The coalition government is preparing to present its election costings to voters as Labor refocuses on Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities.
The costings are expected to be released on Tuesday, ahead of the opposition doing the same later this week, just days out from the May 21 vote.
Despite Labor remaining ahead in the polls, Prime Minister Scott Morrison continues to hope he can pull off consecutive election wins as Liberal leader.
Asked if he would stand down in the event of a hung parliament or Liberal loss on polling day, Mr Morrison was defiant.
“That’s not something I’m contemplating because I’m not contemplating that being the scenario,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday night.
“I’m focused on one thing and that’s ensuring our government continues.”
Meanwhile, Labor will on Tuesday announce a $1.5 billion medical manufacturing fund.
The fund will be part of Labor’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to shore up medical supply chains, including vaccines.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese says he would also commission the development of a medical manufacturing industry plan to determine how local businesses can secure government contracts.
“Serious countries should make things. Serious countries should be led by builders, not bulldozers, which is how I would lead a future Labor government,” Mr Albanese said.
Elsewhere, the prime minister told 7.30 he would take a “more inclusive” approach to his role if the government was returned.
“During the course of a crisis and a pandemic, you’ve got to move fast, you’ve got to be decisive and that means sometimes you can’t take everybody with you and you don’t always get everything right either,” Mr Morrison said.
“But in the next phase, then we’ve got the opportunity to bring people forward on that plan.”
Mr Morrison was also asked why traditionally safe Liberal seats were facing strong challenges from so-called teal independents with pro-climate, pro-integrity agendas.
He pivoted to the impact of cost of living pressures, saying they were more severe in the regions than in urban seats in Sydney and Melbourne.
“Our members have done an extraordinary job there (in the city seats) but as time has gone on, many of these places, I suppose, are less vulnerable to the impacts of the economy than, say, many of the places I’ve been in this campaign,” Mr Morrison said.
“The broader suburbs of the country … are places that cannot afford the sort of risk that comes with a Labor party and a leader that is a bit loose with the economy.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt has also used the party’s national campaign launch to call on the future government to sign the Global Methane Pledge, committing countries to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent in the next decade.
