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Campaign diary: Labor launches campaign, Morrison cracks down on cyberbullying

Photo: AAP

It was a fairly slow Sunday on the campaign trail – and that was refreshing after the tumult of last week.

The biggest news of the weekend was Labor officially launching its campaign in Brisbane.

The ALP pulled out the big guns for the event, reuniting three former prime ministers – Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating.

It’s the first time we have seen Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard together for quite some time.

Former PMs Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating at the campaign launch. Photo: AAP

In his speech, the man who could be our next PM, Bill Shorten, promised to boost wages, stamp out youth unemployment, tax big business and put more money into hospitals in a campaign squarely aimed at low- and middle-income Australians.

The overarching promise: “To put the fair go back in action”.

The Coalition’s launch is in Melbourne on Sunday.

Meanwhile, more than 660,000 Australians have already cast their vote.

Where were they?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was on the New South Wales Central Coast on Sunday.

As mentioned, Mr Shorten was in Brisbane.

Promises

Liberal: The Liberal Party promised to keep kids safe with new measures to crack down on cyberbullying and online child abuse.

The package includes a new Online Safety Act and a proposal to force online apps, games and services to default to the most restrictive privacy and safety settings when children set up accounts.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the Central Coast. Photo: AAP

Labor: The party’s focus was on healthcare.

Quotes from the road

“Friends, in our time in Opposition, we have united around a bold and comprehensive vision for the nation.”
– Mr Shorten at the Labor Party campaign launch

“Last time the Labor Party saw a surplus was in 1989. That was the year Taylor Swift was born. And I tell you what, it takes a long time to ‘shake it off’ Labor’s mismanagement of our economy and our finances.”
– Scott Morrison on Labor’s suite of policies

“For all the chaos and division, from Abbott and Joyce, through to Morrison and McCormack, what they really have in common is this – they are small men, small men with small ideas.”
– Senator Penny Wong speaking at Labor’s campaign launch

Elsewhere on the election trail

Stop Adani convoy reaches Canberra: The stop Adani convoy ended its trek in Canberra.

Organisers estimated that 2500 people attended the rally at the front of Parliament House in Canberra.

Veteran environmental activist Bob Brown told supporters that is was up to them to stop the Adani coal mine, adding that the big parties were “not willing” to do it.

Bob Brown speaks at the anti-Adani rally outside Parliament House. Photo: AAP

Toxic campaign reaches new low: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s campaign posters were defaced with Nazi symbols.

My Frydenberg – a practising Jew – said the campaign had turned toxic over the past week.

He also said  “extremist’ views had no place in the Liberal Party or in Australian politics.

That’s Odd

It seems like ABC’s Insiders are wondering why Mr Shorten and Mr Morrison have not accepted an interview request.

It’s the first time in more than a decade that the program has been snubbed by the leaders during an election campaign.

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