The prime minister has doubled down on the coalition’s plans not to introduce new taxes as Labor pledges to throw more than $500 million at Veterans’ Affairs to fix a backlog in support claims.
Both sides have kicked off Sunday’s campaigning with big cash pledges as Scott Morrison starts his day in Sydney and Labor frontbenchers head to the Northern Territory. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese remains in isolation with COVID-19.
Mr Morrison’s pledge will see $100 billion added to the national debt as part of a ‘lower tax guarantee’ with no new income, superannuation, business or housing taxes.
“Lower taxes are at the heart of our economic plan for a stronger economy and stronger future,” the prime minister said
The coalition is upping the scare campaign by suggesting Labor will introduce new taxes, despite the opposition already ruling it out. Labor has floated taking stronger action to curb multinational tax evasion.
Mr Morrison says his new tax guarantee will mean Australians will be $100 billion better off but there are questions over whether this figure represents already legislated cuts.
Meanwhile, Mr Albanese has dubbed the crisis in Veterans’ Affairs a “national disgrace” with the opposition saying unresolved claims for help have hit 60,000.
“For so many of our veterans, the war does not end when they leave the battlefield. Just as they stepped up for us, we must step up for them,” Mr Albanese said.
The announcement, on the eve of ANZAC Day, aims to cut waiting times, build new support hubs, increase veteran home ownership and boost pension and employment programs.
Mr Morrison will head to Darwin later on Sunday for an ANZAC dawn service on Monday, with Labor deputy Richard Marles to attend in Mr Albanese’s stead.
Senior Labor MPs have been standing up in Mr Albanese’s absence, taking turns to address the travelling press pack after ruling out creating a de facto opposition leader while Mr Albanese recovers from COVID-19.
Ahead of landing in the Northern Territory, Labor pledged to train an additional 500 Indigenous health workers and invest in life-saving dialysis and rheumatic heart disease treatments.
The party says it will work closely with Indigenous health services to deliver up to 30 new dialysis units to treat chronic kidney disease and double the federal funding to combat rheumatic heart disease with $12 million for prevention, screening and treatment.
It will also invest $15 million to improve water supply in remote communities to enable new dialysis units in these communities for the first time.
“Throughout the pandemic, Aboriginal controlled health services worked tirelessly to protect the health of their communities,” Labor’s Indigenous spokeswoman Linda Burney said.
“Building their workforce through a dedicated, culturally appropriate traineeship program and supporting their capacity to undertake preventative care will save lives and bring us closer to closing the gap in First Nations health outcomes.”
Labor faces a strong challenge to retain the federal seat of Lingiari, which covers 99 per cent of the Northern Territory.
The seat was held by Warren Snowdon on a five per cent margin, but with the MP retiring, Labor will need to hold it against former Alice Springs mayor Damien Ryan.
