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| Australian election leaders' debate: Turnbull and Shorten go head-to-head – live | Australian election leaders' debate: Turnbull and Shorten go head-to-head – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 10.28am BST | |
| 10:28 | |
| Nearly ready for kick-off now. I’m not going to waffle on endlessly with preamble. Obviously this event is important for both leaders because as I noted at the opening, tonight marks the beginning of the campaign proper. A lot of people will consume the outcome of tonight even if they don’t watch it. | |
| I suspect the format tonight will benefit Malcolm Turnbull, but let’s see. My aim now will be to give you a clean report of proceedings for the next hour, then I’ll give you my verdict at the end. Buckle in, here we go. | |
| 10.16am BST | |
| 10:16 | |
| House rules on tonight’s debate. This list will give you a glimpse of the pedantry of the campaign directors. Getting these events up and running would make the average person’s head explode. You can trust me on that. | |
| 10.10am BST | |
| 10:10 | |
| .@TurnbullMalcolm has arrived at the National Press Club for the #leadersdebate #ausvotes https://t.co/nAmmhRjtxn | |
| 10.08am BST | |
| 10:08 | |
| Both leaders have arrived at the venue. | |
| 10.05am BST | |
| 10:05 | |
| The very lengthy Sky run in has produced the insight that the Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos has been playing Bill Shorten during the debate prep for the prime minister. In the politest possible way Sinodinos has told the program he’s advised the prime minister not to answer questions (Sinodinos noted Turnbull’s tendency to be intellectually honest in an apologetic way); and to hold off on the MalSplaining™ Lawyers always want to explain things, he’s noted, somewhat ruefully. | |
| 9.59am BST | |
| 09:59 | |
| Sky News has been broadcasting a marathon lead in to tonight’s festivities – it has been going for hours, and when I say hours, I mean hours. At the moment the Sky panel is working over the shadow immigration minister, Richard Marles, on temporary protection visas and other issues that I strongly suspect will get an airing in tonight’s debate. It’s completely beyond the control of Marles that he is sitting in a position that makes it look like he’s on fire. He’s sitting in front of one of those gas fires at the press club that are fashioned to resemble wood fires, so it looks like flames are licking his coat. What a time to be alive. | |
| Updated | |
| at 10.02am BST | |
| 9.50am BST | 9.50am BST |
| 09:50 | 09:50 |
| As election coverage gets more constant, the big set piece events don’t seem to have the pull they used to have. As my colleague Lenore Taylor notes in a debate preview piece, Australia’s three free-to-air commercial television stations are not carrying tonight’s face-off (House Rules, The Voice and Masterchef Australia take precedence on those channels). | As election coverage gets more constant, the big set piece events don’t seem to have the pull they used to have. As my colleague Lenore Taylor notes in a debate preview piece, Australia’s three free-to-air commercial television stations are not carrying tonight’s face-off (House Rules, The Voice and Masterchef Australia take precedence on those channels). |
| And there’s no worm. “The controversial “worm” (an on-screen line tracking a group of swinging voters’ positive or negative sentiments to what is being said in real time) has died due to the lack of commercial TV interest.” | And there’s no worm. “The controversial “worm” (an on-screen line tracking a group of swinging voters’ positive or negative sentiments to what is being said in real time) has died due to the lack of commercial TV interest.” |
| The worm has turned. Yes, I will stop now. Best for all of us that I do. | The worm has turned. Yes, I will stop now. Best for all of us that I do. |
| 9.34am BST | 9.34am BST |
| 09:34 | 09:34 |
| What a splendid Sunday evening | What a splendid Sunday evening |
| Hello good people and welcome to our live coverage of the second debate of the election campaign from the National Press Club in Canberra. Does it get any better than peak politics on a Sunday night? Let me think about that for a moment. [Thinking.] No, I think not, so let’s dance joyfully like there is no tomorrow. | Hello good people and welcome to our live coverage of the second debate of the election campaign from the National Press Club in Canberra. Does it get any better than peak politics on a Sunday night? Let me think about that for a moment. [Thinking.] No, I think not, so let’s dance joyfully like there is no tomorrow. |
| Once our interpretive dance of joy has ebbed, let’s consider the import of this evening. I conceptualise tonight as an important campaign transition point – as of this coming week, we are basically out of the warm-up period and into a normal length election campaign. It seems fitting to mark that transition point than with a head-to-head between the prime minister and the alternative prime minister. | Once our interpretive dance of joy has ebbed, let’s consider the import of this evening. I conceptualise tonight as an important campaign transition point – as of this coming week, we are basically out of the warm-up period and into a normal length election campaign. It seems fitting to mark that transition point than with a head-to-head between the prime minister and the alternative prime minister. |
| Tonight’s election debate is the second head-to-head of the campaign, but this debate is not a “people’s forum” format. The moderator will be the ABC’s political editor, Chris Uhlmann, and the leaders will be quizzed by a three-person press panel: Laura Tingle from the Australian Financial Review, Andrew Probyn from the West Australian and Ellen Whinnett from the Herald Sun. The panellists will ask questions of the leaders in turns, with answers allowed to run to two minutes. | Tonight’s election debate is the second head-to-head of the campaign, but this debate is not a “people’s forum” format. The moderator will be the ABC’s political editor, Chris Uhlmann, and the leaders will be quizzed by a three-person press panel: Laura Tingle from the Australian Financial Review, Andrew Probyn from the West Australian and Ellen Whinnett from the Herald Sun. The panellists will ask questions of the leaders in turns, with answers allowed to run to two minutes. |
| The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, was widely considered to have won the first election debate in Windsor in western Sydney, but a couple of things about that victory. It was a roving microphone event, with voters asking questions, not journalists, and Shorten prevailed in that encounter for two reasons: the questions from the voters favoured his campaign issues, and he read the mood of the room better than his opponent. | The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, was widely considered to have won the first election debate in Windsor in western Sydney, but a couple of things about that victory. It was a roving microphone event, with voters asking questions, not journalists, and Shorten prevailed in that encounter for two reasons: the questions from the voters favoured his campaign issues, and he read the mood of the room better than his opponent. |
| Tonight is a different format, and journalists will likely probe both leaders about their campaign weak spots rather than ask questions designed to elicit information in the same way an undecided voter would frame a question to a politician. The difference in the two objectives isn’t about journalistic gotcha versus voter information gathering – although it might look like that to viewers sitting at home. The journalistic objective, be it in an interview, or be it part of an election debate panel, is to try to make sure political leaders are accountable. To fulfil that objective, journalists tend to lock on to things about the various campaign manifestos that don’t make sense, or are internally contradictory. | |
| Before we get under way tonight you’d have time, if you are so inclined, to listen to this week’s episode of our campaign podcast, Australian Politics Live. Anticipating tonight, we decided to make this week’s episode all about election debates and live coverage of campaigns. We were joined for our discussion this week by the moderator of tonight’s event, Chris Uhlmann, and by Sky News political editor David Speers, who both reflect on their approaches to debates and campaign town halls: how to prepare, how to keep the conversation moving, when to double down as moderator, the importance of listening and watching the body language. | Before we get under way tonight you’d have time, if you are so inclined, to listen to this week’s episode of our campaign podcast, Australian Politics Live. Anticipating tonight, we decided to make this week’s episode all about election debates and live coverage of campaigns. We were joined for our discussion this week by the moderator of tonight’s event, Chris Uhlmann, and by Sky News political editor David Speers, who both reflect on their approaches to debates and campaign town halls: how to prepare, how to keep the conversation moving, when to double down as moderator, the importance of listening and watching the body language. |
| If you’d like to hear that conversation you can find it here. | If you’d like to hear that conversation you can find it here. |
| Chris and David also had a chat on Sky this afternoon about this evening. Here’s an excerpt of that. | Chris and David also had a chat on Sky this afternoon about this evening. Here’s an excerpt of that. |
| .@CUhlmann tells @David_Speers 'people are sick of the rote lines we hear over & over' Watch the debate on Sky 7.30 https://t.co/r0w7CaZdD3 | .@CUhlmann tells @David_Speers 'people are sick of the rote lines we hear over & over' Watch the debate on Sky 7.30 https://t.co/r0w7CaZdD3 |
| With an hour to go until kick off, let’s press on into our evening. Mike Bowers is in position down at the NPC, ready to document every nano-movement, and tonight’s comments thread is open for you business. | With an hour to go until kick off, let’s press on into our evening. Mike Bowers is in position down at the NPC, ready to document every nano-movement, and tonight’s comments thread is open for you business. |
| If the thread’s too bracing for you, we are up and about on the twits – he’s @mpbowers and I’m @murpharoo. If you only speak Facebook you can join my daily forum here. And if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the day and the campaign as a whole, give Mike a follow on Instagram. You can find him here. | If the thread’s too bracing for you, we are up and about on the twits – he’s @mpbowers and I’m @murpharoo. If you only speak Facebook you can join my daily forum here. And if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the day and the campaign as a whole, give Mike a follow on Instagram. You can find him here. |
| Forget date night. Who needs that? Here comes debate night. | Forget date night. Who needs that? Here comes debate night. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.56am BST |