Good morning. Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will push hard on their campaigns today before the Easter break, with the prime minister in Tasmania to announce a forestry package, and the Labor leader in New South Wales to propose health reforms. Meanwhile delays are expected in domestic airports as Australians take advantage of the long weekend.
Scott Morrison has effectively abandoned his promise to establish a federal anti-corruption watchdog, confirming he would only proceed with legislation in the new parliament if Labor agreed to pass the Coalition’s heavily criticised proposal without amendments. Morrison pledged before the 2019 election to legislate a federal integrity body in the parliamentary term that has just endedbut failed to introduce his own proposal before the 46th parliament was prorogued. On the hustings on Wednesday, Morrison was asked – given his previous undertaking to create the body – whether he would promise to put his proposal to a vote in the next parliament in the event the Coalition won the 21 May election. The prime minister said: “Our position on this hasn’t changed. Our view has been the same – when the Labor party is prepared to support that legislation in that form, then we will proceed with it.”
