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What we discovered right this moment, election eve, Friday 20 Might
It’s The Remaining Countdown! (Sure, Europe’s traditional music was performed right this moment). The prime minister, Scott Morrison, and the Labor chief, Anthony Albanese, had hectic, frenetic days. Right here’s what occurred:
That’s it from us for right this moment. Amy Remeikis will likely be right here within the morning, and the Guardian Australia staff will likely be out at polls and political shindigs, keeping track of how election day unfolds. Tomorrow evening we would know who the brand new authorities, and prime minister is. Or we would not. Enjoyable occasions!
As for most well-liked prime minister:
Psephologist Kevin Bonham says:
Josh Butler
Whereas Anthony Albanese’s ABC 7.30 interview (recorded earlier tonight) was being performed on TV, he was having one final quiet marketing campaign occasion earlier than election day – assembly grocery store employees at a Woolworths warehouse within the marginal seat of Chisholm.
After flying into Melbourne within the early night, the marketing campaign bus went to the town’s east. Albanese met a team of workers he mentioned had been on the “frontline” of the pandemic – stocking cabinets and dealing checkouts to maintain individuals fed.
He was joined by deputy Labor chief, Richard Marles, and Chisholm candidate, Carina Garland, who’s attempting to win the seat off Liberal incumbent, Gladys Liu, who has a wafer-thin 0.4% margin. Albanese instructed a bunch of staff:
My son works at Woolies.
Thanks for what you do, and what you probably did through the pandemic.
With a couple of fast handshakes, he was again out the door, into the evening. Simply moments earlier, the newest Newspoll dropped, displaying Labor nonetheless with a commanding 53-47 two-party lead, but additionally a two-point drop in its main vote.
It will likely be a protracted and doubtlessly sleepless evening for each main events and their leaders. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, may even be in Melbourne, with the 2 males to begin election day in the identical metropolis.
Remaining Newspoll: Labor 53%, Coalition 47% two-party most well-liked
The ultimate Newspoll is in, displaying 53% two-party most well-liked for Labor to 47% for the Coalition:
Leigh Gross sales thanks the Labor chief, Anthony Albanese, for honouring his dedication to look on this system twice, and it’s over.
Gross sales asks concerning the opposition’s campaigns, and compares it to the Liberal opposition beneath Tony Abbott, which gained with crisp three-word slogans. Albanese says:
What I’ll ship is what I’m saying we’ll ship. Cheaper childcare. Cheaper power payments. A future made in Australia. Finish the local weather wars. A nationwide anti-corruption fee and [to] transfer ahead with the constitutional recognition of First Nations individuals with a voice to parliament.
Subsequent up is the seat of Fowler, the place Kristina Keneally is perhaps in hassle. Albanese says:
What I’d say is that Kristina Keneally is a senior member of the Labor social gathering … she’s enthusiastic about making a distinction in politics, together with to the neighborhood of Fowler in south-west Sydney.
She may have a seat across the cupboard desk and can make an unlimited distinction to that voters. Kristina is somebody with nice capability, intelligence and in a position to advocate for that neighborhood. She’ll be an excellent, robust consultant, and I’m certain that they’ll be very happy with what she’s in a position to ship as a part of a Labor authorities.
Gross sales asks when coal manufacturing will finish, and Albanese says “that will likely be decided by selections in board rooms right here in Australia and around the globe”. He says “the most affordable type of new power in Australia is renewables”.
There’s nice prospect in areas like inexperienced hydrogen and different rising industries as nicely. That’s what is occurring, and it’s being pushed by the market.
Gross sales is racing by the questions. The following one is on Scott Morrison’s housing coverage, and he or she asks Albanese why individuals shouldn’t have the selection to make use of their tremendous to purchase a home. Albanese says:
As a result of we don’t assume that you must get an asset by eliminating one other asset. And what we now have here’s a coverage that’s per the federal government that has undermined superannuation each alternative that it has had.
We already know that girls retire with much less earnings than males. This authorities has continued to undermine superannuation at each step.
On a trainer scarcity, Albanese says:
Effectively, one of many issues that we are able to do is to take some strain off the schooling system. We make no apologies for the coverage about attracting extra high-performance lecturers into the career. We have to worth instructing. It’s an honourable career. And we have to elevate its standing.
Now we have a spread of different insurance policies that we’ve introduced, together with funding for faculties to bounce again from Covid. We all know that college students and lecturers have achieved it actually powerful. And offering extra assist for each faculty for psychological well being assist or for excursions so as to, in keeping with the priorities of these faculties, will make a distinction as nicely.
On the wage enhance, Albanese says:
I really gave a straight reply to a straight query about 5.1% and minimal wage, would I welcome it? And I stand by that. It’s a greenback an hour enhance. And I don’t consider, and I mentioned all through the whole marketing campaign I’ve mentioned [we have] two large themes. We don’t assume that individuals ought to fall behind, and we don’t assume that individuals ought to be held again. And other people on minimal wages can’t afford an actual lower of their wages.
Albanese and Gross sales are butting heads over Albanese’s “gaffes”. Gross sales says:
You made the unemployment determine mistake. You mentioned this week that Australia’s borders had been closed after they’re not. You supported a 5.1% wage enhance after which wound it again to say that it could solely be for minimal wage earners.
Albanese is attempting to simply concentrate on the wage enhance, which is clearly a lot safer territory. He says it’s media “gotcha” questions that put individuals off politics.
Pushed on the unemployment fee gaffe, he says:
I ‘fessed as much as simply having a reminiscence lapse at that individual time in that context. I’m not about making excuses. I owned it. And moved on.
Gross sales asks how a Labor authorities would clear up Australia’s abilities scarcity. Albanese says:
Effectively, we may have 465,000 fee-free Tafe locations in areas of abilities scarcity. We’ll even have an extra 20,000 college locations. We perceive that we have to practice Australians for these jobs … you’ll be able to’t simply change 10 years of injury in sooner or later.
What it’s worthwhile to do is practice individuals for these jobs. You want additionally to have a look at the migration system. I’ve mentioned that very up-front in areas like nurses, traditionally Australia is a good migration nation.
Albanese is speaking about inheriting $1tn of debt, however Gross sales forces him to defend passing the stage three earnings tax cuts, whereas not committing to elevating the speed of jobseeker.
Albanese says:
They’ve been legislated. I’ll inform you what occurred – we misplaced the final election. We misplaced the final election and people cuts, the tax cuts, have been legislated. We’re not going to re-litigate all the points which have occurred at earlier elections and we’re going to make sure that there’s certainty going ahead about what the tax system appears like.
In order that’s why we made that call. However that was a choice that was made, after all, within the parliament, within the senate. We tried to amend the laws. We weren’t profitable. In order that’s only a historic undeniable fact that that occurred.
Gross sales asks Albanese concerning the notorious “Mediscare” marketing campaign, saying the confected marketing campaign by Labor goes to the problem of belief. Albanese runs by what a Labor social gathering would do within the healthcare system, together with the promised pressing care clinics, and says:
They’ll be bulk billed. The one factor you’ll want in an pressing care clinic is your Medicare card.
Labor will at all times be higher on Medicare and healthcare, and the coverage that we’ve put out as nicely of $250m per 12 months, yearly, for 3 years, that’s been endorsed by the Australian Medical Affiliation, we’ve labored out how we are able to ensure that we are able to get higher supply, of main healthcare and different well being companies. That’s one thing that we’ve labored constructively on. It’s one thing that we’d take into authorities.
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