Both the Coalition and Labor are relying heavily on scare campaigns as they battle to attract the attention of voters ahead of the May 21 federal election.
The major parties have launched attacks on their opponents based on spurious claims and out-dated policies, both in person and via social media.
Scare campaigns often feature in elections, but such is their prominence in this election battle that they risk distracting from genuine debate over policies and ideas.
So which scare campaigns should you be looking out for in this campaign?
- Mining or carbon tax
- Cashless debit cards
- Medicare
- Energy bills
- Temporary Protection Visas
- Retiree tax
Mining or carbon tax
On the hustings for votes in Western Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is turning to a decade-old issue.
"Should we be successful at the forthcoming election, I can assure you there will be no mining tax, there will be no carbon tax, and there will be no adverse changes to fuel tax credit arrangements, either," Mr Morrison told the WA Chamber of Commerce.
The comments hark back to the Mineral Resources Rent Tax (MRRT) and the carbon pricing schemes introduced by Julia Gillard's government in 2012.
Both policies were repealed by the Abbott government in 2014 and Labor no longer supports them, instead promoting higher emissions reduction targets and expanding the use of the existing "safeguard mechanism" introduced by the Coalition.
The Greens support changes to the fuel tax credit, which reimburses tax on fuel used for business purposes, but Labor does not.
Cashless debit cards
Labor is promoting a spurious claim that the Coalition intends to put all age pension payments onto cashless debit cards, which restrict how welfare payments can be spent.
Cashless debit cards are like regular bank cards, but they cannot be used to buy alcohol, gambling products or to withdraw cash.
They're currently being used in six trial sites and apply to a range of different welfare payments, but it is voluntary for age pensioners to take part.
Labor MP Julian Hill shared an undated video on social media that shows Social Services Minister Anne Ruston being asked if she intends to make cashless debit cards compulsory.
She responds by saying: "I'm not going to pre-empt that. This is the start of a consultation."
The Coalition has previously sought to expand the use of cashless debit cards beyond the trial sites, but does not have a policy to put all age pension payments on them.
But Labor's campaign spokesman Jason Clare is unapologetic about his colleagues promoting the claim on social media.
"The Liberal Party have form here," he said.
"Look at what they say in the last two years, don't look at what they say on the eve of an election... whenever the Liberal Party get a chance, they'll always come after you on this."
Speaking to News Corp, Council on the Ageing CEO Ian Yates criticised Labor for "scaring old people" by repeating the claim.
"We are 100 per cent sure that the claim has no factual basis at all," he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison weighed in, demanding Labor "stop frightening pensioners."
"It is an out and-out disgusting lie," he said.
Medicare
Cabinet minister Anne Ruston has been nominated as the next health minister if the Coalition wins the election, prompting Labor to claim she supports cuts to Medicare.
The ALP points to comments Senator Ruston made in a parliamentary debate in 2015, that: "Medicare in its current form is not sustainable into the future without some change being made."
Those comments, and other similar remarks at the time, were made when then-prime minister Tony Abbott was trying to introduce a GP co-payment — a policy that was roundly defeated and subsequently abandoned by the Coalition.
Labor's campaign spokesman Jason Clare insists Senator Ruston "is saying that the credit card is maxed out and we can't afford bulk billing in the future."
But questioned about those remarks on Sunday, Senator Ruston rejected the characterisation of her comments in 2015 and pointed to the Coalition's current health policies.
"Our government has been absolutely clear that we are not cutting Medicare," she said.
Energy bills
The Coalition is claiming the election of a Labor government would lead to household electricity bills rising, on average, by $560 a year.
That is based on Labor's "Re-Wiring the Nation" policy, which would upgrade electricity infrastructure to accommodate the influx of renewable energy with a combined investment of $20 billion from the Commonwealth and more than $50 billion from the sector.
The Coalition has not released the "modelling" it says underpins its claim that the policy will lead to household bills rising by $560 a year.
Speaking on Tuesday, Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor avoided mentioning the $560 figure, but insisted Labor's policy would cost households dearly.
"Consumers always pay for Labor's promises.... Labor always wants to make these grand promises and it ends up being Australians who pay."
But analysts have told the ABC it is does not appear the "modelling" takes into account wholesale electricity prices falling as a result of more renewable energy being able to enter the grid.
"That scare campaign is based upon a view somehow that renewables aren't the cheapest form of new energy," Labor leader Anthony Albanese said.
It's also not clear whether the figures put forward by the Coalition are compared to current electricity prices, future prices without investment in the transmission upgrades, or future prices under the Coalition's policy.
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers accuses Mr Taylor of "add[ing] fuel to the bin-fire of lies that this government tells about renewable energy."
Transmission upgrades are essential, as future energy generation will come from more dispersed locations from wind and solar farms, rather than a small number of coal-fired power plants.
Temporary Protection Visas
Labor leader Anthony Albanese tripped up on his party's border protection policy in the first week of the campaign, suggesting the ALP backed boat turn-backs, offshore processing and temporary protection visas (TPVs). He quickly corrected the record to note the ALP does not support TPVs.
The Liberals seized on the mention of the policy difference on TPVs to suggest there would be a resumption of asylum seekers arriving by boat if Labor was re-elected.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews insists TPVs "are there to be very, very strong deterrents" to asylum seekers and therefore a crucial part of Operation Sovereign Borders.
"You can't say you support Operation Sovereign Borders if you don't support temporary protection visas," she said.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Kristina Keneally described that as "absolute rubbish" and "lying", given TPVs have not been used as part of Operation Sovereign Borders.
"No-one has gone on a temporary protection visa, who has attempted to come by boat, since the introduction of Operation Sovereign Borders," she said.
Senator Keneally said TPVs were not relevant, given Labor would also use boat turn-backs and offshore processing to prevent boat arrivals from reaching Australian shores.
"Anyone who attempts to come by boat will either be turned back or sent to Nauru," she said.
Retiree tax
The Liberal Party has campaigned to "Stop Labor's Retiree Tax" through advertisements and petitions online.
It is a reference to Labor's franking credits policy at the 2019 election, which sought to close a concession that gives cash refunds for excess dividend imputation credits, a change which would largely affect retirees with shareholdings.
Labor officially dumped the policy last year, with Mr Albanese declaring Labor got the message the policy change was not supported by voters.
"We will not be taking any changes to franking credits to the next election," he said.
