Reports Turnbull is ‘under pressure’ to put Abbott in defence; Coalition under fire over Parakeelia; Daily Telegraph attacks Labor over asylum seekers; and Shorten and Turnbull talk the economy. Follow all the day’s developments
4.01am BST
Both Payne and Conroy are asked how they would deal with a Trump presidency. (Kim Beazley has suggested Australia might need a whole new white paper on defence.)
Both say they will respect the democratic processes and nothing to see here.
3.59am BST
The defence minister on the same issue:
We completely support the right of nations to operate freely in international space in accordance with international law and our position in that has not changed in relation to any states.
3.58am BST
Stephen Conroy again:
Q: would you envisage that would happen in conjunction with the US Navy or separately or would you stipulate that?
No, this would be something we should do completely separate. This is not some armed armada to go floating around the place. We support the international rules and the laws of the sea and the air. The international rules system is under threat.
3.56am BST
Conroy is talking about the disputes in the South China Sea. In his opening remarks, he supported the protection of the “international rules based system” and said the air force could not conduct freedom of navigation operations (FONOP) in the area.
I would give the armed forces the authority to conduct one if they believed it was necessary and safe. You don’t declare beforehand you are doing it. You have to be sensible and take very careful advice. But I believe that the ongoing campaign in the South China Sea, which is over now two or three years, has seen oil rigs towed into other countries’ waters, fishing zones declared unilaterally, absurd building of artificial islands on top of submerged reefs. This is a clearly, to be fair to some of the countries involved, it’s not just one country, I want to make that really clear. To those doing it, it’s unhelpful, it’s destabilising the region and those who are able to stand up for the international rules-based system should be willing to do so to support the international rules.
3.50am BST
The first question is to Senator Payne about her feelings regarding reports of pressure to appoint Tony Abbott as defence minister.
I was very comfortable knowing the matter will be a decision for the PM.
3.47am BST
Labor defence shadow Conroy says Labor will put $100,000 into the defence force welfare association and will announce more soon to strengthen support for the veterans community.
3.41am BST
Stephen Conroy is also at the press club. This is a debate.
3.35am BST
The defence minister Marise Payne is speaking at the press club. We should get a lunchtime summary by afternoon tea. The pace is picking up here.
3.34am BST
Tony Abbott says he does not expect to return to the ministry if Malcolm Turnbull wins the election on July 2, even though fellow travellers in the Coalition’s conservative faction are now publicly arguing the case for his elevation.
Abbott told 3AW on Thursday: “I am not expecting to go back into the ministry and I’m not going to speculate on speculation.”
3.33am BST
Nearly six weeks into the campaign. We haven’t heard much from Tony Abbott. Are you in for a Kevin Rudd repeat?
All of our candidates are doing a great job in explaining and selling and talking about our compelling plan for economic recovery, for jobs and growth.
3.31am BST
Turnbull is asked about Katter, who said he does not read the papers so did not realise the Orlando shooting had happened.
Q: What do you make of Bob Katter’s latest advertisement where he is shooting opponents dead? Do you think it showed bad taste and do you believe him when he says he didn’t know about the Orlando shooting when he released that advertisement?
The advertisements were in the worst of taste and Mr Katter should apologise and withdraw them.
3.29am BST
When you go to vote, treat your vote, wherever you are voting, as though your vote decides the government, as though that is the one decisive vote. Every single vote counts.
3.26am BST
The ministry I’m taking to the election will be the ministry after the election if the Australian people choose to return my government to office.
3.25am BST
Bear with me.
It’s a very - characteristically unbusiness like and highly political announcement from Mr Shorten. Can I also add this dose of reality to the matter. Arrium, the Whyalla Steelworks makes structural steel. Its customers, its biggest customers are Meriton, Brookfield, Multiplex, Grocon. It’s the contractors building apartment buildings and building office buildings and of course building roads and other infrastructure,they are its customers. Now everything Mr Shorten is proposing in this election is going to undermine the customers of Arrium. Everything he is proposing. You have heard from the property sector, what his proposed ban on negative gearing will do to the property sector.
Then:
So he’s pulling demand out of that business, which means you undermine, as he will do, you undermine the customers of Arrium and you undermine Arrium itself. Whacking up capital gains tax by 50%, that is a tax on investment. That will discourage investment in precisely the buildings and the infrastructure to which Arrium provides the steel.
Then:
Mr Shorten, who is totally behold even to the CFMEU because they give so much money to the Labor Party, as you have seen how much they are spending in this campaign, that’s CFMEU money and Mr Shorten is beholden to them and that is why he will not support the restoration of the rule of law to the construction sector. So his policies are actually undermining the demand for Arrium.
3.20am BST
Malcolm Turnbull says Parakeelia matter is a matter for the party organisation.
3.18am BST
Turnbull and Morrison now. Riffing on the unemployment figures steady. Jobs and growth. Keep it on track says ScoMo.
First question on Ziggy Switkowski’s unwise opinion intervention during an election campaign. Martin Parkinson, head of the department of prime minister and cabinet, suggested it was not in keeping with the caretaker conventions. Turnbull has defended Ziggy.
The caretaker convention,compliance with it, if you like, isa matter to be determined by, as Martin Parkinson observed, by the head of the relevant agency, in this case that is NBN Co and that is Ziggy Switkowski. He explained why he made the statement he did, why he felt it was operationally necessary and I respect his decision to do so. You can see the company was being accused in the public domain of very serious misconduct which was undermining the morale of 5,000 people working for it and he health that he had to set the facts straight and he has done that. But you have to remember, he is a very experienced man, Ziggy.
3.12am BST
Sliding doors.
3.02am BST
Malcolm Turnbull also mentioned – via the innovation rave – that there will be changes to government services to make them more accessible.
The changes, he says, will make it easier to register with the government.
Shortly we will be setting out a full-blown “tell us once” application which will enable you, when you change your address, to change it once and, if you choose for that change of address to be given automatically to other institutions in government, other agencies in government and indeed other, perhaps your bank, your insurance company and so forth, we want to make the government so accessible that you feel, Australians feel, their government is as easy to deal with as the most efficient private sector or online business. That is our goal. A lot of cultural challenges there.
2.47am BST
The prime minister is speaking at Qantas, it is 96 years old - the oldest operating airline in the world.
He is doing the pitch on innovation, mentioning small businesses and big businesses.
I pay credit to Alan (Joyce) and his team for changing the culture. It is natural for big businesses ... to want to deal with other big businesses. That is absolutely the normal course of events. So in order to make sure that a big business, a big buyer of services, deals with smaller companies, you have to seek them out. You have to make it easier for them to deal with you.
Turnbull mentions the Pepe Saya Butter Company:
2.38am BST
The boom that can go on forever is the ideas boom.
Malcolm Turnbull is speaking in Sydney. Here is a bit of Malcolm unplugged.
I believe Australians’ innovation, their courage, their imagination, their enterprise is utterly without limit. What we see around Australia today is the businesses that are creating the jobs and growth that are so key to our success, so key to the opportunities that every single one of us can share in, the opportunities that each of our children and grandchildren can share in. Those opportunities depend upon that strong economic growth. Everything depends upon it. Government revenues depend on it, our ability to spend money on roads, on hospitals, on schools, on defence, all of that depends on a strong economy. Which is why the treasurer and I and our team have laid out a national economic plan for jobs and growth and which sets out how we will achieve that. It is set out in the budget. It is paid for. We live within our means. We know what it costs, and it is funded. And the first item in our national economic plan is innovation and science. A policy that I announced with our minister Christopher Pyne in December last year because we recognised that, if we are to remain a prosperous, high-wage, first-world, generous, social welfare net economy, in this the most transformational century, the most remarkable times in human history, if we are going to do that, we need to be more innovative. We have to be prepared to change and adapt and be more competitive and productive and move fast. We cannot be complacent.
2.33am BST
Breaking. Malcolm Turnbull is speaking about innovation.
2.33am BST
@gabriellechan (Attenboroughesque tone) Here we see the camouflaging instinct of the blue crested #Parakeelia... pic.twitter.com/UvrY5VMs3K
2.32am BST
The unemployment rate for May remains at 5.7%. This represents no change.
2.31am BST
I am confused about a few things this morning. One of them is how the Clean Energy Finance Corporation provides finance for a steelmaker such as Arrium.
Scott Morrison says the government is engaged with administrators and the SA government.
Our advice is that the business itself is able to continue to trade and it is preparing for sale and the administrators have advised that is the position at the moment.
These are the options that are available to us Fran. You make a good point though Fran because if that is the case one of the Green policies is that they would consider Arrium a dirty polluter. So I’m not sure what the Greens and Labor would do in these circumstances down the track …
No, not at all Fran and there are opportunities for us to pursue how that could be used in this circumstance. But the point I am making is this, we need to work with the business that buys this business because they are the ones who are going to secure the jobs for the people who work at Arrium into the future. The administrators have a task in the short term.
2.11am BST
A couple of things from Scott Morrison’s interview with Fran Kelly.
After the prime minister’s bullish comments about winning the election, the treasurer is pulling that back a tad.
I believe we have the right plan to win and I believe that Australians are responding well to us, Fran. But those matters are ultimately judgments for the Australian people and of course the government has reason to have confidence about what we are putting forward, as does the prime minister.
1.59am BST
Never mind my sleeping dragon. Tony Abbott awakes.
Phil Coorey reports that Malcolm Turnbull is facing pressure from within Coalition ranks to put Abbott back in the ministry. Not any ministry mind you. Defence.
Mr Abbott has said publicly he does not expect Mr Turnbull to offer him a ministry and he is not likely to ask for one . But colleagues of the former prime minster say he will take one if offered, preferably Defence, which is currently held by Marise Payne, the first female to hold the job.
“It would be a worthy role for a former prime minister,” said a source who backs the idea.
He’s very passionate still about a lot of issues and Tony will make a great contribution in public life, in parliament he’s a good friend to all of us. He wants Malcolm Turnbull to be re-elected as prime minister.
1.52am BST
I promised to double back on some of the non-Parakeelia related Shorten questions.
You may have seen the Daily Telegraph’s front page – featured below – picturing a welcome mat for asylum seekers.
Thanks for those four questions. I think the magic of your questions was in the opening introduction to it. Nothing new. You realise that this has actually been out in the domain since last July. I think even the person who wrote the story today has written the same story before.
1.38am BST
I promised more info on some of the debates happening today.
Education dominated the first week of the campaign but has been lost in translation every since.
Come and hear from from federal candidates at our Principals, Teachers & Parents Education Forum from 5pm on 16 June at The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre.
The panel will feature Senator Simon Birmingham, Kate Ellis MP, Senator Robert Simms, Senator Bob Day, and Matthew Wright - Nick Xenophon Team candidate for Sturt.
1.33am BST
It would appear that Labor members send their allowances for software to head office and then head office pays a lump to Magenta Linus. I am trying to get something on the record as to exactly how this happens.
1.21am BST
Does @billshortenmp know that Labor MPs, as late as 2014, paid Labor Party directly to access software: https://t.co/0op830NnlD? #hypocrite
@rossg63 Labor Members & Senators paid the Labor Party directly - certainly still in 2014. @billshortenmp doesnt seem to be keen to explain.
1.18am BST
Back to funding.
On Electrack you pay out of your electoral allowance for this software provider. Can you rule out that money hasn’t gone straight back into the ALP as a donation?
I don’t believe it has, Shorten says.
1.16am BST
Jay Weatherill is asked:
Premier, can I ask you what you’re still asking for from Mr Shorten? What are you still looking for from a potential Labor government?
I think that we’ve seen some very fantastic announcements, renewable energy policy. We have a national energy market that is in need of reform that takes into account of what is a bipartisan position on renewable energy targets. That’s a great proposition that’s been put forward by Mark Butler and Bill Shorten.
1.12am BST
There are other policy questions, which I will get to a minute. Almost every second question has been on data mining and party funding.
Q: Can you rule out that Magenta Linus has donated to the Labor party or any members or candidates and can you explain what the Labor party’s concerns are with Nick Xenophon’s financial arm? There’s been a report today that Labor’s asked the AEC to investigate.
The Labor party has no financial interest in the ownership of Magenta Linus. Let me answer your question fully because this is about Parakeelia and Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of leadership. The Labor party has no ownership structures at all of Magenta Linus. I don’t know every transaction they’ve had at the state level but what I do know is the clear difference here is that the Liberal party, they love a dollar these Liberals. What they’ve done is they used the taxpayer allowance to buy software and to train but what they’ve managed to do is create their own business so they pay – they use the taxpayer allowance and they pay themselves.
1.07am BST
Aren’t you being completely disingenuous about Parakeelia? Wasn’t the ALP, your software provider in 2014, did that operation make a profit and how much?
Well, let us be clear. The Liberal party pay Parakeelia. The Liberal party own Parakeelia. The Liberal party pay Parakeelia, a company they own, with taxpayer funds. It is not sufficient or acceptable. Mr Turnbull pretends he’s not a Liberal when there’s trouble for … but the rest of the time says he’s the leader of the Liberal party. You cannot be a part-time leader, Malcolm Turnbull. You either lead your party or you don’t. The other point here is we pay Magenta Linus. We don’t own the business. We’re not recycling taxpayer funds into the bottom line of the profits of the Liberal party, says Shorten.
We’ve never used Parakeelia, to the best of my knowledge.
1.02am BST
First question on Magenta Linus, the Labor data mining company.
Shorten says Malcolm Turnbull has questions to answer but instead:
he’s sent out a party official to do his dirty work for him. It’s not enough to be the leader of the Liberal party who go missing when the tough questions have to be asked, and even more specifically, Mr Turnbull needs to answer this question as well – has he used any of his own taxpayer allowance to be paid into this Liberal-owned company for the services which improve the bottom line of the Liberal party?
12.58am BST
Bill Shorten:
I believe Australia should be a steelmaking nation ... if we do not fight for our Whyalla steel jobs, if we do not have a steel industry, we will becoming price takers on the international stage.
A Shorten Labor government will work with the South Australian government to establish a joint Steel Reserve to support Arrium to make specific investments that secure its long-term future.
Labor will provide $100m in targeted grants and financing as part of the Steel Reserve, with the South Australian government providing an additional $50m.
Financing will be made available from the Steel Reserve for specific investment projects that have an agreed business case approved by both the federal and South Australian governments. Importantly, the Steel Reserve must not be used to pay down Arrium’s debts or meet regular operating costs.
12.54am BST
We have South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and Bill Shorten holding a press conference now.
12.47am BST
And this is the AEC bit that relates to commercialisation – as mentioned in Nutt’s statement.
COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL ACT 1918 - SECT 91B
12.42am BST
Under that Electoral Act, this is the type of information which can be provided or politicians and political parties in section 90B.
(10) In this section: “additional information” about a person included on a Roll means the following:
12.37am BST
Disappointing morning @gabriellechan. No pics anywhere of Parakeelias. Blue-ringed, rose-budded or lime green. Bummer #Auspol #Ausvotes.
12.30am BST
This is the statement from the Liberals’ federal director, Tony Nutt, on Parakeelia.
#Parakeelia statement from federal Liberal director Tony Nutt. pic.twitter.com/PTpq96oS3v
No. It complies with the Electoral Act.
12.10am BST
With a little over two weeks to go, the election campaign feels like it is accelerating. Sitting in the #politicslive driver seat, there is a whole lot of incoming. There are probably emails every two minutes from various campaign headquarters and interest groups. There are two debates that I know of, both in South Australia. The first is between Penny Wong and Christopher Pyne and the second between Labor’s education spokeswoman, Kate Ellis, and the education minister, Simon Birmingham, among others. This morning Bill Shorten is talking jobs, again in South Australia. Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison are talking about the economy, while urging the voter to imagine the scariness of a Labor government. The issue of the Liberal data mining company Parakeelia is bubbling away, marked by an odd late-night statement by the party’s federal director, Tony Nutt. More of all of that in a minute.
All of which comprises the national election debate. But no matter where you live, if you listen to conversations on your main street, there are a whole lot of other conversations going on. They are like the smaller vibrating particles of political string theory. The crankiness in political debate. The perceived corruption of the process, including the influence of people and industries with money. The sense that no one in parliament is listening. The idea that both major parties are pretty much the same. The idea that nothing is changing, that Australia is in a holding pattern. That Malcolm Turnbull was going to be the answer and he just isn’t. That Bill Shorten embodies machine politics. That it is all about winning votes. I’m not into predictions but I get the sense that there is a whole lot of other stuff going on below the top layer of the national debate – which means anything is possible on election day. I feel like I am missing something. Sleeping dragons or some such. Like opening a jack-in-the-box, no one knows what will pop out on 2 July.
11.49pm BST
To Victoria now, where the Country Fire Authority industrial dispute is reportedly hurting federal Labor, despite Bill Shorten’s assurances that it is a state issue.
The Herald Sun’s Ellen Whinnett and Rob Harris report:
One Labor frontbencher told the Herald Sun the issue had become “a serious distraction’’. Another senior Labor figure called it a “slow-moving train wreck”, adding: “At the very least, it’s taking oxygen away from the key messages.
“At worst, it fits in to a narrative which isn’t helpful ... the [union] puppet narrative.’’
11.39pm BST
Daily roundup of front page news, via Dave Earley.
The Daily Telegraph front page (camera 1). Thursday 16 June 2016. @dailytelegraph #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/bt1HvMBkSr
The Daily Telegraph front page (camera 2). Thursday 16 June 2016. @dailytelegraph #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/Qg6xj4rtW3
The Age front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @theage #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/cl8GygH6B2
The Herald Sun front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @theheraldsun #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/OeiJYb6rY4
The Canberra Times front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @canberratimes #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/VjtACM2iKv
The Courier Mail front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @couriermail #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/q2aNwtiYhx
The Sydney Morning Herald front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @smh #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/1871g1SUql
Financial Review front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @FinancialReview #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/F4jrPayHB1
The Australian front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @australian #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/uZ9BnL6H67
ABC News front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @abcnews #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/CwQJiG97Gs
Guardian Australia front page. Thursday 16 June 2016. @GuardianAus #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/ONo8CBNQDD
11.34pm BST
More chaos, this time in the art world.
My colleague, Steph Harmon, reports that there will be a national day of action for arts funding tomorrow in an effort to draw attention to an issue that has barely raised its head, 40 days into the election campaign.
We’re going to see from the beginning of next year really cavernous gaps opening up in opportunities, particularly from the young emerging artists who are our future.
We’re now seeing the political profile of the arts being raised. The intention of the next two weeks, starting on Friday, is to say to the community, ‘If you care about the arts, show that you care’.
11.26pm BST
11.20pm BST
The focus on South Australia today will bear fruit in the form of a debate between Christopher Pyne and Penny Wong, moderated by Radio National’s Fran Kelly.
It will kick off at 12pm Adelaide time (which is 12.30pm for the eastern states) and run for an hour and a half, I’d reckon.
11.12pm BST
Same.
Really enjoying the succession of white guys tell Indigenous people what they should be talking about series in the Oz.
11.11pm BST
A final few questions on Parakeelia, which Scott Morrison said was a “desperate witch hunt”.
There is absolutely nothing to suggest, no one has presented a shred of anything credible to suggest there’s anything inappropriate about these arrangements.
11.06pm BST
The main purpose of Scott Morrison’s appearance on Radio National this morning was to talk about that attack ad.
Cracker of a question from Fran Kelly to start it off:
Why do you bother with these untrue, ridiculous claims?
If you’re telling me that the Labor party would not form government with the Greens on the floor of parliament … and they would reject their vote in that circumstance, then I think that’s ridiculous.
Well I don’t believe them, Fran, and I don’t think the people of Australia believe them, and frankly I’m surprised you believe them.
This is an election, Fran, and in an election people have to be very clear about the choices that are available and, as treasurer, I think one of the biggest threats that is out there is the economic chaos of a Labor-Green government.
10.55pm BST
A bit more detail about that promise by Labor to provide a $100m bailout for troubled Whyalla steelworks Arrium, which was placed into administration in April.
[Shorten] says modelling shows more than 3,500 jobs will be lost and the state economy will shrink by more than $490m if Arrium fails.
“If these jobs went, 3,500 families would suffer enormously - that’s completely unacceptable to me,” he said.
“I’m not prepared to sit back and watch thousands of South Australian jobs disappear like the Liberals did when the car industry closed down.”
We’re not going to get into a political auction on this before an election.
There are opportunities for us to pursue how this [the Clean Energy Fund] could be used in this circumstance.
I love the days when there is news allowing me to redistribute this #ausvotes #arrium https://t.co/vTDsgnxm9J
10.29pm BST
Here’s that Daily Telegraph front page, on left. The Mark Morri yarn, shown in the alternative front page, is excellent.
Two front pages. The Daily Telegraph. The definitive Roger Rogerson story by Mark Morri #auspol pic.twitter.com/eKDB2g1N1w
10.27pm BST
The attorney general, George Brandis, has weighed into the treaty debate, saying talk of treaty risked “meaningful but modest” constitutional change.
You don’t get referendums passed unless there is a broad consensus in favour. I think it’s very regrettable that Mr Shorten ... has potentially put at risk our capacity to develop a broad community consensus.
I know from the research we did for the panel recommendation that there is enormous goodwill towards constitutional recognition for the first Australians but any sign of something that singles out one racial group will derail the process.
I am always a little bit apprehensive about starting to stir up troubles where no troubles exist.
I am up for the conversation on a treaty, absolutely, but what I’m not going to do is impose paternalistic top-down solutions.
I, for one, am not going to tell Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people what they’re allowed to talk about, what they’re allowed to put on the agenda.
10.03pm BST
It had to happen, I’m just surprised it took this long.
The Daily Telegraph has declared open season on asylum seekers.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton last night told the Daily Telegraph Labor’s border security policy was now “weak, equivocal and constantly changing”.
The potential for post-election rebellion appears to be far more widespread than was revealed at the beginning of the campaign, with public records confirming a total of 50 candidates or MPs opposing strong border protection.
Oakeshott told Guardian Australia his primary vote of 25% in the poll suggested the result was “about 50/50 two-candidate preferred”.
“After five days of campaigning I’m really uplifted by that result, it shows a 13% swing against the Nationals already,” he said. “And it also shows a level of frustration within the community about local and national politics that is going to be expressed at the ballot box.”
Very bold of Bob Katter to take a pro-murder stance to an election
Mr Katter’s video advertisement seems to encourage murder and gun violence to promote his strange views on a serious policy issue.
"ScoMo should spend more time on his day job as Treasurer than his night job as amateur YouTube producer" #ZINGER https://t.co/2Obuy8WPLi
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