Labor frontbencher Jason Clare says the government needs to explain why the Commonwealth is set to pay former staffer Rachelle Miller more than $500,000, as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg spruiks the state of the economy after the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Catch up on all of Thursday's updates as they happened.
Key events
Live updates
By Emily Sakzewski
That's where we'll leave our election live coverage for today
Thanks for joining me on the blog, we'll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest updates as they happen.
By Emily Sakzewski
Answering a question on the pre-poll vote count
With the massive increase of early and postal voting, when will these votes get counted? I am intending on voting early this weekend in a fairly marginal seat and was wondering if the early votes count timing will impact a candidate conceding or not. Should I vote on the day instead to ensure my vote is counted earlier?
-Ashley
Hi Ashley, Antony Green answered part of this question on the blog yesterday. Here was his response:
The Electoral Act has been changed to allow pre-poll ballot boxes to be opened from 4pm on election day. This will allow ballot papers to be unfolded and sorted ahead of the count starting at 6pm. Some of these pre-poll counts have more than 10,000 votes, so unfolding ballot papers can cause a significant delay in starting the count. These sorts will be undertaken in lockdown conditions to prevent scrutineers from reporting what they see before 6pm.
Postal votes can now be pre-processed, with votes removed from declaration envelopes before election day. However, the AEC will not be counting postal votes on election night. Tens of thousands of extra staff will handle all the pre-poll centres, and counting pre-poll votes is more important than counting postals. There will be three or four times as many pre-poll votes as postals. The AEC proposes to do some postal vote counting on the Sunday after the election.
The new pre-poll counting method is expected to deliver more pre-poll counts earlier in the evening and ensure we are not hanging around until after midnight for the final pre-poll counts.
By Emily Sakzewski
Labor promises $2m to plan sports hub in Melbourne's growing north
Labor has promised to plan a multi-million-dollar sports precinct for Melbourne’s growing northern suburbs if it wins the federal election.
Shadow Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced $2 million would be spent on a masterplan for a new sporting precinct in Coburg North that would cater to sports such as athletics, basketball, table tennis, swimming and cricket.
It’s estimated the facilities would receive about 500,000 unique visits each year.
During the announcement, the proposed hub was dubbed “the MSAC of the North” in reference to Melbourne’s cluster of sporting venues at Albert Park, which cost $65 million to build before they opened in 1997.
By Emily Sakzewski
Pictures from the campaign with Anthony Albanese
ABC photographer Ian Cutmore is on the campaign trail with Labor, as Anthony Albanese and Ed Husic toured a Gladstone oil refinery.
By Emily Sakzewski
Pictures from the campaign with Scott Morrison
ABC photographer Marco Catalano was in Bass with Scott Morrison, Bridget Archer and Greg Hunt this morning. The PM was met with protesters in Launceston where he announced mental health plans.
By Emily Sakzewski
Greens slam waste-to-energy incinerator plan in Lithgow
NSW Greens Senate hopeful David Shoebridge is campaigning in Lithgow today and has come out strongly against a proposed waste-to-energy incinerator in the region.
The plan to build a $700 million waste-to-energy generator that would burn rubbish from Sydney at the site of a former coal-fired power station has caused division in the community.
As rain poured down in the historic coal-mining city, Mr Shoebridge promised to push hard for federal legislation that would "rule out" the controversial facility.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from the community of Lithgow that they don’t want to become Sydney’s rubbish dump,” he said.
The candidate was pushed on what he could achieve as a federal senator, given the approval of any such facility would fall to the state government.
“We want a legislative commitment to get 100 per cent clean, green renewable energy by 2030 and that would rule out a waste-to-energy project like this one at Wallerawang.
“This is a project that should get a very clear red light from the next parliament and the Greens are committed to getting legislation to make that happen,” he said.
Reporting by Hugh Hogan in Lithgow
By Nicholas McElroy
Anthony Albanese questioned on China
China's ambassador to Australia wrote an opinion piece in the Australian Financial Review today, saying that both countries should view each other with objectivity.
Mr Albanese was asked if he agreed that "China's rise should not be seen as a threat".
This is his response:
"What I say is that China has changed its posture. They are more aggressive in the region. We need to, in the words of the Biden administration, have competition without catastrophe."
By Emily Sakzewski
How has Labor been covering Queensland?
A reporter has pointed out that, during the campaign, the seat of Flynn has had visits from multiple members of the government so far, such as Barnaby Joyce, David Gillespie, Bridget McKenzie and David Littleproud.
The reporter asks whether Anthony Albanese has given up on Flynn or whether he thinks the seat is in the bag.
Justifying his presence in Queensland so far in the campaign, the Labor leader began listing the locations he's visited.
"I have been here five times [to] Gladstone, I have been three times to Emerald, twice to Biloela, a number of times to Rockhampton and Gracemere," he said.
"If I was an LNP candidate for Lilley, I would have changed my address to here I've been here so often.
"I've been here more than the LNP candidate for Lilley is at the address where they're enrolled.
"I drove from Cairns to Maryborough right through here."
By Nicholas McElroy
Is Anthony Albanese encouraged by opinion polls, or sceptical of them?
Reporter: The polls show that you're on track to win government. Are you heartened by this or sceptical of it?
Albanese:"I am focused on May 21 and that election timetable. We're focused on May 21, on getting there. But we're also focused on the next election as well. I'm focused on an agenda that's achievable. An agenda whereby we can point back and say, 'We've promised you a better future and we're delivering it'."
"We're delivering cheaper childcare. We're delivering more manufacturing jobs. We're delivering a pathway to reducing our emissions.
"We're delivering more secure work. We're delivering on cost-of-living pressures by dealing with cheaper childcare, cheaper energy bills, cheaper medicines.
"That's my focus."
By Emily Sakzewski
Why is Labor not taking an increase of paid parental leave to the election?
The reporter's question is framed around an interview Anthony Albanese did last year where he said Labor would consult on extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks.
The Labor leader said his party wasn't taking this issue to the election because they were taking into account the nation's $1 trillion of debt.
"We will inherit $1 trillion of debt if we are successful.
"The government doubled the debt before the pandemic.
"What we have said is we will make clear commitments for things that we are absolutely certain can be delivered."
By Nicholas McElroy
'Boom. Boom. Boom': Albanese is asked about transitioning to renewable energy
The Labor leader is asked if he supported a national transition authority to ensure people do not lose their jobs in a transition away from fossil fuels.
"What we are planning is to have [is] a boom, and a further boom and a further boom.
"One of the things happening with areas like battery storage, this isn't just about this," he said. "We speak about batteries, people think about electric vehicles and, yes, that is part of it.
"It is also about storage for households. One in four I think is the figure now [that] Australian households have solar panels on their roofs.
"... this is a growth industry into the future. It will create jobs not in the short term but in the very long term."
By Emily Sakzewski
Anthony Albanese has clarified his endorsement of a 5.1 per cent rise for those on the minimum wage, in line with inflation
Albanese: What I have said consistently … is if the Fair Work Commission, that operates independently of government, makes a decision to not cut real wages and keep up with the cost of living, that is something that I would welcome and I welcome it absolutely.
Essentially, he's not saying Labor will make a formal submission to the Fair Work Commission.
Rather that Labor would welcome such a move from the commission.
By Emily Sakzewski
Labor promises $100 million for battery manufaturing precinct in Gladstone
The announcement is a partnership with the Queensland government.
"We know what the benefit would be, because the Future Battery Industry CRC commissioned a report …" Mr Albanese said. "And what they found was that a strategy in making batteries here could [create] 34,700 jobs and $7.4 billion of economic activity by 2030."
By Emily Sakzewski
Anthony Albanese is holding a press conference in Gladstone
Tune in via the live stream at the top of the page.
Mr Albanese is spruiking Labor’s plans to kickstart battery manufacturing in a partnership with the Queensland state government.
By Emily Sakzewski
Former PM Tony Abbott begs Warringah Liberals not to abandon controversial candidate
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has recorded a video message begging Liberals to stick with the controversial candidate running in his former seat of Warringah.
Some local Liberals had reportedly abandoned the campaign to elect Katherine Deves for Warringah to instead help Liberals in neighbouring seats, after Ms Deves doubled down on offensive comments about transgender people.
Mr Abbott said Ms Deves could win Warringah back for the Liberals from independent Zali Steggall.
"The more I see of Katherine Deves, the more impressed I am with her courage, with her common sense, her decency and with, quite frankly, her capacity to win this back for the Liberal Party," he said.
"So I really do urge all Warringah Liberals to get behind our candidate … she deserves to be supported, whatever faults we might see in the selection process."
Earlier this morning, moderate NSW Liberal Matt Kean and Wentworth MP Dave Sharma stood together for the first time since Ms Deves walked back her apology for saying transgender children were “mutilated” by procedures to medically transition from one gender to another.
The pair had previously criticised her comments and Mr Kean had suggested she should be disendorsed. But today they evaded the issue.
Mr Kean suggested that moderate Liberals such as Mr Sharma were needed to save the Liberal party from irrelevance.
By political reporter Jake Evans
By Emily Sakzewski
By Emily Sakzewski
What does Scott Morrison make of comments by China's Ambassador to Australia?
Writing in an opinion piece in the Australian Financial Review, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said Beijing's growing cooperation with the South Pacific is not a security threat to Australia.
A reporter has asked Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, how that rhetoric fits with China's Foreign Minister visiting Solomon Islands next week, on the eve of the election.
"You won't be surprised to know that I don't agree with the Chinese ambassador to Australia, who is writing in the Australian Financial Review today, that Chinese government interference in the Pacific is of no consequence," Mr Morrison said.
"I think it's of great consequence.
"I don't want to give any amplification for the views of the Chinese government. I support the Australian national interests, not the Chinese government's view of what national interests are, whether it be in Australia or across the Pacific, and that's why I've always taken a very strong stance on this."
By Emily Sakzewski
'I pray every day', Morrison says
Someone at the press conference has asked the PM if he's tired.
Reporter: You seem tired. I saw a frown earlier. And what role does the Lord play in this election? And do you pray to him?
Morrison: I pray every day. That's been my practice over a very long time in my life and I can assure you I'm fighting fit, full of beans and looking forward to the next 10 days because Australians are going to face a very big choice at this election and it has very real consequences for people at home, perhaps watching this or maybe seeing it later.
By Emily Sakzewski
Will Labor's childcare policy boost productivity?
Scott Morrison was asked about Labor's childcare policy and its potential effect on productivity but, he says, his government's policies are already working.
"When I was Social Services Minister, we redesigned the childcare system, which ensured that … those who were on lower [incomes] were getting up to 85 per cent rebates on their childcare.
"Now, that's a place where you're not making choices about whether you're going to work or not. You've got no choice. Everybody's having to work in every single way they can and often taking [on] more than one job.
"And, when I redesigned the childcare system, I made sure that those who needed it most got the most support and I can tell you, after that happened, the childcare out-of-pocket expenses increasing costs ran at 1.2 per cent.
"Under Labor, it was running at 3.1 per cent growth. So, after we put our changes in place, it actually decelerated the rate of increase in out-of-pocket expenses."
By Emily Sakzewski
Morrison stands by his claim a $500,000 compensation payment negotiated for a former staffer doesn't involve claims against Tudge
Scott Morrison has previously said he "would have been told" if the negotiations of a payment to former staffer Rachelle Miller involved a cabinet minister.
News.com.au has reported today that the negotiations mentioned the stood-aside education minister Alan Tudge and Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.
When pressed on this report, Mr Morrison said he stands by his initial claim.
"That was the advice that I received from the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet," he said.
"My only advice was that it hadn't been settled, that was my last advice.
"If there was any matter there that went to the conduct of any minister, any minister at all, that related to the ministry or [ministerial] standards, then I would be advised of that, and I have been advised of no such matters that would require my attention in relation to the ministerial standards."
