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| Australian election debates: Shorten and Turnbull compete on different channels – live | Australian election debates: Shorten and Turnbull compete on different channels – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 10.29am BST | |
| 10:29 | |
| Seventh question is about agriculture and dam building. Does Labor support both? | |
| Bill Shorten says yes, Labor supports agriculture and dams where the evidence suggests they are necessary. | |
| For me dams will be guided by science and the economy. | |
| 10.28am BST | |
| 10:28 | |
| Sixth question is about superannuation (with a side of disappointment about Malcolm Turnbull’s absence from tonight’s proceedings). What’s wrong with using super for wealth creation? And will politicians wind back their super as well? | |
| Bill Shorten says the point of concessional taxation for super is to encourage savings for retirement. He says governments making changes to the system drives people bonkers. Shorten is going through the history of changes to the system, including Labor’s proposed changes this election to tax the earnings above $75,000. Any change should not be retrospective. He says concessions at the top end need to be wound back, but prospectively. Shorten says politicians super is now less generous than it used to be. | |
| 10.21am BST | |
| 10:21 | |
| Fifth question is about Labor’s mistakes in 2008, during the stimulus in the Rudd/GFC era. What would Labor do differently? | |
| Bill Shorten says not everything in the stimulus was bad. The insulation program was very badly managed, but you learn from your mistakes, he says. The school upgrades were good. On learnings, Shorten says Labor has learned to be upfront, to seek a mandate, to lay it out in advance. On infrastructure, he says things would be more carefully managed. He says the stimulus did keep Australia out of recession. | |
| David Speers asks him whether Labor would offer stimulus again? A bit, if necessary, Shorten says, adding he doesn’t see another GFC immediately on the horizon. | |
| 10.16am BST | |
| 10:16 | |
| Fourth question is why does Shorten think people are voting for independents? | |
| The Labor leader says people think politics is too buttoned up, too stage managed. He says in this election, Labor has been the opposite of buttoned up. The opposition is taking risks, being big target. Acting on climate change. Winding back negative gearing. | |
| These have been in the too hard basket for too long. | |
| Shorten says voters want a positive vision for the future, they want inclusion. They don’t want negativity. Shorten says lots of negative things will come Labor’s way in the remaining weeks. | |
| 10.12am BST | |
| 10:12 | |
| Third question is on the backpacker tax, will Labor dump it? | |
| Bill Shorten says Labor will review the tax and consult industries like horticulture. | |
| David Speers: | |
| Have you banked it in your costings? | |
| Wait and see, Shorten tells Speers. | |
| 10.10am BST | |
| 10:10 | |
| Labor will keep the GST on tampons | |
| Second question is on the tampon tax. Will Labor drop it if it wins the election? | |
| Bill Shorten: | |
| No. | |
| Shorten says Labor will take action on things like prescription medicine to help reduce costs. | |
| David Speers says hang on, weren’t you interested in dropping the GST on tampons? Have you had a change of position? | |
| Bill Shorten: | |
| I’ve said we can’t afford that. | |
| 10.08am BST | |
| 10:08 | |
| To questions now. The first is on mental health. What is Labor’s commitment on mental health and suicide prevention? | |
| Bill Shorten: | |
| I’m not convinced mental health has had the attention in this election that is deserves. | |
| Shorten outlines Labor’s commitments in the area and speaks about suicide. He wants to do a little survey with this audience. How many people here have had experience of suicide? A load of hands fly up. | |
| What that tells me is it’s a big issue. | |
| He says Labor will outline programs for the regions. He says he’s open to longer periods of funding for mental health service providers “so people can just get on and look after people.” Shorten says he’s concerned about people falling through the cracks when they leave hospital after an acute incident. He says Labor wants to preserve bulk billing to make sure people can get to the doctor. | |
| 10.02am BST | |
| 10:02 | |
| Bill Shorten makes his opening pitch | |
| The Labor leader also notes the absence of the prime minister. It’s a pity he disdained the good voters of Brisbane, Bill Shorten says. The Labor leader says the object of the exercise tonight is for voters to get to know him better. | |
| 10.01am BST | |
| 10:01 | |
| Sky News political editor David Speers is doing the warm up. He tells the audience the prime minister “chose not to be here tonight.” | |
| 9.57am BST | |
| 09:57 | |
| Tonight’s event is the roving microphone format, questions from the voters – the audience is 100 undecided voters from Brisbane – moderated by Sky News political editor David Speers. Here’s the description of the marginal electorate from the Australian Electoral Commission. | |
| Brisbane covers an area of approximately 58 sq km from Everton Park and Stafford in the north to the Brisbane River in the west and south and to Hamilton and Hendra in the east. The main suburbs include Albion, Alderley, Ascot, Bowen Hills, Brisbane City, Clayfield, Fortitude Valley, Gaythorne, Gordon Park, Grange, Hamilton, Hendra, Herston, Kalinga, Kelvin Grove, Lutwyche, Milton, New Farm, Newmarket, Newstead, Red Hill, Spring Hill, Wilston, Windsor, Wooloowin and parts of Ashgrove, Bardon, Everton Park, Enoggera, Paddington and Stafford. | |
| 9.47am BST | 9.47am BST |
| 09:47 | 09:47 |
| Guardian Australia election debates, live | Guardian Australia election debates, live |
| While we are on the subject of election debates, just a reminder, we at Guardian Australia are running two live panel discussions over the next couple of weeks featuring Tanya Plibersek, Trent Zimmerman, Cassandra Goldie, Christian Porter, Jenny Macklin and George Megalogenis. The first is in Sydney on June 15, the second is in Melbourne on June 21. Our election debates will consider two topics: what is fair, and how do we manage an economy in transition? We’d love to see you there. If you’d like to book, the details are here. | While we are on the subject of election debates, just a reminder, we at Guardian Australia are running two live panel discussions over the next couple of weeks featuring Tanya Plibersek, Trent Zimmerman, Cassandra Goldie, Christian Porter, Jenny Macklin and George Megalogenis. The first is in Sydney on June 15, the second is in Melbourne on June 21. Our election debates will consider two topics: what is fair, and how do we manage an economy in transition? We’d love to see you there. If you’d like to book, the details are here. |
| 9.41am BST | 9.41am BST |
| 09:41 | 09:41 |
| In the Sky warm up, journalist Laura Jayes asks Peter Reith, the Liberal who is the designated talking head at this stage of proceedings, whether Labor’s decision today to present a worse outcome over the forward estimates than the Coalition is the biggest opposition cock up since Fightback! | In the Sky warm up, journalist Laura Jayes asks Peter Reith, the Liberal who is the designated talking head at this stage of proceedings, whether Labor’s decision today to present a worse outcome over the forward estimates than the Coalition is the biggest opposition cock up since Fightback! |
| Fellow Sky host Paul Murray declared it such earlier this evening. | Fellow Sky host Paul Murray declared it such earlier this evening. |
| Reith, who was a key architect of Fightback! as John Hewson’s treasurer, has the grace to laugh. | Reith, who was a key architect of Fightback! as John Hewson’s treasurer, has the grace to laugh. |
| 9.35am BST | 9.35am BST |
| 09:35 | 09:35 |
| Yes, here’s Bill Shorten, with the sunflowers, and wife Chloe. | Yes, here’s Bill Shorten, with the sunflowers, and wife Chloe. |
| .@billshortenmp arrives at the 2nd people's forum for this election with wife Chloe #ausvotes @2GBNews pic.twitter.com/vRqzZZiOKv | .@billshortenmp arrives at the 2nd people's forum for this election with wife Chloe #ausvotes @2GBNews pic.twitter.com/vRqzZZiOKv |
| 9.33am BST | 9.33am BST |
| 09:33 | 09:33 |
| The Labor leader has arrived at the venue in Brisbane. Here was the welcoming party. | The Labor leader has arrived at the venue in Brisbane. Here was the welcoming party. |
| The supporters who applauded @billshortenmp when he arrived at the Brisbane people's forum #ausvotes #auspol pic.twitter.com/6mpgRexQKs | The supporters who applauded @billshortenmp when he arrived at the Brisbane people's forum #ausvotes #auspol pic.twitter.com/6mpgRexQKs |
| 9.28am BST | 9.28am BST |
| 09:28 | 09:28 |
| Good evening to you all | Good evening to you all |
| Hello and welcome to this special evening edition of Politics Live, as always it’s delightful to be with you. Tonight we’ve come together for two reasons. The Labor leader Bill Shorten will address voters in Brisbane at another people’s forum hosted by Sky News. He’ll be flying solo at that event, Malcolm Turnbull has declined to join him, opting instead to be interviewed by Leigh Sales on the 7.30 Report program this evening. I will aim to cover both events in something approximating coherent fashion. | Hello and welcome to this special evening edition of Politics Live, as always it’s delightful to be with you. Tonight we’ve come together for two reasons. The Labor leader Bill Shorten will address voters in Brisbane at another people’s forum hosted by Sky News. He’ll be flying solo at that event, Malcolm Turnbull has declined to join him, opting instead to be interviewed by Leigh Sales on the 7.30 Report program this evening. I will aim to cover both events in something approximating coherent fashion. |
| Let’s recap the day on the hustings briefly before we launch ourselves into these two events. | Let’s recap the day on the hustings briefly before we launch ourselves into these two events. |
| Today, Labor stopped circling around the core issue of the economy and budget management, and engaged directly, setting out some parameters about a return to budget balance. Labor admitted their numbers would be worse than the government’s over the forward estimates, but better than the government’s over the ten year cycle, courtesy of the impact of structural savings, like curbing negative gearing concessions. These were broad brush strokes, set out by Bill Shorten and the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. We still haven’t seen the numbers of course, and likely won’t for another couple of weeks. It’s a significant political gamble by Labor: will voters look at the four year position and think hmm, no thanks, or will they think about the ten year position, and the investments in schools and hospitals and the like? | Today, Labor stopped circling around the core issue of the economy and budget management, and engaged directly, setting out some parameters about a return to budget balance. Labor admitted their numbers would be worse than the government’s over the forward estimates, but better than the government’s over the ten year cycle, courtesy of the impact of structural savings, like curbing negative gearing concessions. These were broad brush strokes, set out by Bill Shorten and the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. We still haven’t seen the numbers of course, and likely won’t for another couple of weeks. It’s a significant political gamble by Labor: will voters look at the four year position and think hmm, no thanks, or will they think about the ten year position, and the investments in schools and hospitals and the like? |
| The Coalition for its part argued today that voters should look at the four year position (because that is what is required under the charter of budget of honesty and because ten year budgetary positions are inherently unreliable). All very sound, orthodox in fact, except for the minor inconvenience that the government’s own election centrepiece is a ten year plan to cut taxes for business, boosting growth and jobs. It remains a ten year plan, notwithstanding recent rebadging to play down the significance of the big business tax cuts at the end of the “glide path”. Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison warned that Labor’s stance over the forward estimates would threaten Australia’s AAA credit rating, and argued Labor had no plans for growth, only plans to thump the economy into submission with taxes on investment. | The Coalition for its part argued today that voters should look at the four year position (because that is what is required under the charter of budget of honesty and because ten year budgetary positions are inherently unreliable). All very sound, orthodox in fact, except for the minor inconvenience that the government’s own election centrepiece is a ten year plan to cut taxes for business, boosting growth and jobs. It remains a ten year plan, notwithstanding recent rebadging to play down the significance of the big business tax cuts at the end of the “glide path”. Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison warned that Labor’s stance over the forward estimates would threaten Australia’s AAA credit rating, and argued Labor had no plans for growth, only plans to thump the economy into submission with taxes on investment. |
| Tonight’s event in Brisbane will present something of a real world litmus test on the respective economic visions. I’ll be very interested to see how the questions go this evening. | Tonight’s event in Brisbane will present something of a real world litmus test on the respective economic visions. I’ll be very interested to see how the questions go this evening. |
| As will you good people. Tonight’s comments thread is open for your business. If that’s too hot for your taste you can chat to me on Twitter @murpharoo or on my politics forum on Facebook. I even talk back, mostly, nicely. | As will you good people. Tonight’s comments thread is open for your business. If that’s too hot for your taste you can chat to me on Twitter @murpharoo or on my politics forum on Facebook. I even talk back, mostly, nicely. |
| Let’s roll forward. Microwave the leftovers, there’s still time. Here comes Wednesday night. | Let’s roll forward. Microwave the leftovers, there’s still time. Here comes Wednesday night. |