Campaign diary: Questions on Labor funding and a One Nation sacking

Will Higginbotham
Apr 30, 2019, updated Apr 30, 2019

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

The overarching theme on Tuesday seemed to be the Coalition applying pressure on Labor to clarify how they would afford their policy-packed agenda.

If it wasn’t questions about climate change policy it was about taxpayer-funded wage rises for childcare workers and if that would extend to other sectors.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said his party would use “other mechanisms” to help industries and the party declined to comment on the cost of climate policies.

Also of note was Nationals leader Michael McCormack, who spoke at the National Press Club, defending his party’s decision to preference One Nation over Labor and the Greens.

Mr McCormack said it simply “made sense”.

It was a busy day … here is the wrap.

In Western Australia

After Monday’s leadership debate both leaders opted to stay and polish off their pitches to West Australians.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was busy in marginal seats. He even attended a multicultural event in the Labor-held seat of Cowan, where he urged migrant communities to vote for Liberal candidate Isaac Stewart.

Scott Morrison arrives at a multicultural event at Koondoola. Photo: AAP

Mr Shorten made a visit to the same manufacturing plant the Prime Minister visited on Monday.

Bill Shorten talks to workers at Civmec Construction and Engineering in Perth. Photo: AAP

Promises, promises

Liberal: Mr Morrison was talking big on security. The PM promoted his party’s plan for 2600 CCTV cameras to be installed at 500 “crime hot spots” around the country.

Labor: Labor announced a new green policy, unveiling a $1 billion plan to equip 4000 schools with solar panels.

Mr Shorten assists Lola Roney at St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School in Perth. Photo: AAP

Labor also announced that one of its first acts, if elected, will be to review Australia’s defence capabilities.

Mr Shorten said Australia faces the “most challenging set of strategic circumstances since the Second World War”.

They said what?

“A studio audience of 48 people is hardly a scientific sample.”
-Simon Birmingham on Sky News about Mr Shorten’s victory in the first leaders debate

“How’s he going to do it? He won’t tell you what the cost is.”
-Mr Morrison on Labor’s climate policies

“I think this government’s economic record is pretty bloody hopeless. Let’s just call it as it is …”
-Mr Shorten slams the Coalition’s economic management

Elsewhere on the election trail

Steven Dickson scandal: The One Nation Senate candidate resigned after video footage surfaced that showed him groping and making racist and sexist comments to dancers in a Washington D.C strip club.

Mr Dickson tendered his resignation to Pauline Hanson, who said his behaviour was unacceptable for someone standing for office.

.@PaulineHansonOz: Steve Dickson’s language and behaviour was unacceptable and does not meet my expectations, nor the greater public’s expectations, of a person who is standing for public office.

MORE: https://t.co/dgjZNUI6ZI #firstedition pic.twitter.com/Pb2IQsL2nd

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 29, 2019

Palmer to pay: Clive Palmer told a press conference in Townsville he will belatedly be paying Queensland Nickel workers via a $7 million trust fund.

Early voting boom: The Australian Electoral Commission said the number of votes cast by pre-poll voting is at a record high.

The early voting window opened on Monday and already more than 120,000 have performed their civic duty.

A total of 122,771 votes were cast yesterday. This compares to 66,894 on the first day of early voting at the 2016 federal election. #ausvotes

— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) April 29, 2019