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Coalition targets refugees, Labor splurges on childcare: Election Day 18

The leaders remained in Western Australia on Tuesday.

The leaders remained in Western Australia on Tuesday. Photo: AAP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants the election campaign to turn to a debate on refugee migration, as Bill Shorten promises to make child care cheaper for almost a million families.

The two leaders are ramping up their election campaigning as a new poll indicates Labor still leading on a two-party preferred basis three weeks out from the May 18 federal election.

However the coalition’s chances of winning the election enjoyed a small improvement, according to the YouGov Galaxy poll published by News Corp Australia on Saturday night.

The poll of 1012 Australian voters shows support for the coalition up one point to 48 per cent on a two party preferred basis, but still trailing Labor on 52 per cent.

The coalition is now level on primary votes, up two points to match Labor’s 37 per cent, while the Greens are on nine per cent, and One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party are both on four per cent.

The coalition is hoping to increase its momentum with a promise to freeze refugee intake numbers at the current rate of 18,750 a year for the next three years if the party wins the election.

The prime minister will announce the cap on Sunday at a rally in Sydney with former prime minister John Howard and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The push is a direct challenge to Labor’s plans to gradually lift the humanitarian intake to 32,000 a year.

“Australia isn’t just about growing our population, it’s about quality of life,” Mr Morrison says.

“We’re capping and freezing our immigration growth so our government’s record $100 billion congestion busting program for roads and rail can catch up and take the pressure off our cities.”

Mr Morrison says a coalition government will aim to get 40 per cent of refugee arrivals to go to regional Australia – but they won’t be forced to go to places that can’t support or accommodate them.

Labor is planing to increase Australia’s humanitarian intake from 18,750 to 32,000 by 2025-26, with 27,000 government-sponsored places and 5000 community-sponsored ones.

Mr Shorten will speak at a rally in Melbourne on Sunday, where he will make a $4 billion commitment to slash childcare costs for 887,000 families.

“The majority of families earning up to $69,000 will get their child care absolutely free – saving them up to $2100 per child per year,” Mr Shorten says.

Labor estimates that will affect about 372,000 lower-income families.

A further 158,000 families earning up to $100,000 a year will get their subsidies boosted to 85 per cent of the capped daily rate, and another 357,000 families earning up to $174,000 a year will have their subsidies tapered to 60 per cent.

“Every single family in Australia earning up to $174,000 will get cheaper child care with Labor,” Mr Shorten says.

Labor is also promising to get the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission to crack down on childcare operators who jack up fees.

After the rallies the two leaders will fly to Perth, where they will prepare for the first leaders’ debate of the campaign, to be hosted on Monday night local time.

-AAP

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