What we learned today, Sunday 10 April
Well, now we know (for sure) and the election campaign is (finally, formally) under way. Here are today’s news highlights:
- It’s on! Prime minister Scott Morrison called the election today for 21 May, meaning a six-week campaign. And for an insight on how Guardian Australia plans to cover it, read Lenore Taylor’s piece here.
- For the full wrap of today, here’s Sarah Martin’s overview.
- We have a Pork-o-meter to track all the barrelling action. And there’s an incredibly useful guide to every seat, too.
- There was some confusion over Liberal MP Alan Tudge’s job description.
- At least 13 people died from Covid.
- Rallies were held around the country for better treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
So much, and it’s only just beginning! See you back here tomorrow.
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Mike Bowers has been out today. Here are some highlights (yes, including C1 as it makes its way to Government House):
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Josh Butler has fleshed out the story on minister-not-minister Alan Tudge:
Speaking of the AEC, electoral commissioner Tom Rogers says the pandemic will add complexity to “what is already Australia’s largest peacetime logistical exercise”:
We’ll be operating hundreds of early voting centres and thousands of polling places on election day, and Australians can feel comfortable to vote in-person.
While elections are in-person community events and we expect voters to turn out, Australians who need a postal vote can now apply for one.
The immediate priority for all Australians is to go to aec.gov.au to check your enrolment and make sure it is up to date by Monday 18 April. If you’re not enrolled, you can’t have your say.
The commission has also outlined its Covid safety plans.
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The Australian Electoral Commission has been doing a cranking job on social media (you can read about it here). Clear, concise information and prompt debunking.
The rumours are false. Unvaccinated voters will not be turned away. Please don't spread false information.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) April 10, 2022
Our policy is that we have no power to prevent unvaccinated people from voting. It's that simple.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) February 7, 2022
Re NSW, managed by our colleagues from the @NSWElectoralCom. Not sure about anybody being refused entry but can confirm we're not seeking to do that federally.
First stop of Morrison’s campaign - on the offensive in the Labor held seat of Gilmore.
— Trudy McIntosh (@TrudyMcIntosh) April 10, 2022
It’s held by first term MP Fiona Phillips - Andrew Constance is hoping to capitalise on his personal popularity as state MP for Bega.
Refugee rallies held around Australia after Park Hotel releases
AAP reports on rallies across Australia today for Palm Sunday. People are calling for more humane refugee and asylum seeker policies, including releasing all asylum seekers in detention, permanent protection for temporary visa holders and an increased refugee intake.
More than 25 refugees were released last week, including eight people from Melbourne’s Park Hotel. There are 10 refugees still in detention, and nearly 200 in offshore centres on Nauru and Manus Island. The Refugee Council of Australia said:
Their detention was never justified and clearly in breach of Australia’s treaty obligations on arbitrary detention and the treatment of refugees.
It has seriously damaged the individuals’ mental and physical health, cost the Australian taxpayers a fortune and done much damage to Australia’s international reputation.
Park Hotel is where tennis player Novak Djokovic was detained earlier this year.
Djokovic was ultimately deported on the eve of the Australian Open after the federal court upheld the immigration minister’s decision to cancel his visa.
Last month, the federal government announced 16,500 humanitarian places for Afghan nationals and has resettled some 5000 Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion.
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Greens ready to hold balance power, says Adam Bandt
Let’s not forget about the Greens! AAP reports the party appears “confident they will hold the balance of power”. Greens leader Adam Bandt said people were “fed up with the Morrison government fuelling the climate crisis, making housing more expensive and driving incomes down.” He said:
In balance of power, the Greens will take climate action by stopping new coal and gas mines, getting dental and mental health into Medicare and fixing the housing affordability crisis.
Last time we were in balance of power, we got dental into Medicare for kids and now it’s time to get it for adults too.
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A couple of hours after the prime minister called the election, and already the campaigns are starting. The media pack to follow Scott Morrison around is about to take off from Canberra, destination unknown, to meet the PM somewhere this afternoon.
A novelty of these campaigns is that the travelling media plane usually isn’t given advance notice of where the leaders are heading – partly so plans can’t be leaked to the other side, partly because plans often change at the last minute.
Morrison’s media pack has been told it’s a short flight to wherever they’re going.
The crew following Labor leader Anthony Albanese is to depart Canberra a bit later this evening. They’ve been told it’ll be cold where they’re going, leading some to speculate the opposition leader might start his campaign in Tasmania. It’s a state where Labor is desperate to pick up the Coalition seats of Bass and Braddon, and sandbag their own seat of Lyons.
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If today was a blur, and you want to get your head wrapped around it better, Matilda Boseley has you covered:
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Northern Territory records 394 new Covid cases
The Northern Territory recorded 394 new Covid cases, and there are 33 patients in hospital, one in intensive care.
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Ahhhh, the magical mystery tour! Weeks of no sleep, jouncing around on buses and planes, not knowing where you’re going until you land, the constant anxiety about where you’ll get Wifi, where you’ll be able to charge your phone, where you’ll find a loo...
And so starts the magical mystery tour of #ausvotes2022 - media travelling to cover PM due for take off - destination for now (as is usual on an election campaign) unknown. @9NewsAUS
— Jonathan Kearsley (@jekearsley) April 10, 2022
An election involves more than just sausages on election day. There's a number of steps - most urgently, the electoral roll closes at 8pm on Monday 18 April. Enrol or update your enrolment now at https://t.co/pv99YKD0X2 pic.twitter.com/x697XiOJNw
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) April 10, 2022
Former ABC reporter and independent candidate Zoe Daniel has (also) launched her campaign for the Liberal safe seat of Goldstein today.
In front of a crowd in Melbourne’s south, supporters dressed in the now characteristic “independent teal”, Daniel said she’d push for further action on climate change and government integrity.
The incumbent is the Coalition’s Tim Wilson, who launched his campaign in Sandringham earlier this week.
A lovely touch of bipartisan support for @zdaniel at her launch - Ian Macphee, the first elected member for Goldstein and minister in the Fraser Liberal government, and Barry Jones, minister in the Hawke government. #ZoeForGoldstein #GoldsteinVotes pic.twitter.com/6klouLcr15
— Angela Pippos (@angelapippos) April 10, 2022
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Tina Arena v The Ramones.
— David Crowe (@CroweDM) April 10, 2022
Campaign dynamics right there.
“Hey ho, let’s go,” says Labor leader Anthony Albanese as he wraps up that (relatively lengthy) press conference. Embarrassingly I thought it was something from Snow White, but it’s actually from the Ramones (and it’s been pointed out to me that I was actually thinking of the Smurfs).
Albanese says he says he loves campaigning, and finishes up with this:
I ask the people of Australia to return Labor candidates, because at this election, there are two people standing for prime minister. Only one of them is in a position to say they want to form a government in their own right. The other one is part of a coalition and it’s a coalition that is a coalition of chaos, frankly, at the moment.
We see leadership changes in the Liberal party, within the National party, a whole range of ministerial changes. We have ministers who have stood down but apparently are still a cabinet minister now. We need to do better. This government have acted like an opposition in exile, sitting on the government benches. At this campaign, I’d say they need to be held to account as well. I’m happy to be held to account. I look forward to campaigning ... in the words of the great Ramones, hey ho, let’s go.
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He’s asked about the long-term jobs in the renewable industry, and says it’s not an “either/or” situation with coal, that the markets will decide the future of the coal industry:
Business has been saying in this country for a decade now is they are crying out for leadership. They are crying out for certainty. They are crying out for that investment certainty that they need to be able to make it. But this government had had 22 energy policies that they have announced and they have not landed one and almost a decade. We have one policy, we will land it, we will implement it.
Labor isn’t planning on raising taxes, he says, but to grow the pie. “Our objective is to grow the GDP. That’s our objective,” he says.
He’s not concerning himself with polls, Albanese says (they always say that). He says he’s concerned with history and the fact Labor has only won government from opposition three times.
Another accusation levelled at Albanese by his enemies is that he’s from the left faction of the party. He’s asked if he’ll be one of the more left-leaning prime ministers Australia has had. He says:
I am who I am. I am a working-class lad from my background, I’ve been shaped by it, I am someone who I believe is very much in touch with mainstream Australia. I’m comfortable in a boardroom and I’m comfortable in a pub.
I would say there is no one in the parliament who has closer credentials and more friends in senior members of the business community than myself on either side of politics.
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A pretty personal question about Albanese’s partner Jodie Haydon and whether she’s prepared for a shift to the Lodge. He does a fairly neat segue to the Easter Show:
Jodie was keen and I told her I was going to the Easter Show and she was keen to come. So she is an independent woman, she will come to some things on the campaign but I have to say, it was really enjoyable, mixing with people. As someone who grew up in the city, I love going to the Easter Show. Talking to farmers, engaging with people as you do and the only danger today I think was the camera crew tripping over a sheep or a goat or a duck as we went through, because they were all free range there at the Easter Show, but it is a great event and it was really enjoyable and it was fantastic to talk with people, and I have to say just like the reception I have had right around the country, it was very positive, and they were very cute pups!
The only danger was either Jodie or myself running off with one of those beautiful little pups. But when I did go home, my dog ... could smell that I had been cheating with those little puppies.
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Albanese is asked if he’ll make the campaign about Morrison’s leadership, and he says Morrison’s team is already doing that job with their free “character assessments”. He also defends himself against Morrison’s criticism that he doesn’t have enough experience, calling them “quite frankly absurd attacks”:
My experience is I’ve been acting prime minister, I’ve been deputy prime minister, I chaired the parliamentary business committee for six years. So every piece of legislation that went through under the Rudd and Gillard governments I presided over, over the management of that, including presiding over, in a minority parliament, working with people in what is now the government, the opposition and the crossbenches, to successfully bring people together.
If you look at my record, you don’t have to theorise whether I can work with people or not. The whole experience as a minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development, local government, communications and other portfolios was creating models that brought people together. The Infrastructure Australia model being the best example of that. One that has been undermined by the appointments that have been made by this government but nonetheless which have remained intact. Bringing together business and the private sector to work with the public sector arm in arm to create a better future. That’s the model that I would work on, the Australian council of local government, bringing together 560 fellow mayors and shire presidents, bringing them together so that decisions were not made in Canberra, they were made in local communities about what the local communities priorities were.
Not the sort of colour-coded spreadsheets that we’ve seen, based on marginal seats, for this government. And, of course, regional development Australia, that I created, which is still in place, to set up regional economic plans.
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Policies of cheaper, cleaner energy which will drive the creation of new industries and new jobs through our National Reconstruction Fund, based upon the Clean Energy Finance Corporation model that this government tried to abolish. We will train Australians for those jobs. We will have a policy of lifting people’s wages through the changes that we announced now, almost two years ago, for industrial relations.
Making sure that secure work is an objective in the Fair Work Act. Properly defining casualisation. Having the same job, same pay. Making wage theft the crime. Closing the gender pay gap. We have outlined a series of policies for the election. Mr Morrison has not outlined any agenda for another term.
And, quite frankly, he has suffered during this term from the fact that he sailed through the 2019 campaign ... it’s not good enough to say that you want a second decade in office without putting out exactly what your plans will be. What we know is, from this government, because it’s in their DNA, but it is likely to involve cuts to services.
Cuts to education, cuts to health, cuts to a range of services that Australians rely upon. And we know because we don’t have to theorise what their attitude is towards cost of living because all of the measures that they have brought in all expire as soon as people have cast their vote.
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Albanese is asking about costing his policies. He says “we put dollars on our policies” and says Morrison “has not outlined any agenda” for another term. On climate change, he says:
We were asked what our 2030 target would be and I said very early on that we would declare that after the Glasgow conference and after the government released a policy and we have. It’s just one example of the most comprehensive, fully costed plans for any policy, any opposition has put forward since federation. That outlines 604,000 new jobs to be created, $52bn of private sector investment, five out of every six of those jobs in regional Australia.
A plan that will see a 43% reduction by 2030. Our aged care plan that was a part of my budget reply has a cost of $2.5bn over the forward estimates. Our child care plan is fully costed, our National Reconstruction Fund is out there for all to see. All of our policies that we’ve released have been fully costed, whether it be the National Broadband Network, whether it be the funding for blackspots, the regional housing program, the housing Australia future fund. And there is another example, $10m to be put in a fund that will be invested of which the interest will be used to create 30,000 affordable and social housing units over a period of time, 4000 of those quarantined for women and children escaping domestic violence.
We will have more... we will put out more information over the campaign about the multinational tax changes we will propose.
A contrast to the very snappy press conference with prime minister Scott Morrison earlier – Albanese says he’ll give everyone a go to ask a question. He’s asked if the six-week campaign will be a “grind” (Morrison said earlier today he recognised people were tired of politics.) Albanese says:
This is a prime minister who ... declared that he was campaigning and not governing. He has done that himself. All of the photo ops you have seen that you would normally see during an election campaign from this prime minister, he started early, whether it was sitting at car racing in Bathurst or shampooing a young woman’s hair or playing the ukulele or sitting in a fighter jet, we have seen it all.
The problem for this government is that it has stopped governing some time ago. I think that Australians want a government that does its job. It doesn’t always blame someone else, it accepts responsibility. I am putting forward a constructive alternative, as well as saying that I think that a government seeking a fourth term in the second decade in office, is this really as good as it gets? What we have seen from this government over that period of time, there is a whole lot of their talented and most competent people left. It’s one of the things that explains the incompetence that we’ve seen in simply managing portfolios over recent times.
He goes on to say it’s “embarrassing” that health minister Greg Hunt is leaving and no one knows who the next potential health minister might be.
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Albanese has used a question about his frontbench (they’ll hold the same positions they hold now) to take a swipe at Morrison’s frontbench and the confusing situation with Alan Tudge (see below). He says:
What I found extraordinary earlier on today was the prime minister’s statement that Alan Tudge is still the education minister. Well, it just shows the chaos that is there, even when people step aside, they’ve still got the job. The prime minister cannot say who the health minister will be. The truth is that my frontbench are already contesting at this election. There is not one disappearing. There is no one withdrawing. And my frontbench, I have absolute faith in and I would expect the starting point would be that they would maintain the same position is that they hold now.
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'Australia is ready for a better future,' Albanese says
Some highfalutin talk here:
I will accept the responsibility that comes with high office. I will lead a government that repays and rewards your hard work. A government that reflects the decency and compassion and courage of the Australian people. I am humbled to put myself forward as prime minister of this great nation.
Followed by Albanese’s origin story:
I grew up not far from here in Sydney and public housing, the son of a single mum. I learned the value of a dollar, I learned the importance of resilience. But I also learned about the strength of community and the power of government to make a difference to people’s lives. That experience of overcoming adversity and filling my mother’s dreams for building a better life that she enjoyed, it took me into politics and it is what drives me today. It feeds my optimism about this most extraordinary country of Australia.
Today, I say to my fellow Australians, this is our time, our time to seize the opportunities that are before us, our time to create a better future where no one is held back and no one is left behind. I ask for your support on the 21 May for my team. I am ready, we are ready, and Australia is ready for a better future.
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Quick sledge of prime minister Scott Morrison here. Albanese says he “won’t go missing when the going gets tough”. He says “this is our time” to seize opportunities and “create a better future”:
I know many Australians are doing it really tough. I also know the price of everything is going up but income isn’t. Labor’s plans are aimed at easing cost of living pressures. We will build more affordable housing, we will fix the crisis in aged care. We will fix the National Broadband Network. And we will bring the country together again.
Businesses big and small, employers and unions, states and the commonwealth. More secure jobs, stronger Medicare. Cheaper childcare making our future here. That is my plan and Labor’s plan. If I have the honour of serving as your prime minister, I can promise you this: I will lead with integrity and I will treat you with respect. I will restore faith in our political system by getting rid of the waste and warts, and establishing a strong anti-corruption commission.
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Albanese says “Australians deserve better” and is hitting his main talking points (Medicare, childcare, aged care):
Australians have been magnificent in making sacrifices to overcome the challenges of the pandemic, the floods, the bushfires. It has shown the strength of our society but it has also shown our vulnerabilities of our economy and where we need to make improvement. As we emerge from this, Australians deserve better.
This government doesn’t have an agenda for today, let alone a vision for tomorrow. They demonstrated that in their budget, which was nothing more than a ploy for an election campaign, with one off payments to stop when the votes are counted. They think it will be enough to give them a second decade in office. We can and we must do better.
Anthony Albanese launches Labor’s 2022 federal election campaign
Labor leader Anthony Albanese is in Sydney for his turn to try to set the tone of his campaign. “My fellow Australians,” he begins:
This election will determine whether we can come together to build a better future. We can see that opportunity, but you have to vote for it. That is what this election is about.
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National Covid-19 update
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 13 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 795
• In hospital: 622 (with 3 people in ICU)
NSW
• Deaths: 8
• Cases: 15,683
• In hospital: 1,492 (with 56 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 394
• In hospital: 33 (with 1 people in ICU)
Queensland
• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 7,154
• In hospital: 500 (with 15 people in ICU)
South Australia
• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 4,222
• In hospital: 222 (with 11 people in ICU)
Tasmania
• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 1,414
• In hospital: 42 (with 1 people in ICU)
Victoria
• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 9,510
• In hospital: 356 (with 16 people in ICU)
Western Australia
• Deaths: 2
• Cases: 5,351
• In hospital: 234 (with 10 people in ICU)
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Something a bit different while we’re waiting for Labor leader Anthony Albanese. Royce Kurmelovs has taken a peek inside Fireproof Australia:
Queensland records one new Covid death and 7,154 new cases
Someone has died of Covid in Queensland, where 500 people have been hospitalised. 15 people are in intensive care, and 7,154 new cases have been recorded.
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South Australia reports one new Covid death and 4,222 more cases
One person has died of Covid in South Australia. 222 people are in hospital, 11 in intensive care. SA has recorded 4,222 new cases.
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Had enough pomp and ceremony yet? We haven’t even got to the 19-gun salute!
The Department of Parliamentary Services says parliament will be prorogued at 9.29am tomorrow, and the House of Representatives dissolved at 9.30am:
The official secretary to the governor general, accompanied by the clerk and deputy clerk of the House of Representatives and the serjeant-at-arms, will formally read out the proclamation outside the front [public] entrance of Parliament House.
This will be followed by a 19-gun salute by the Federation Guard.
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Here is the sort of yarn the pork-o-meter can weave. Sarah Martin, Nick Evershed and Josh Nicholas on where the porkiest promises are made:
Sensible advice from Daniel Hurst:
The most important thing to say today is: Check you’re enrolled to vote and that your details are up to date. Don’t delay. Don’t let anyone tell you the apathy-inducing lie that elections don’t matter https://t.co/tLf5iMxthM #auspol #ausvotes
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) April 10, 2022
ACT reports 795 new Covid cases
The ACT has recorded 795 new Covid cases, with 662 people in hospital with the virus and three in intensive care.
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In the official letter from prime minister Scott Morrison to governor general David Hurley (below) he writes that holding both the House and half Senate elections on the same day would “spare the Australian community the additional expense and disruption that would result from holding two separate national elections within months.”
(The half Senate election had to be held by 21 May, while the Reps didn’t have to be held until September. Some had pointed to the possibility Morrison would only call the Senate election for 21 May, leaving the Reps till later. We were spared.)
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A quick timeline on Alan Tudge.
- On 2 December, Tudge stood aside as education minister after an investigation began into allegations made by his former media adviser, Rachelle Miller.
- On 4 March that report was released. It found there was insufficient evidence Tudge had breached ministerial standards. Tudge said he had asked not to go back to the frontbench.
- On 1 April government services minister Linda Reynolds told Senate estimates Tudge was “on leave”, but still a minister. But employment minister Stuart Robert was acting education minister.
And today the prime minister said Tudge was still in his cabinet (despite not having ministerial duties). But apparently there is no inconsistency:
After asking the Prime Minister's Office again today - the response was that the two statements are not inconsistent.
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) April 10, 2022
Does that suggest Mr Tudge is a Cabinet Minister with no portfolio responsibilities and no ministerial salary #auspol
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Western Australia reports two Covid deaths and 5,351 new cases
Western Australia has reported two “historical” Covid deaths. 5,351 new cases were reported and there are 43,991 current active cases. 234 people are in hospital, 10 in intensive care.
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This is very serious and important work, tracking porky promises and pledges, with excellent graphs and a frankly adorable mascot:
Like data? Extraordinary work here, every seat, by the numbers:
On the Alan Tudge question, here’s what Paul Karp wrote just over a week ago:
The Official Secretary to the Governor-General has released documents relating to the calling of the election for 21 May 2022 #ausvotes #auspol pic.twitter.com/h7vyShwJu2
— Political Alert (@political_alert) April 10, 2022
We will hear from prime minister Scott Morrison’s opponent, Labor leader Anthony Albanese, at 1.45pm.
The last question at the first press conference of the official election campaign was about the palaver over the NSW preselections, and whether that has “hobbled” candidates’ chances. Morrison says:
My strong united team [that] I led for the last three years, sitting around that cabinet table in there, which has seen Australia through the worst health crisis and economic crisis we’ve seen through ... has seen Australia lead the world with its recovery. That’s what we’ve delivered. That’s what my team has delivered. Our plan will ensure we can continue to take that forward into the years ahead in one of the most uncertain environments Australia has faced. That’s what we’re focused on. That’s what we will deliver. I look forward to making that case out there each and every day. Thank you very much.
It was a pretty short presser.
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Morrison is also asked if there would be any change to his ministerial line up if he won another term. “I’m taking my team forward at the election,” he says. Asked specifically about Alan Tudge, he says: “Alan Tudge is still in my cabinet”.
It’s a proven team, he says, and obviously we’ve heard quite a lot about the team’s (ahem) unity in recent days.
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PM says election is a choice between 'a government that you know and an opposition that you don’t'
“This election is a choice...” he says (see below). He was asked if he’d stay as prime minister for the full term.
Morrison is sticking closely to a script, which is the usual path at the start of a campaign (and most of the time, to be honest). He says:
I’m pleased that I’m standing here again before you today after coming and standing before you three years ago, and here I am today after three years, we have delivered an unemployment rate of 4%, electricity prices are down by 8% over the last two years. Taxes have been lowered for Australian businesses and Australian families. We’ve invested in the strength and security of our defence forces and security agencies.
We have delivered some of the biggest agreements to protect Australia’s future, whether our allies, like the US, our Quad partners in defence and most recently with India, our economic free trade agreement. We have been laying the strong foundation to ensure that Australia can prosper in the years ahead but it cannot be taken for granted. This election is a choice between a government that you know and that has been delivering and a Labor opposition that you don’t.
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Morrison flicks back to stump speechifying, talking up the economic recovery. Then he’s asked who his health minister will be if he wins (Greg Hunt is retiring). We’ll know in the next week or so, he says.
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The election is not about me, Morrison says, it’s about you (the voters). (He was asked about the slide in his personal popularity.)
This election – others will seek to make it about me – it’s about the people watching this right now. It’s about them. What we’ve demonstrated over these past three years is the ability to make those decisions that has ensured that Australia’s recovery is leading the world.
We have delivered the lower taxes, the lower electricity prices. We have delivered the guaranteed investment in essential services from medicines to disability, to aged care. We’ve delivered on the essential services that Australians rely on and we’ve done that because we’ve always understood that it is a strong economy that produces a stronger future and our economic track record demonstrates the plans that we have put forward in this most recent budget – indeed, the plans we will further put forward in the course of this election – people can have confidence in those plans because they’re backed up by an economic plan that underwrites them and they’re being implemented by a tried, tested, proven team, not just me as prime minister, but my treasurer, my defence minister, my home affairs minister, my foreign minister, my health minister who has served us so well – our team can deliver on this plan because it is our team that has been able to deliver what’s been one of the strongest recoveries we’ve seen anywhere in the world.
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'This election is a choice,' says Morrison
Morrison is labouring (!) the expected lines on the opposition. Stick with what you know, you know us, you don’t know them, and a big focus on the economy:
This election is about you – no one else. It’s about our country and it’s about its future. Above all, this election, as all elections are, this election is a choice. It’s a choice between a strong economy and a Labor opposition that would weaken it.
It’s a choice between responsible financial management that has seen Australia maintain its triple A credit rating in the most extreme of circumstances and has seen the largest budget turnaround in the last 12 months that we have seen in 70 years, and a Labor opposition that, you know, can’t manage money. It’s a choice between an economic plan that will deliver the lowest unemployment rate we have seen in 50 years and a Labor opposition that has a track record in government of higher unemployment, higher interest rates, and higher electricity prices.
It’s a choice between a government that believes and has delivered lower taxes because we believe you should keep more of what you earn as we promised to do. And a Labor opposition that you know would always increase your taxes if given the opportunity. It’s a choice between a strong and tested government team that has demonstrated our ability to make difficult and tough choices in tough times and a Labor opposition who has been so focused on politics over these past few years that they still can’t tell you what they do, who they are, or what they believe in.
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“I get it that people are tired of politics as we go into this election,” prime minister Scott Morrison says at a press conference, kicking off six weeks of politicking and electioneering.
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Scott Morrison holds press conference announcing federal election
Morrison is now doing the all-important scene setter press conference. You’ll have heard most of this before. He says:
I love this country. I love Australians. I know Australians have been through a very tough time. I also know that Australia continues to face very tough challenges in the years ahead. More than ever, I know that we live in the best country in the world and more that than ever I am optimistic about our future and what I know Australians can achieve. That’s because despite the very real difficulties that we face, and the setbacks we, indeed, have had, Australia and Australians have shown that we can overcome.
By working together, we avoided the nightmare scenarios that so many countries faced in recent years. Unemployment was predicted to reach 15%, but now is at just 4% and falling – the equal lowest level in some 48 years. Our economic recovery measures, especially jobkeeper, saved some 700,000 jobs and our health response, working together, has saved compared to other countries tens of thousands of lives. On almost any measure – on fatality rates from Covid, vaccine rates, economic growth, jobs’ growth, or debt levels – Australia’s recovery is leading the world.
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And there it is, from prime minister Scott Morrison’s mouth: an election for the House of Representatives and half the Senate on 21 May.
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Someone asked legendary ABC election analyst Antony Green if he was excited about the election:
No
— Antony Green - elections (@AntonyGreenElec) April 10, 2022
Is holding kelpie pups > kissing babies?
Thanks to farmer James for showing Jodie and me some five week old kelpie pups at the Sydney Royal @eastershow this morning. pic.twitter.com/BbQ8ufFvsA
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 10, 2022
We’ll hear from prime minister Scott Morrison shortly – he’s scheduled a press conference for 11.20am (AEST).
People are unhappy that Talking Pictures (with our very own Mike Bowers) wasn’t on Insiders this morning. Fear not! Here ‘tis:
Due to the Prime Minister's election call this morning, this is your first look at this week's Talking Pictures with @cathywilcox1 #Insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/IPUMxMhSNL
— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) April 9, 2022
Federal election set for 21 May
We’ve now got it confirmed – 21 May will be the day Australians head to the polls.
That locks in a 41-day campaign – a little longer than the standard five-week campaign we normally see, but it fits with Scott Morrison’s recent rhetoric that he wants Australians to “have a good look” at Labor and give Anthony Albanese some more “scrutiny”.
Albanese is currently at the Easter Show, having a good look at the petting zoo.
Labor has told journalists planning to travel on Albanese’s campaign plane to be ready to fly out tonight – destination currently unknown – to hit the election hustings tomorrow.
Albanese has visited Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra in recent days, so we could start speculating that he may start his campaign in Tasmania (where Labor wants to win seats) or the Northern Territory (where Labor has to sandbag seats) tomorrow.
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Cait Kelly has put together this how-to guide for voters:
Here is Sarah Martin with the goods on the 2022 Australian election:
#BREAKING The Prime Minister’s office has confirmed the election will be held on May 21st @SBSNews
— Anna Henderson (@annajhenderson) April 10, 2022
Tasmania reports 1,414 new Covid cases
Tasmania has recorded 1,414 new Covid cases – there are 12,296 active cases in the Apple Isle; 42 people are in hospital, one in intensive care.
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What Josh Butler said:
The ceremony and focus around the Prime Minister boarding a plane and driving through suburban Canberra is very fun but also absolutely silly as hell. It’s so funny that this is a thing.
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) April 10, 2022
Hm this footage might have been more compelling than the trip to Government House... (the animals, not Anthony Albanese, I mean).
While Scott Morrison is driving to Yarralumla, Anthony Albanese is visiting a petting zoo at the Sydney Royal Easter Show
— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) April 10, 2022
We will soon have WORDS, people. And confirmation of that likely 21 May election date.
And he's now left. Back to Parliament for his first press conference of the official campaign and then onto the hustings. #Ausvotes @SBSNews https://t.co/ZneJ1GwTby
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) April 10, 2022
Labor leader Anthony Albanese is out on the hustings this morning, I’ll catch up on that in a bit. Meanwhile, here is the BBC’s explanation of the potential origin of the word “hustings”.
The protestors at Government House have got out the megaphones. They are definitely not “quiet Australians”. The ABC’s Matt Doran is handling it with good humour, and points out that prime minister Scott Morrison probably couldn’t hear them from within his armoured car.
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Thar he blows:
Morrison arriving to visit the Governor-General - 📸 by @ellinghausen pic.twitter.com/IpuMsmBYcL
— Katina Curtis (@katinacurtis) April 10, 2022
Prime minister Scott Morrison has dodged a small group of protestors as he arrived at Government House. He’ll now sit down with governor general, David Hurley, and ask him to dissolve Australia’s 46th parliament.
And the Prime Minister arrives at Government House @politicsabc @abcnews #auspol pic.twitter.com/4PIWeZ4ExJ
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) April 10, 2022
From First Dog on the Moon...
— Ronald Mizen (@ronmjm) April 10, 2022
Just saw a couple of dachshunds trot by outside Government House. Please don’t tell them about democracy sausages.
Before it all kicks off (formally), Lenore Taylor has set out Guardian Australia’s priorities in covering the 2022 election:
I know we’re all inundated with polls at the moment, but I would like a poll to work out the proportion of Australians who are glued to the prime minister’s journey to the GG.
Wait, what? Mostafa, I was planning on a quiet one! There’s an election?
And with that, I will hand the blog over to the excellent Tory Shepherd to cover the coming announcement of the election.
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We are also expecting the Greens to speak to the media today, where they intend to launch their “bid for balance of power”.
Greens Leader @AdamBandt will launch their 'bid for balance of power', 1:30pm Melbourne #ausvotes #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) April 9, 2022
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Flight tracking shows the Prime Minister has touched down in Canberra, ahead of his visit to the Governor General to call a Federal Election. #AusVotes @SBSNews
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) April 9, 2022
The PM's plane was the most tracked aircraft worldwide on FlightRadar24 this morning
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) April 9, 2022
The ABC is reporting that the PM’s plane is due to arrive in Canberra shortly.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has again denied that Labor will raise taxes if it wins this upcoming election:
RM: We’ve made it really clear, as you said, other than making sure that multinationals are paying their fair share of tax in this country – we’ve made it really clear we won’t be raising taxes. And we couldn’t have been more clear on that.
Now, during this election, again, you are going to hear a whole lot of lies from the government about this and a whole lot of...
PK: Why not commit to the cap then?
RM: We’ve made it really clear we won’t raise taxes other than getting multinationals paying their fair share.
PK: Why not commit then?
RM: Our commitments are clear here.
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Good news for the Prime Minister. The Government Coach has arrived just in time for one last gee up as he heads into Government House.
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) April 9, 2022
I asked him if he thought Mr Morrison’s training regime had been up to scratch.
“Nah, but it didn’t matter last time anyway.” #auspol pic.twitter.com/qcUlcH4zwf
Returning to Richard Marles’ appearance on Insiders this morning, host Patricia Karvelas has pressed the deputy Labor leader on his party’s commitment to a funding boost for public schools:
PK: Will Labor boost funding for public schools?
RM: We’ve made it clear that we need to see the full funding going to public schools when the states re-negotiate this in 2023. That’s the principal commitment we’ve made there.
PK: What does that mean?
RM: It means that at the moment we’ve seen private schools, almost all are near their full funding commitment, whereas most public schools are not. That is the inequity which needs to be fixed and the commitment that we’ve made is that we will put public schools on a pathway to their full funding in the negotiations in the next round in 2023.
PK: You promised at the next round to fund public schools to $4bn per decade. Do public schools still need that money?
PM: As I said, at the next negotiation which is in 2023, our commitment to put the schools on the way to the funding that...
PK: In this election, will we get clarity on how much extra you will spend.
RM: Of course.
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A small protest is currently being held at the gates of Government House in Canberra, with the PM expected to arrive there shortly.
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Deputy labor leader says 'we live in a post-poll world'
Keeping with Marles’ appearance on ABC’s Insiders, Labor’s deputy leader has dismissed the notion the opposition heads into this election on the front foot, referring to the “PTSD” some in Labor still feel over the 2019 loss:
I feel like we live in a post-poll world and anyone who went through – certainly any Labor person who went through the 2019 election aside from experiencing PTSD from that, we completely know the polls can get it wrong and I think this will be a real struggle.
The Liberal party right now is a bin fire. If you can’t govern your own party, then what chance do you have of governing the country?
The reason it is a bin fire and the reason the Liberals are in this position at the moment is the prime minister lies. Every time he stands up, he lies. He lied last week about Labor not listing drugs on the PBS when we were last in power – that is a lie. He has been called out as a liar by world leaders, by his own team. The record shows he is a liar and the Australian people know he is a liar and for all of that, it is so corrosive in the national interest to have someone like that leading.
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Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles is on Insiders this morning, who says the election this year is about “a huge opportunity” for Australia.
I think this election comes at a really significant moment in Australian history and I think the election is a huge opportunity for the country.
The pandemic, I think, has really given Australia the biggest opportunity to re-imagine the nation since the end of the second world war and we stand on the cusp of an opportunity to strengthen Medicare, an opportunity to fix aged care, an opportunity to give rise to affordable child care. We have the opportunity to build an economy which actually sees us making things in Australia again, actually turning science into jobs, and generating the kind of secure, well-paid employment which will see wages going again.
Labor believes in all of that opportunity and wants to see it taken. It is also, I might say, an opportunity to restore integrity and honesty to the position of the prime ministership, but the real risk here is that if Scott Morrison is re-elected, all of those opportunities go begging.
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Anthony Albanese has an official take on the PM’s travel plans this morning:
Toto is not waiting for the official campaign to start. pic.twitter.com/vIxrfsF9Cd
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 9, 2022
Very glad to report the ABC has a live feed of the PM’s plan taxiing along at Sydney airport. Thoroughly engaging stuff.
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Morrison boards RAAF plane, heads to Canberra
The ABC is now reporting the PM has jumped aboard the official prime ministerial jet at Sydney airport, heading to Canberra.
The flight is usually 30-45 minutes, so we can expect an update soon.
Live now on @abcnews - Prime Minister Scott Morrison boards his RAAF plane in Sydney, ahead of his trip to visit the Governor-General in Canberra to set the election date for May 21 #auspol pic.twitter.com/erBLBxYOxT
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) April 9, 2022
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AND HE’S OFF! The Prime Minister has just left Kirribilli house. He is on his way to Canberra. #AustraliaVotes @TheTodayShow @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/5hzGJWcXw4
— Bethan Yeoman (@bethan_yeoman) April 9, 2022
Victoria reports 9,510 new cases and one death
Victoria has recorded 9,510 new cases and one death overnight:
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) April 9, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/HmtGZEVWUR
NSW records 15,683 new cases and eight deaths
Covid figures are in, and NSW has reported 15,683 new cases overnight, and eight deaths.
COVID-19 update – Sunday 10 April 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 9, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 96.1% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94.6% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/cuDpVaJAI8
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Election likely for 21 May
It’s finally here – after weeks of speculation, Scott Morrison is literally on his way right now to Canberra to visit the governor general and call the election.
The prime minister is just leaving Kirribilli House, his residence in Sydney, and will fly to Canberra this morning. He’s expected to attend Government House at Yarralumla around 10.30am today, and ask the GG to dissolve parliament and hold the election – which will likely be held on 21 May.
That means we’ll be in for a six-week campaign, a little longer than the legal minimum of 33 days.
Morrison will hold a press conference later today, at a time TBC. One factor in today is the Canberra marathon, which is causing major road closures and delays around the city, including around Parliament House and along the roads to Yarralumla.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese is in Sydney and will hold a media event of his own around 10am, at the Royal Easter Show, alongside some cute animals. He’s been goading Morrison for weeks to “end this pantomime, call the election” – so we can expect he’ll be energised.
Both leaders will set down their markers for what they want the election to be framed around, talking up their priorities and the major issues they will focus on. Morrison’s campaign video last night emphasised national security and the economy; Albanese has been talking up Medicare, aged care and childcare.
The “official” election campaign will likely kick off later today, with media to join Morrison and Albanese on the campaign trail somewhere around the country. It’ll be on in earnest tomorrow.
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Defence minister Peter Dutton has defended his government’s legacy, and said he believes once the election is called, polling for the Coalition will improve.
Appearing on the Today show earlier, Dutton was asked why the Coalition continues to lag in the polls, with Dutton implying everything changes once a date for the election is set:
I think the focus starts to sharpen once the starter’s gun is fired. I think people realise it’s a two-horse race ... that we are human and make mistakes. But there was never a playbook for Covi. But we worked through every issue.
If you look at the pressure the country has been under for the last few years, you can understand that people are upset. Don’t forget that many people have lost their businesses, people have lost their jobs. Now, we have worked through all of that and now it becomes a race between two leaders. Scott Morrison is out there for all to see and that’s the reality of being prime minister. [He is] in the press every day. Anthony Albanese has been curled up in a ball not wanting people to know who he is.
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the TVs are already running live shots of the front gates of the Governor-General's house in anticipation of PM Morrison arriving to call the election
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) April 9, 2022
(it's two hours before he's expected to arrive there - I'm told Morrison is still currently in Sydney...)
There may be further obstacles to finally having an election called, with many roads around Parliament House closed today for the Canberra Times Marathon festival.
More than 6,000 people have registered across five events happening today, including the 42.2km marathon, a 21.2km half marathon, a 10km fun run, a 5.4km run, and a 2km kids’ event.
The course map shows the marathon will weave its way around Parliament House, potentially leading to traffic chaos if the PM choses to find a way through, to see the governor general.
If the Prime Minister does call the election on Sunday, one can only imagine the traffic chaos which would ensue - the Canberra Marathon is on, with a whole bunch of roads around Capital Hill, the Lodge and half way to Government House closed at various times on Sunday #auspol pic.twitter.com/laTIK2UgDX
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) April 8, 2022
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Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you this Sunday morning, and we begin with reports the prime minister will head to Canberra this morning to see the governor general and call an election, likely for 21 May.
The PM is expected to visit the governor general at 10.30am, with an announcement expected around then. Morrison yesterday released his election pitch via a social media video, where he claimed credit for saving the lives of 40,000 people during the pandemic.
It comes after opposition leader Anthony Albanese urged the PM to “just get on with it” and call the election, who is also expected top hold a press conference this morning.
Elsewhere, eyes will be on Covid case numbers, which continue to tick along and take their toll on industries all over the country, most recently at Sydney airport, where a lack of security screening staff sparked chaotic scenes on Friday and yesterday.
Evacuation orders are still in place along the Hawkesbury river, after days of heavy rainfall, but many have been lifted as the weather in Sydney improves. Minor flooding is still continuing at Menangle, Wallacia, Penrith, North Richmond, Windsor and Sackville.
The country’s eyes will be on Canberra, though, and we will bring you all the latest updates as they come.
