Category Archives: Australian politics

Scott Morrison suggests Anthony Albanese is using Covid as an excuse in response to ‘brain fog’ question

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Prime minister’s latest comment on Labor leader’s performance follows jibe about Albanese’s ‘quiet week’ in Covid isolation

Scott Morrison has insinuated that Anthony Albanese is using his Covid infection to excuse poor performances and suggested the Labor leader “can’t hack the campaign”.

Morrison used a campaign event in Western Australia on Friday to personally target the Labor leader, brushing off suggestions his opponent’s campaigning could be impaired by his recent bout of Covid-19.

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ACTU urges Morrison to discipline wage panel member over ‘extraordinary’ public comments

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Mark Wooden reportedly said Labor was playing ‘political games’ by saying it would lift wages

Unions have urged Scott Morrison to consider sacking an expert member of the minimum wage panel for what they describe as “extraordinary and inappropriate” public comments about Labor’s wage policy.

The labour economist Mark Wooden reportedly said the Fair Work Commission does not want the government “telling [it] what to do” and Labor was playing “political games” by promising to lift wages if elected.

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Independents slam ‘dirty tactic’, reporting fake campaign signs; 30 Covid deaths – as it happened

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Independents report ‘misleading and unauthorised’ campaign signs; Scott Morrison won’t say if he will resign in case of hung parliament; Anthony Albanese backs royal commission into the pandemic; trans rights ‘debate’ ‘hugely regrettable’, Liberal senator says; at least 30 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

How does Andrew Bragg think Dave Sharma and Trent Zimmerman are feeling, given their seats are under threat:

As I say, I don’t agree with the analysis. I think the Liberal party has been a strong party of government because we have been able to represent a whole lot of different people across our country and we are doing that right now through things like strong climate policies, but also a social liberal agenda which protects minority groups such as the LGBTI community which I addressed last night at the Equality Forum.

Well, people are entitled to their opinions. I don’t always agree with everything you say and I don’t always agree with what my colleagues say. We are entitled to have our own views and cross the floor and make our own statements known where it is appropriate.

I mean, I’m not a commentator on these things. People are entitled to their own views. I think I have been very clear we have a strong voice for people in the cities and people should absolutely vote for Dave Sharma and Trent because they’ve done a great job in standing up for their communities.

I don’t agree with Mr Turnbull’s analysis. We have done important work for people who live in the inner cities on things like achieving the net zero 2050 commitment, and also developed economic policies which favour the inner city on things like fintech and cryptocurrency and we have made important commitments, as I spoke about last night to the equality forum, on HIV, listing Prep on the PBS.

The idea we are a party only for the bush or for the bushes is not true, or for the burbs is not true. We govern for all Australians.

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Malcolm Turnbull says Australians are ‘voting with their feet’ to support teal independents

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Former PM to tell Washington Harvard Club the rise of the independents could mean the ‘capture’ of the Liberal party is thwarted by ‘direct democratic action’

Disgruntled Liberal voters are “voting with their feet” to support the so-called teal independents, because the influence of the party’s moderate wing at the federal level was “diminished and diminishing”, the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is set to say.

Describing the 2022 Australian election campaign in a speech he is to give to the Washington Harvard Club on Friday, Turnbull says the rise of the independents is “the most interesting part of the election” because “if more of these ‘teal’ 10 independents win, it will mean the capture of the Liberal Party will be thwarted by direct, democratic action from voters. People power, you might say.”

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Coalition climate target consistent with more than 3C global heating, research says

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Labor’s emissions targets are in line with 2C of heating, which would still lead to extreme heat events and the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef

The Morrison government’s climate change commitments are consistent with more than 3C of global heating, bordering on 4C, a level that would lead to catastrophic damage across the planet, according to a new analysis.

Labor’s climate target was found to be consistent with about 2C of heating above pre-industrial levels. Both would be expected to lead to the loss of tropical coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, and a significant rise in the number of extreme heat events in Australia, assuming other countries took equivalent action.

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Cost of living and fixing aged care are top concerns as election nears, ANU poll shows

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Six in ten people surveyed say the two issues are of most concern, followed by the Australian economy, healthcare costs and climate

Reducing the cost of living and fixing the aged care system are voters’ two top priorities for the 2022 federal election, according to a new Australian National University poll.

The survey of more than 3,500 people found those two issues transcended the political divide with more than 60% nominating them as top priorities, ranking ahead of issues of more concern to Coalition voters, including defence against terrorist attacks and reducing crime.

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Path to victory: the seats that will decide the 2022 federal election

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Labor needs to gain seven seats to form majority government while the Coalition must offset any losses with gains elsewhere

Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are preparing for the final sprint to the 21 May election finish line when Australia will decide who forms government.

Labor can sniff victory, but the Liberals are not giving up, hoping the final fortnight may yet see the undecided voters stick with the devil they know.

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Labor denounces Peter Dutton’s ‘conspiracy theory’ that China wants Coalition to lose election

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In election debate, Labor’s Brendan O’Connor says defence minister’s line of attack on China is for his own political purposes

Australia’s defence minister declared he has “no doubt” the Chinese Communist party wants the Morrison government to lose the election, prompting the opposition to denounce the appeasement claims as a “conspiracy theory”.

Peter Dutton was challenged during a debate on Thursday to defend the government’s rhetoric that a Labor government would “appease” the CCP – after previous pushback from current and former national security officials – and said he believed it “very strongly”.

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Federal election 2022 live updates: O’Connor says PM ‘doesn’t get soft power’ as Dutton defends Solomons response

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Defence debate kicks off at National Press Club; Labor accuses Coalition of ‘cynical and stupid’ lack of attention to Indonesia relationship; ‘significantly poorer health outcomes’ for people living outside cities, NSW health inquiry finds; Anthony Albanese bungles NDIS question; Scott Morrison says he doesn’t have a ‘magic pen’ for wages; NSW records 21 Covid deaths, Victoria records 14, Queensland records 11. Follow all the day’s news live

In that exchange, Stuart Robert said he had been acting as the education minister for a year. But Alan Tudge didn’t announce he was stepping down until 2 December last year.

Perhaps the last five months have just felt like a year for Robert.

I’m the acting education minister, and have been for almost 12 months. So I’ve got full authority in terms of running the education portfolio, as well as skills and workplace and the other things that I do.

I suggest in his electorate. I don’t know where he is. I tend not to keep track of my colleagues’ whereabouts.

I’m not across those issues so, unfortunately, I can’t give you any degree of answer. They’re issues that are dealt with by the Department of Finance, very much at arm’s length from anyone. Certainly arm’s length from me. My responsibility as required by the prime minister as the acting education minister and the acting minister for youth, is to use all of those resourcing and requirement and continue to act in the best interests of the people of Australia, which I’ve been doing with my state and territory colleagues. That’s why just before the election, of course, we signed off on the national curriculum, which was a landmark piece of work that we did together as education ministers right across the country.

Again, Lisa, I’m just not across those issues in any detail at all.

I’m still not across what the details are. I’m not across what the legalities are.

Again, I’m not going to comment on things that I’m just not across. I don’t think that the Australian people expect the acting education minister to wade into every issue, especially issues that I’m simply not briefed on. My brief is to ensure that we can get the best possible curriculum and the best possible teacher education quality out of our universities, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

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Australian Greens party Grindr election ad: a gifted strategy or just grating?

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Each week we ask experts to break down a political advertisement: who are the candidates trying to reach, and are they succeeding?

Greens candidate for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, has taken out an advertisement on Grindr, “the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people”.

“You always come first with the Greens,” one reads, and another says: “Spice up Canberra with a third”.

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Greens and animal welfare groups push for Labor to give timeline for live export ban

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Opposition says it will recommit to phasing out live sheep exports from Western Australia but has not indicated when it will do so

The Greens and animal welfare groups have called on Labor to commit to a timeline for phasing out live sheep exports, after the opposition said it still intended to ban the trade.

Labor told the Alliance for Animals that it will recommit to its policy of phasing out the live sheep export trade, which it announced in 2018 in response to whistleblower videos of a deadly voyage in which 2,400 sheep died.

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Ruston dismisses suggestion Liberal party has ‘lost its way’; Hunter candidates square off – as it happened

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Jim Chalmers accuses Josh Frydenberg of lying about tax as treasurer and shadow treasurer pressed on NDIS in debate; Coalition ‘oblivious’ to pressures facing working families, Albanese says; border force won’t confirm reports of asylum seekers moved to Christmas Island; at least 56 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

In a move designed to hold on to what is known as the “grey vote”, the government has announced a two-year freeze on deeming rates, in response to the interest rate rise.

That means pensioners with cash deposits which will increase with the rate rise (interest rates on bank accounts go up too) won’t have to worry about hitting the cap of how much they can earn before their pension is impacted.

We have always said where there are good ideas we will support them. We sought to be constructive during the pandemic and did support many of the measures and, you know, looking at this decision today, we have said, yes, this is a good idea and we will.

He already has, we went to a religious service at a local synagogue and no doubt he has many competing requests on his ...

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Scott Morrison has not spoken to Solomon Islands prime minister since calling election

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Australian PM insists he wants positive relationship, while Manasseh Sogavare says use of ‘back yard’ to describe country is offensive

Scott Morrison has not spoken with the prime minister of Solomon Islands since the Australian election campaign began but insists he wants to put the countries’ relationship back on a positive footing.

The Australian prime minister made the remarks on Wednesday, a day after his Pacific island counterpart Manasseh Sogavare launched a thinly veiled criticism of some politicians’ language about Solomon Islands in the wake of the controversial security agreement with China.

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Coalition accused of stalling ban on imports made using slave labour

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Morrison government wants time to consult business and upgrade IT but campaigners say Australia is lagging other countries

The Morrison government has been accused of stalling action to prevent the importation of goods made using slave labour, as it insists it needs more time to consult business and upgrade IT systems.

Despite repeatedly raising concerns about forced labour practices in China’s Xinjiang region, the government has cited “practical challenges” in a new report explaining why it cannot immediately take up recommendations of a bipartisan committee.

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Emails reveal One Nation’s last-minute scramble to find candidates

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When Rob Sinclair tried to nominate for One Nation in his local electorate they pleaded for him to run in other states

One Nation was still scrambling to find people to run for this month’s federal election just hours before the close of nominations, telling one prospective candidate to leave the electorate he was running in “blank” on his form while the party desperately tried to fill seats.

The Guardian can also reveal that several of the candidates chosen to run for the party live in other states from the seat they’re standing in, including a husband and wife couple selected to run in separate seats in New South Wales and Victoria.

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Election 2022 live updates: RBA chief warns interest rates could hit 2.5% as Labor seizes on ‘cost of living crisis’

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Scott Morrison defends economic ‘shield’ after RBA lifts cash rate target from historic low; Philip Lowe says more interest rate rises to come; Jim Chalmers says central bank decision ‘a very serious development’; nation records 41 Covid deaths. Follow the latest updates live

Scott Morrison doesn’t get sick of the “silly” photo ops [silly photo opportunities being how the question was framed], he tells Melbourne radio’s Neil Mitchell, because he “doesn’t see them that way”.

He then gives a hero-gram to tradies.

I don’t fit in those ways, what I see is [being] out and about and doing what Australians do every day.

... What I enjoy doing is standing there with an apprentice who shows me what they’re learning, and then I’d have a go at it.

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Reserve Bank interest rates: RBA lifts official cash rate to 0.35% in first rise since 2010

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Central bank raises rate by 0.25 percentage points in a move that will stoke cost-of-living debate ahead of federal election

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its official cash rate for the first time in more than 11 years in its first intervention in a federal election since John Howard lost office in late 2007.

The central bank lifted its cash rate target from the record low 0.1% it had hovered at since November 2020, during the depths of the Covid pandemic. It was raised more than expected to 0.35%, and the RBA signalled more rises to come.

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ABC misses out on final leaders’ debate; key independents back call for robodebt inquiry – as it happened

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Channel Seven to host final debate of election campaign; crossbenchers back call for royal commission into robodebt scandal; Scott Morrison focuses on cost of living concerns; Anthony Albanese marches for May Day in Brisbane; Sally McManus would support wage increase for public sector workers; 13 Covid deaths recorded across the nation. This blog is now closed

Labor is still on the campaign sell for its first homeowner policy.

Jason Clare faced questions ranging from, “Is this too small to have an impact?” to, “Won’t it drive up house prices?”

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Labor’s election pitch: five key policies unveiled at party’s campaign launch

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Anthony Albanese outlines vision for medicines, manufacturing jobs, gender pay equity, electric vehicles and housing affordability

The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, made a pitch for a “better future” at his official campaign launch in Perth, outlining new policies to try to capture voter attention.

The party has veered away from the big-spending and revenue-raising promises of the last election campaign. But Albanese pledged on Sunday that if he wins the 21 May election “the work of building that better future will start the very next day”.

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Albanese rallies against ‘fear and division’ at Labor campaign launch – as it happened

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Anthony Albanese and senior Labor members speak at ALP campaign launch in Perth; Scott Morrison speaks at Sydney rally; Coalition outlines e-safety plan; Greens announce LGBTQ+ equality plan; Victoria reports seven Covid deaths; NSW reports five; South Australia reports two. This blog is now closed

Simon Birmingham is pushed on what the Coalition will actually do on the cost of living but there isn’t a clear answer. See this exchange with Insiders host David Speers:

Q: So essentially to get wages going is to keep doing what you’ve been doing for the last nine years?

David, our plan is a comprehensive economic plan and in contrast to the Labor party. We have outlined clearly plans for … that jobs growth. Jobs growth fuelled by lower taxes and tax relief for Australians that continue to be implemented in terms of lower income taxes, support for more businesses.

David, it is a plan that we’ve outlined in quite a lot of detail, compared to ...

If you look at this year’s budget, small business, a particular focus in relation to investment in technology …

The approach we’ve taken is to fix a particular problem in the housing market and that was the fact that you had to save, of course, for your deposit, takes months and months, years and years, to get that 20% deposit to avoid having to pay mortgage insurance, that was meaning that people were having to pay rent at the same time as saving.

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