Prime Minister Scott Morrison is putting jobs and unemployment in focus today, while Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese attempts to flip the script after stumbling on Australia's interest rate and jobless figures, unveiling Labor's major health policy.
Look back at Tuesday's news and updates in our blog.
Key events
- How to get a postal vote for the federal election?
- Morrison 'factually incorrect' on claims about government investment in housing
- Pictures from the campaign trail
- Is Labor exaggerating its workforce figures?
- PM asked about Easter Show stabbing
- Liberal senator says bill to ban transgender women from women's sport isn't necessary
- Labor dismisses concerns in New Zealand about its nurse policy
- What is the cash rate, anyway?
- Former Labor leader defends Albanese's mistake
- Where are Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese today?
Live updates
By Nicholas McElroy
That's all from the ABC News federal election live blog for today
As always, thanks for following along.
We'll be back with more updates and answers to your questions tomorrow.
By Nicholas McElroy
A snap shot of the major pledges on day two of the federal election campaign
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the Coalition doesn't plan to increase the number of skilled migrants coming into the country to meet a pledge to create 1.3 million jobs in the next five years. Although, the figure is broadly in line with existing population growth forecasts.
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Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese is promising to restore Medicare funding for telehealth psychiatric consultations for people living in regional and rural parts of Australia. He says it was wrong for the government to cut access to bulk billed telehealth psychiatry consultations for regional patients in late 2021.
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Mr Morrison campaigned in his home city of Sydney, while Mr Albanese continued his visit in Tasmania
By Nicholas McElroy
Labor tries to focus on healthcare
Political reporter Tom Lowrey has been covering the campaign of Labor leader Anthony Albanese.
"Labor has been trying to focus on health care, primarily for the past couple of days," he said.
"The announcement today was $31 million for telehealth services to boost regional telehealth services, reinstating Medicare funding there.
"The health care focus hasn't really cut through anywhere near as much as Labor would have liked compared to the economic issues that have overshadowed it.
"Labor is trying to turn the conversation back towards the safer territory, this is good Labor ground to be on. They don't always get to control the agenda. They will want to get back to talking about what they want to be talking about in this campaign."
By Nicholas McElroy
What are you noticing about Scott Morrison's campaign so far?
"Any election campaign is quite controlled, as you would well know. This one is particularly interesting so far in that we haven't actually done any public events, in terms of mingling with the general public," she said.
"All events have been tightly controlled at either businesses or charities where the general public is not allowed in.
"There has been a wonderful reception that the Prime Minister has received. We are expecting him in the weeks ahead to try and do street walks or maybe visit a pub.
"Those are hard to control, you never know what you are going to get, and at the moment, the government is more keen to keep this clean message coming through about the economy and about jobs, especially given what we have seen on the Labor leader's side with the economic gaffe that he made yesterday."
By Nicholas McElroy
By Nicholas McElroy
Scott Morrison has pledged to create 1.3 million jobs. Here's why that might sound familiar
As Labor leader Anthony Albanese seeks to clean up after bungling Australia's unemployment figures, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is trying to capitalise on it by making a seemingly bold pledge: to create 1.3 million jobs over five years.
Sound familiar?
The million-or-so-jobs promise has become a feature of Liberal Party campaigns since former prime minister Tony Abbott went to the 2013 poll promising a million jobs over five years.
At the time he was mocked, but Australia ended up hitting the target early. Mr Morrison then topped that figure in 2019, pledging another 1.25 million jobs over five years, but COVID-19 got in the way.
Putting the pandemic aside, the jobs forecasts have largely been in line with projected population growth, meaning Australia was already on track to meet these targets, without any grand intervention.
But to meet Mr Morrison's latest pledge, his government might have to step up.
By Nicholas McElroy
'Elections aren't memory tests': Tanya Plibersek defends Anthony Albanese's mistake
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek defended the opposition leader, saying elections are "tests of leadership" rather than memory.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is also questioned over the cash and unemployment rate on Afternoon Briefing.
By Sarah Motherwell
Ask a question
What questions do you have about the 2022 federal election?
The ABC's experts are answering real questions, from real Australians like you.
You can find them on our Australia Votes page.
By Sarah Motherwell
How to get a postal vote for the federal election?
How can I register to receive a Postal Vote form?
-Sue
Hi Sue,
Thanks for the question — it's a popular one.
If you want to vote by post, you will have to apply in advance to do so.
The last day to register for postal voting is the Wednesday before voting day, May 18.
You can apply online at the AEC website.
The AEC is expecting a surge in postal votes, which could delay the election result.
Read more on how to vote by post or in person for the 2022 federal election here.
By Sarah Motherwell
Bridget Archer facing Ross Hart in fight for Bass
The Liberals' margin is just 0.4 per cent — the smallest of any Coalition-held seat.
University of Tasmania professor of political science Richard Eccleston said the seat was in play at every election, including this one.
"As a litmus test, if the Coalition can't hold Bass with a popular and outspoken local candidate like Bridget Archer, then I think it's going to be very challenging for the Morrison government to hold power," Professor Eccleston said.
By Sarah Motherwell
After an eventful day and a half in Tassie, Albanese is on the move
The Albanese media bus (or the Albomobile) has pulled into Launceston airport, heading for a destination unknown.
Labor wanted a clean start to the campaign in northern Tasmania, targeting three seats fairly critical to its election hopes.
It needs to hold the Labor-held seat of Lyons, and would very much like to pick up both Bass and Braddon.
Instead, Anthony Albanese's first major media event in Launceston (Bass) was derailed by some relatively straightforward questions on economics.
His second, in Devonport (Braddon), was used to try and own the mistake and mop the error up.
And his third, in the small town of Longford (Lyons), was largely spent trying to move the conversation on.
Mr Albanese will hope a shift back to the mainland will provide a clean break, and the national media cycle will move on from the economic gaffe.
And privately, some in Labor argue the trip to Tasmania hasn't been wasted.
While national media coverage focused on the gaffe, they say some of the local coverage generated has been worthwhile.
Still, not quite the campaign they are after.
By political reporter Tom Lowrey
By Emily Sakzewski
That's all from me today in the blog, folks. Lucky for you my colleague Sarah Motherwell is picking up the baton and you will be in her capable hands this afternoon. Until next time!
By Emily Sakzewski
The AEC is investigating a One Nation-linked website
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is investigating whether a website registered to a One Nation candidate soliciting donations on behalf of "freedom fighting" election hopefuls has breached political authorisation rules.
The Join The Conversation website, registered to the candidate for the seat of Brisbane, Rebecca Lloyd, purports to be a platform to connect voters to local minor party candidates.
But it only allows voters to see candidates from the United Australia Party (UAP), One Nation and the Great Australian Party, despite claiming to list candidates from all parties, except those endorsed by Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens.
Join The Conversation's YouTube videos include instructional "how to vote" videos directing voters to preference "freedom fighting candidates" from the minor parties.
The "freedom movement" is a loose coalition of groups and personalities which came to prominence during the pandemic by opposing lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
Ms Lloyd, after being contacted by the ABC last night, said she had sold her "shares" in Join The Conversation to ensure she ran "a clean campaign".
Read the full article from the ABC Investigations team here.
By Emily Sakzewski
Barnaby Joyce is in the NT spruiking an investment in new port infrastructure in Darwin
The Deputy Prime Minister is there with Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and Tina McFarlane, who is challenging in Solomon. Luke Gosling currently holds the seat with a margin of 3.1%.
In a press conference a short time ago, Mr Joyce said a $1.5 billion investment in new port infrastructure in Darwin would make the Top End capital a key manufacturing hub.
The latest federal budget included the extra funding to develop the Middle Arm development precinct in Darwin Harbour, primarily aimed at the local hydrogen industry.
The Territory government has avoided specifically labelling the project a new port for Darwin, but during a visit to the city Mr Joyce said it would be a key link to southeast Asia.
"[It] is going to be transformative, bringing in close to $16 billion worth of private investment, assisting us in growing our gas exports, our critical mineral exports and development of hydrogen," Mr Joyce said.
"It is making sure that this port beocmes one of the premier ports in Australia."
Mr Joyce also acknowledged the strategic importance of Darwin with China's move to establish a military base in the Solomon Islands.
"Nobody wants instability. The reality is, China is moving down, militarily, and we see now with them trying to start a base in the Solomon Islands.
"We wish that was not the case and it is not just there, we have seen moves in other areas. We must become as strong as possible as quickly as possible."
By Emily Sakzewski
Morrison 'factually incorrect' on claims about government investment in housing
The peak community housing body in New South Wales has called out the Prime Minister's claims about Commonwealth investment in housing while on the campaign trail this week.
In a response to a question on housing affordability, Scott Morrison claimed to have boosted investment in the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation (NHFIC), an agency he set up as treasurer in 2018 that aimed to increase the supply of affordable homes.
"What we did was, is we borrowed money at incredibly low rates so we could loan that money to local community housing associations to help them develop affordable accommodation," he told reporters.
"And we've put $2 billion extra into that loan fund to ensure that could be done, supporting the investments which are made by state governments."
But Community Housing Industry Association chair and Illawarra Housing Trust chief executive Michele Adair said it was private corporations who loaned money to community housing providers, not the government.
"The Prime Minister is factually incorrect," Ms Adair said.
"What happens is the federal government provides a bank guarantee, effectively they underwrite [loans] … the government's risk exposure is extremely low.
"I'm astounded that a scheme he actually did indeed create, which has been wonderful, he doesn't seem to understand the way it works."
Read more from ABC Illawarra reporters Ainslie Drewitt-Smith and Tim Fernandez here.
By Emily Sakzewski
Coalition doesn't plan to increase skilled migrant visas
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the Coalition doesn't plan to increase the number of skilled migrants coming into the country to meet a pledge to create 1.3 million jobs in the next five years.
Mr Morrison has made the pitch today on the federal election campaign, although the figure is broadly in line with existing population growth forecasts.
He was asked whether he was open to lifting Australia's skilled migration rate to meet that 1.3 million jobs benchmark, and how many of those new jobs would go to skilled migrants.
"Our migration program is set out in the budget - the cap is there at 160,000," he said.
"There's no change to that and we're increasing the proportion of skills components within that."
By Emily Sakzewski
Pictures from the campaign trail
ABC photographer Matt Roberts is on the campaign trail with Anthony Albanese in Tasmania.
ABC photographer Nick Haggarty is on the campaign trail with Scott Morrison in Western Sydney.
By Georgia Hitch
Updating enrolment details after a move
Hi team,
Random enrolment question. I moved house a couple weeks ago. The AEC website says I can only change my enrolment after living in the new house a month, but also that we can't change it after 18th April. Does this mean I have to vote in the old electorate?
-LW
Hey LW, that's a great question and one I don't have an exact answer for but have asked the AEC to clarify! Keep an eye out, we'll bring you the answer as soon as we get it here.
But for anyone else who needs it, this is where you can enrol or update your details.
By Georgia Hitch
More on *that* stumble
While the Opposition Leader was asked about a range of topics this morning, by far the most common one was about his stumble yesterday on what the official cash and unemployment rates are.
Finishing off the press conference today he was again peppered with a host of questions including if he was running from the mistake, if he'd learned from it, how he felt about it and whether he let down the Labor Party - and his chance at becoming Prime Minister - by making it.
Here's a bit of what he said in reply:
"I made a mistake. I made it. I fessed up to it, I owned it. I am not dismissing it. I am not trying to analyse it. I am owning it," he said.
"People make mistakes in life and what you need to do, do I regret yesterday? Yes. But I have owned it.
"I will say this, I have been contacted not by just members of my own side, generous comments, but by members of the government as well, who have been generous in their comments and I thank them for it."
By Georgia Hitch
Will Labor limit political appointments to the Human Rights Commission?
Anthony Albanese was also thrown a question about whether a Labor government would consider limiting political appointments to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Why is he being asked this? Well last week the global standards body raised some serious concerns with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), saying it faced being stripped of its accreditation because of questions around recent poilitical appointments.
In a nutshell, the global body didn't re-issue the AHRC its accreditation because a recent review found three appointments in the past decade - including the current Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay - weren't done in an open, merit-based and essentially transparent way.
A spokesperson for Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the government would consider the report but noted there had been no change to the accreditation status.
Mr Albanese admitted he hadn't heard about the warning to the AHRC but said more generally:
"What I do know is one of the reasons for the delay in the calling of the election was so that they could make dozens of appointments, day after day after day," he said.
"Is there any former Liberal MP or Liberal Mayor or counsellor who has not been appointed to the (Adminsitrative Appeals Tribunal) or the Fair Work Commission. It is just an outrage."
The government announced a raft of new appointments last week.
