Category Archives: Coalition

Christian lobby groups push major parties to support unamended religious discrimination bill

Posted on by

FamilyVoice says Labor not to blame for ‘Morrison’s failure’ to pass bill as Albanese pledges to extend school chaplaincy program with secular pastoral care

Christian lobby groups are pressing both major parties to recommit to the unamended religious discrimination bill as Labor guarantees to extend the chaplaincy program with a secular choice for schools.

Guardian Australia understands Labor has told FamilyVoice it has “consistently supported” the $61m-a-year chaplaincy program but will move to give schools the option of a secular pastoral care worker.

Continue reading...

Australia politics live updates: Joyce announces $1.5bn Darwin port facility; Coalition costing of Labor policies ‘laughable’, says Gallagher

Posted on by

Deputy PM promises $1.5bn investment for new Darwin port; Labor senator takes shot at Coalition’s ‘dodgy costings unit’; Scott Morrison promises to create 1.3m new jobs in the next five years; Anthony Albanese announces greater mental health support for regions; nation records 38 more Covid deaths. Follow all the day’s news

Scott Morrison has called in to Adelaide radio station FiveAA to speak with David Penberthy.

Penberthy wanted to know whether Morrison’s standing contributed to the collapse in the Liberal party’s vote in the recent South Australian state election.

It’s a federal election.

It’s a macro number that we do right across the economy.

I think prime minister Ardern was appropriate when she said she wasn’t going to engage in a domestic election in Australia. I would say this – this is a recommendation of the royal commission. This is a recommendation that arises out of the situation that we see older Australians facing. Neglect, people are being neglected.

Now, what we are saying is let’s work to bring in more nurses to the sector ... a lot of nurses leave the sector every year, or leave their employer. We need to train more Australians to get into this workforce, and yes, as is currently the place, migration will be part of the story but not all of the story.

Continue reading...

Barnaby Joyce wrongly claims $1.5bn funding for second Darwin port has already been legislated

Posted on by

Bill that includes Northern Territory infrastructure funding did not pass before parliament was dissolved

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has wrongly claimed that an infrastructure package that includes funding for a second port in Darwin has already been legislated, despite the budget bills lapsing when parliament was dissolved on Monday.

Speaking in the Northern Territory on Tuesday, where the Coalition is targeting two Labor-held seats, Joyce was talking up the government’s regional funding commitments, including $2.6bn allocated to the NT through a regional development plan announced on budget night.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Plibersek says election ‘a test of leadership, not memory’ after Albanese mistake – As it happened

Posted on by

The PM campaigned in Gilmore in NSW, while Labor leader is in Bass in Tasmania; Tanya Plibersek defends Anthony Albanese after opposition leader addresses his rates stumble; phone voting available for people in isolation on election day; NSW reports three Covid deaths and Victoria one. This blog is now closed

Scott Morrison just appeared on ABC breakfast TV, where he was asked about his relationship with the Liberal candidate for Gilmore, Andrew Constance.

Q: Andrew Constance said that you got the welcome that you deserved [in the region after the bushfires]. Emotions are still running deep in the bushfire-affected communities. Are you concerned about that being repeated today?

With Andrew Constance being part of my team and choosing to be part of that team, I think that that addresses it. Andrew and I spoke not long after the terrible experiences that particularly he and others and so many went through, and we worked the issue. We ensured that we addressed thing like small business payment and we got the money on the grouped and supported people in the areas that the federal government were responsible for. And I really thank Andrew for the way that we came together and really started to work together to address those issues. He’s a fine advocate for this part of Australia on the south coast of New South Wales.

He’s demonstrated that time again. And the fact that he wants to be part of my team and is running here as our Liberal candidate in Gilmore, I think that that addresses those issues fairly, squarely, that we’ve actually addressed the short comings that he was outlining at the time and we’ve gone forward with a strong plan to ensure that we’re providing that support. Not just in relation to the fires, but in relation to other natural disasters. And we’ve seen so many of those over the last three years.

Continue reading...

‘I’ll fess up’: Anthony Albanese tries to make a virtue of not knowing unemployment or cash rate

Posted on by

Labor leader makes mistake on day one of campaign as Scott Morrison embraces former NSW MP who said PM ‘got the welcome he deserved’ during bushfires

The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, says he “accepts responsibility” for a gaffe on the first day of the federal election campaign when he couldn’t state the national unemployment figure or the official cash rate.

Albanese was asked on multiple occasions if he knew the figures during a press conference in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania at the start of the six-week campaign.

Continue reading...

Seats to watch at the federal election in Queensland, where three-way contests and newcomers may hold the key

Posted on by

Labor told it needs to ‘find a way to reconnect with Queenslanders’, where the Liberal party holds 23 of the state’s 30 seats

Scott Morrison largely had Queensland to thank for his “miracle” 2019 election, with the party now heading into the 2022 poll holding 23 of the 30 seats in the state, all but one with a margin of under 4%.

Many commentators credit the wave of blue to local objections to Bob Brown’s anti-Adani convoy, doubts over Labor’s climate change and tax policies and preference flows from minor parties, namely Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia party.

Labor’s post-2019 election review found the party needed to “find a way to reconnect with Queenslanders” if it is to win the next election and indeed, opposition leader Anthony Albanese has spent significant time in Queensland, including visiting a coalmine.

Continue reading...

The nerve centres: inside the Coalition and Labor election campaign headquarters

Posted on by

The parties’ election machines have been humming into gear for weeks. Here’s the who who’s of each operation

All the focus of an election is on the leaders’ planes and travelling parties criss-crossing the nation for press conferences and photo ops, but behind every decision or smallest detail are the nerve centres of the whole operation – the Coalition and Labor campaign headquarters.

As endless column inches in recent weeks were devoted to when Scott Morrison would make the trip to the governor general’s home in Yarralumla, the campaign headquarters (CHQ) for the major parties were quietly humming into gear, with key staff flooding into the central command units at the heart of the election machines.

Continue reading...

Australian election 2022: Scott Morrison warns voters against change as Anthony Albanese promises a ‘better future’

Posted on by

Prime minister calls federal election for 21 May as two leaders outline pitch to voters

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is imploring voters not to risk a change to an “uncertain” future under the opposition, while the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, says now is the time to seize the opportunity for better times ahead.

After Morrison visited the governor general on Sunday to call a 21 May election, the two leaders began the 41-day election campaign by outlining their pitch to voters.

Continue reading...

Leaders make first pitches to voters after PM sets poll date – as it happened

Posted on by

Scott Morrison says federal election about choosing between ‘a government you know and a Labor opposition you don’t’; Anthony Albanese says ‘Australians deserve better’ at campaign launch; at least 13 more deaths from Covid. This blog is now closed

Very glad to report the ABC has a live feed of the PM’s plan taxiing along at Sydney airport. Thoroughly engaging stuff.

The ABC is now reporting the PM has jumped aboard the official prime ministerial jet at Sydney airport, heading to Canberra.

Continue reading...

Queensland promised most amid marginal seat spree on discretionary grants, analysis shows

Posted on by

Guardian Australia is tracking Coalition and Labor funding commitments and highlighting pork-barrelling during the election campaign

The Morrison government has promised more than $5.6bn in discretionary grants to projects across the country as part of a massive $28bn pre-election spending spree, with almost half directed to key marginal seats.

A Guardian Australia analysis of major party spending commitments from January to March this year shows Queensland as the biggest beneficiary of commitments from the Coalition and Labor, with the state a key battleground for parties to form government.

Continue reading...

After fires, floods and a pandemic, Australians once again head to national election

Posted on by

Will bullying claims against the PM, and independents demanding climate action, damage conservatives’ chances of holding on to power?

• Scott Morrison: frustrated, frazzled and under siege
• Labor’s lone wolf: Anthony Albanese in the fight of his life

Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has called a general election for May, hoping for a second victory against the odds as he faces accusations of lying and bullying from within his own party.

An informal campaign has been under way for weeks, but Morrison pulled the trigger on the election on Sunday, with opinion polls showing his personal popularity plummeting and his party losing ground with voters.

Continue reading...

Australia live news updates: Scott Morrison takes credit for saving 40,000 lives from Covid in social media video; NSW records 10 Covid deaths, Vic seven and Qld two

Posted on by

Scott Morrison takes credit for saving 40,000 lives from Covid in social media video; prime minister expected to call federal election this weekend; hundreds of NSW residents still under evacuation orders; NSW records 10 Covid deaths; seven Covid deaths in Victoria; Queensland reports two virus deaths; police officer and driver killed in Victoria crash. This blog is now closed

Exclusive: Schools chaplaincy provider bans cohabitation and ‘sexually intrusive’ behaviour in staff’s private life

In the space of an hour on Thursday night, two Queensland Liberal National stalwarts made announcements that shook the party from the right, and then the left.

First, George Christensen announced he had formally left the LNP – ending a political farce that has seen the retiring federal MP for Dawson slide deeper into far-rightwing anti-government conspiracy, all the while remaining a member of the government.

Continue reading...

High court win on NSW preselections clears way for Morrison to call election

Posted on by

PM expected to visit governor general this weekend to trigger mid-May election after court refused to hear appeal against ‘captain’s picks’

The high court has cleared the decks for Scott Morrison to call the federal election by refusing to hear a last-ditch appeal against the prime minister’s contentious captain’s picks in key New South Wales seats.

The court on Friday refused businessman Matthew Camenzuli’s application for special leave to appeal against the NSW court of appeal’s decision upholding the controversial preselections. Chief justice Susan Kiefel said the appeal had “insufficient prospects of success”.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

PM tight-lipped on election call – as it happened

Posted on by

Matthew Camenzuli expelled from Liberal party after seeking leave to appeal preselections ruling in high court; Scott Morrison says he has been ‘upfront with Australian people’ about running full term; Albanese calls Berejiklian a ‘straight talker’ after second round of leaked texts; at least 23 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

New text messages from former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian have emerged, building on former leaks and labelling Scott Morrison “obsessed with petty political pointscoring.”

News.com.au has reported it has received a second screenshot of text messages between Berejiklian and a mystery cabinet minister, in which she says she is “so, so disappointed,” in Morrison:

Thx. I’m just so so disappointed. Lives are at stake today and he is just obsessed with petty political pointscoring. So disappointed and gutted.

We’ve seen unprecedented collaboration with both the local government and state government, with support being delivered in record time … we were able to get $3bn of recovery support out, in just over the first three weeks – that’s a record number of people supported.

The PM has written to Premier Perrottet to say we’re very happy to share in costs of that program ... but the PM has made clear that it’s for the one-in-500-year flood event.

Continue reading...

Australian federal police demand parties commit to ‘far-reaching anti-corruption body’

Posted on by

Police say current anti-corruption regime is unequal and holds law enforcement to a higher standard than politicians

Thousands of Australian Federal Police (AFP) members are demanding the next commonwealth government establish a strong anti-corruption commission that equally investigates politicians and law enforcement, saying police are being unfairly blamed for gaps in the nation’s integrity system.

The Australian Federal Police Association, which represents 4,000 AFP members, has placed the establishment of a “far-reaching anti-corruption body” among its highest priorities ahead of the federal election, alongside improved support for officers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, greater resourcing, and stronger firearms regulations.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Coalition accused of sitting on environment report to avoid delivering ‘more bad news’

Posted on by

Calls for report to be released before election so voters know ‘official state’ of environment under Morrison government

The Morrison government has been accused of sitting on a major report card on the state of Australia’s environment it received more than three months ago to avoid “more bad news”.

Labor, the Greens, the independent MP Zali Steggall, environment groups and scientists have called on the government to release the Australia State of the Environment report, which is produced by scientists and compiled every five years.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Australia news live updates: MPs respond to Morrison criticism; 20 Covid deaths; major Optus mobile network outage

Posted on by

Foreign and defence ministers label Putin a ‘war criminal’; major Optus mobile network outage; ministers respond to criticism of Scott Morrison; NSW records 12 Covid deaths and 19,183 new infections; Victoria records eight deaths and 12,007 new infections. Follow all the latest updates live

Another senior Liberal has taken aim at Scott Morrison, accusing him of “self-serving ruthless bullying” and claiming he has “ruined” the Liberal party.

Catherine Cusack, a NSW Liberal who announced two weeks ago she would resign from the Legislative Council over her anger about flood relief, adds her voice to a growing chorus of critics of Morrison from within his own party in an opinion piece for Guardian Australia.

The concerns over the prime minister’s character are now well established, and they’re well established not by the Labor party, but the people who know him best.

I mean his own deputy prime minister called him a liar and a hypocrite*. These people know him best, they’ve served in cabinet with him, in the Liberal party with him over a period of many years ...

Continue reading...

Aged care sector calls for funding detail on election commitments

Posted on by

Major parties urged to spell out more policy and make system sustainable, as Anglicare launches wage-rise campaign for carers

Health advocates have welcomed the elevation of aged care as a headline issue early in the federal election campaign, backing Labor’s policy pledges but warning that changes could have “unintended consequences” without further consultation.

One leading aged care voice has challenged both major parties to outline exactly how they plan to fund the sector against the backdrop of an ageing Australian population, claiming current rules would see the pay of nursing home staff go backwards this year.

Continue reading...

Aged care bodies and unions demand Coalition match Labor’s pledge to fund potential wage rises

Posted on by

Federal opposition says it will pay any increase ordered by Fair Work Commission but Coalition has stopped short of such a guarantee

Aged care industry bodies and unions have criticised the Morrison government for failing to commit to fully fund any pay increases ordered as a result of the sector’s work value case.

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) and Leading Age Services Australia (Lasa) have both warned that providers would not be able to pay the increase meaning the industrial tribunal would need to order a smaller rise – or operators could be forced to close.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

‘Absolutely due to upcoming election’: Australian government releases more refugees from detention

Posted on by

Iranian refugee Hossein Latifi is one of nine people released from Melbourne’s Park hotel a fortnight after 50 others were freed

Iranian refugee Hossein Latifi has been released from Melbourne’s Park hotel, along with nine other people, after nine years in immigration detention.

Latifi was released on Friday – his 33rd birthday. It was the first time in almost a decade he had been able to celebrate outside the walls of a detention centre.

Continue reading...