we have will do exactly that."
By Jessica Riga
What's Adam Bandt's long-term strategy to retain Greens voters?
This is the last question from the panel and it comes from ABC reporter Jess Davis.
Q: My question is predominantly for Adam. What's the WPI? I'm joking! Sorry, I couldn't help it! Last week, there was a story on ABC Radio Melbourne about an old man who knew it was going to be his last election. Rather than voting who he normally votes for, he asked the students to tell him who he should vote for and they told him to vote for the Greens. He said that's the first and last time he'll ever vote for the Greens. The proportion of young people voting for Greens is increasing. What is your long-term strategy to retain those voters and why do they move away from your party as they get older?
"Well, certainly in Melbourne they haven't," Adam Bandt says.
"And part of the reason for that is that the message that people in Melbourne know, and I'm hoping people across the one try will hear in this election is just as strongly as we fight for climate action, we're also going to fight for you.
"We don't take the donations from the big coal and gas corporations which means we can fight for climate action. But we can also fight the things like getting dental and mental health into Medicare and pushing for free child care, for example.
"Now, that's something that is critical for families and especially for women because the lack of free child care in this country means that women's choices are impacted and especially at a time when they're potentially buying a house, if you can afford it, but also making decisions about career and so the message that we have — I guess the lesson we have learnt from Melbourne and we're taking to this election is that tackling not just the climate crisis, but what is a very real cost of living crisis which is linked to the inequality crisis and showing that we will fight just as hard for you on both is something I think part of the reason that people are coming to us and our support is growing."
By Georgia Hitch
'There's strength working across the houses', Rex Patrick says
Rex Patrick jumps in quickly to make a point about how crossbenchers and independents can work together across the Senate and the House of Representatives to get legislation through that they all agree with.
"People need to understand that passing legislation is about numbers. I say this with great experience in the crossbench in the Senate - the government will always try and find the easiest pathway through the Senate or through a House where they don't have - that they don't have numbers. So there is actually strength in crossbenches sitting down and working together where we find common ground and that is - that's absolutely possible," he said.
"There's also strength in working across the Houses. So, for example, me bringing [lower house MP] Helen Haines ICAC bill into the Senate, so independents should work together."
By Jessica Riga
Craig Kelly 'fundamentally disagrees' with Zali Steggall and Adam Bandt
"I fundamentally disagree with much of what Adam and Zali say, especially when it comes to the mining industry," Craig Kelly says.
"The idea we can trash our coal industry. This year will earn $100 billion worth of exports. The reason why we can afford the hospitals that we have and plans like the NDIS. That's where we disagree.
"But I got a confession to make — the last Parliament, Adam and myself actually voted together on something. That's true, Adam, isn't it, you may not like to admit in front of national television but it's true. So we have shown even though we may have these fundamental differences that we can sit down and we can discuss things together and try to put policy that is for the best interest of our nation. Trying to make you go red there Adam!"
By Georgia Hitch
Bandt doesn't think they'd vote together as a bloc
Adam Bandt begins his answer by saying he doesn't think the crossbench would vote as a bloc because the MPs represent different areas and different constituencies.
"But one of the things I think if you look back at the last Parliament that you'll find is that there is an understanding that the crossbench as diverse as we are are bringing issues and putting them on the table when the other parties don't want to touch them. And so this goes to the question before from Laura [Tingle] about reforms to Parliament, one of the things that I would certainly be pushing for is to ensure that in the next Parliament there's greater opportunity for members of the crossbench, whatever part of the political spectrum they're sitting on to bring matters before the Parliament," he said.
"We saw that back in the 2010 Parliament and got results. I got a bill through to give protection for firefighters who were contracting cancer and made it easier for them to do that. That's the kind of thing when you have the systems in place that allow third voices to get the issues on the agenda that the others don't want to touch and then progress them through the Parliament, you see some really good outcomes for people. I think one of the things that this Parliament has also shown is there are many, many instances where Labor and - sits up and votes with the Liberals and it's often the members of the crossbench, perhaps not all of them, but some of them who are voting independently on the basis of their own views, but calling them out and calling them to account."
By Jessica Riga
Will the panel work together as a bloc?
And if they do, what are the priorities that they would work with on together?
Zali Steggall answers first.
"Speaking for me as a member of the lower house, I'm here to represent Warringah, that's the people I represent.
"I think there is liniment of principles in the crossbench, well some members of the crossbench,
"I cannot speak for other members of the crossbench. But if you look at the voting record of this last Parliament, on a number of occasions, it was the crossbench that actually held a spotlight to the major parties for their failure to really take a stance, take a question of principle.
"So, no, I cannot speak for other member — independent members when it comes to the lower house but what I do know is some of the candidates running for election are amazing people, amazingly capable."
By Jessica Riga
Would the panel support stage three tax cuts?
This is a follow up question from Laura Tingle and each panel member is aiming to reply within 15 seconds.
"We can't have tax cuts funded from borrowed money to start with," Craig Kelly says. "Also talking about corporate tax rate. If your tax rates are too high, we won't attract the investment in this country, won't attract the entrepreneurial talent and end up our tax receipts will go backwards."
Zali Steggall says: "I do support, they're legislated but what I want to see is a rise to the minimum wage. I do support that that be raised and I do think we need to simplify our tax system when it comes to, for example, the payroll tax. We need to work at growing the pie and that is how we can do it. The small businesses are the backbone of our country. Politicians talk about it all the time, but very little is ultimately done to assist them."
"The Greens oppose it," Adam Bandt says. "It will bring $244 billion out of the budget. Labor and Liberal support it sadly. I don't think billionaires need a $9,000 a year per year forever tax cut. That's what Liberal and Labor are proposing. We would much rather that $244 billion goes to schools and hospitals instead of giving Clive Palmer a tax cut."
"I would like to look at this in the context of a plan but I don't think we need tax cuts for the wealthy," Rex Patrick says. "I think that's hugely problematic. I disagree with Craig Kelly about corporate tax rates. The corporate tax rate is well above what companies actually pay. We need to make sure that those corporations are paying a fair share of tax. They're not at the moment. Don't look at the headline rate because that's nothing as to what companies pay."
You can read more about what the tax cuts are, and how they could impact how much tax you get back here.
By Georgia Hitch
How does Rex Patrick explain asking former boss Nick Xenophon to be on his ticket?
This question is just to Rex Patrick and involves a bit of context so I'll put it here in full:
Question: You're up against your former boss Nick Xenophon in the Senate race. On one hand, you have criticised his work for Chinese tech giant Huawei and even compared that work to working for a Nazi Germany arms manufacturer. Why is that on the other hand you once asked him to be on your Senate ticket just a matter of months ago and you also asked him if you were to run for the lower house seat of Grey would he endorse you? How do you explain that incredible contrast?
Patrick: "I think Nick working for Huawei was a huge mistake. Huawei has been identified by our security agencies as a risk to national security and it's in that context noting the strategic environment we find ourselves in that, you know, I made the statement about working for see mans just prior to World War II. There is a concern there. Nick, you know, he's done extremely well in the past in the Senate. I did offer to work with him, but that would always be on the condition he needs to be open and transparent about what he was paid, what his roles were and any obligations he has outstanding in relation to Huawei particularly noting that politicians are the only people in Australia that are not required to register under the foreign influence transparency scheme."
A quick follow up question - you would have had him on your Senate ticket had he been transparent?
Patrick: "It would have been a requirement for us to work together for him to be open and transparent and that's actually all I have called for him to do. I think he made a mistake. He shout put up his hand and say, 'that was a mistake', and then spell out openly and honestly exactly what the arrangements were between himself and Huawei."
