Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen speaking.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged two hydrogen hubs on day 19 of the election campaign. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright

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Solomons, AUKUS back on agenda as Albanese returns to campaign: day 19 as it happened

We're nearing the halfway point for the election campaign, with Opposition leader Anthony Albanese back on the campaign trail after isolating for a week with COVID-19. Follow our live blog for all the latest election news.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen speaking.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged two hydrogen hubs on day 19 of the election campaign. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright

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Scott Morrison says Solomon Islands expressed no concerns when first told about AUKUS deal
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he spoke to his Solomon Islands counterpart Manasseh Sogavare the day after the trilateral AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States was announced in September last year.

"I spoke to Prime Minister Sogavare the day following the [AUKUS] announcement ... and no issues were raised at that time in that discussion," Mr Morrison told reporters at a press conference in Bell Bay, Tasmania, on Friday afternoon.

"But obviously, as time goes on and new relationships are entered into, there's obviously been some clearly other influences in the perspective taken by the Solomon Islands prime minister," Mr Morrison said.
READ MORE

Solomons prime minister hits out at Australian government over AUKUS deal

The prime minister's comments came just hours after
Mr Sogavare blasted Mr Morrison for blindsiding him over the announcement of the AUKUS security pact
.

Addressing the nation’s parliament on Friday, Mr Sogavare also accused Australian troops and police of refusing to protect the country's Chinese-built infrastructure during last year’s riots in the country.

"Immediately upon being requested to send support to the Solomon Islands late last year, we did so. We sent the AFP. We sent the ADF out of Townsville," Mr Morrison said at the press conference where he announced the $70 million Tasmanian Green Hydrogen Hub project.
ELECTION22 SCOTT MORRISON ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits CTP Enginnering on Day 19 of the 2022 federal election campaign, in George Town, in the seat of Bass. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE
"Our servicemen and women, they didn't stay home for Christmas last year, they went and supported peace and stability in the Solomon Islands."

Australia has been critical of
the security pact between China and Solomon Islands
, fearing it could lead to a permanent Chinese military presence in the Pacific.
READ MORE

China and Solomon Islands have inked a security pact. What does it mean for Australia's role in the Pacific?

The prime minister then turned his attention back to criticising the Opposition, saying that electricity prices have fallen by about 9 per cent since he became prime minister, adding Labor's policy will push them back up.

"Labor has a policy — just like they did years ago when they had the carbon tax, which put electricity prices up.

"They're doing it again by having a policy that gold-plates the transmission network that only pushes prices up," he said.

Mr Morrison also criticised Labor's border security policy.

"Labor have a policy which says they will give permanent protection visas to people who have come to Australia illegally by boat.

"That is their policy. And I do not believe that is a good policy to keep borders secure.

"Labor is a great risk to border security and they are repeating their mistakes and remain clueless about it," he said.

- Akash Arora
Anthony Albanese open to youth-focused leaders’ debate with the prime minister
Anthony Albanese's office has confirmed the Labor leader would attend a youth-focused leaders' debate against Prime Minister Scott Morrison, honing in on "issues that matter to the next generation", the Daily Aus said on social media.

"@AlboMP's office has confirmed he will attend a youth-focused Leaders' Debate with The Daily Aus," the youth-focused news service posted on Twitter.
The Daily Aus said it has not yet received a confirmation from the prime minister's office.

"This is the leaders' chance to show they care about young people and issues that matter to the next generation," it added.
It comes after the prime minister offered to take part in two debates with Mr Albanese on Channel 7 and Channel 9 next week.

Mr Albanese has not responded to those requests.
READ MORE

What these young Australians really think about the federal election

Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Labor Treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers defended Mr Albanese's actions.

"Anthony Albanese is not reluctant to debate the prime minister and the last time they had a debate, Albo cleaned him up," Mr Chalmers told reporters in Sydney.

- Akash Arora
Social media users losing interest in federal election, data shows
Social media users have shown a drop in interest in the federal election campaign, with news coverage and social media telling different stories.

Tracking insights from media monitoring platform Meltwater has revealed a decline in social media posting about the looming poll.

Data at the campaign's halfway mark this week shows a 29 per cent decline in discussion about the election across Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok.

Meltwater's election centre custom dashboard also shows differences in sentiment and party preferences between news coverage and social media.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon walking.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon board a flight to Perth from Sydney Airport Jet Aviation base on 29 April 2022. Source: AAP / STEVEN SIEWERT/AAPIMAGE
Social media mentions about the Liberal Party are more negative compared to the Labor Party, with traditional news media showing the reverse.

News coverage tends to be 36 per cent negative towards the Labor and 25 per cent negative towards the Liberals.

- AAP
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles tests positive for COVID-19
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has tested positive for COVID-19.

It comes on the same day Opposition leader Anthony Albanese returned to the campaign trail after undergoing seven days in isolation in Sydney after contracting COVID-19 last week.

"This morning after taking a routine test for COVID, I returned a positive result," Mr Marles posted on Twitter.
A contingent of Labor leaders, including Mr Albanese and Treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers, is set to travel to Perth today, ahead of the party's campaign launch on Sunday.

"I was looking forward to travelling west to attend Labor’s launch," Mr Marles said.

"I will be isolating at home + following advice.

I’ll be back on the trail in no time, fighting for a better future with @AlboMP."

- Akash Arora
Labor defends Anthony Albanese for not responding to Scott Morrison’s leaders’ debate requests
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is back on the campaign trail after isolating with COVID-19 for one week, but didn't face the media at a Labor press conference on Friday morning.

Labor Treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers defended Mr Albanese, saying the Opposition leader has done a few media interviews this morning.

When asked why the Opposition leader is reluctant to face Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a leaders' debate next week, Mr Chalmers said he does not have access to Anthony Albanese's diary.

"Anthony Albanese is not reluctant to debate the prime minister and the last time they had a debate, Albo cleaned him up," Mr Chalmers told reporters in Sydney.

The prime minister has offered to take part in two debates with the Opposition leader on Channel 7 and Channel 9 next week.

Mr Albanese has not responded to those requests.


Labor's immigration spokesperson Senator Kristina Keneally, who was accompanying Mr Chalmers, said it's the prime minister who goes missing.

"Mr Morrison always goes missing. He went missing with the bushfires, went missing with the floods, went missing with the vaccines and went missing when the Solomon Islands were looking to sign a deal with China," she said.

"Now he's gone missing with this cost of living crisis," she said.

Mr Chalmers said the Morrison government has an excuse for everything and a plan for nothing.

"They want to talk about international comparisons. Australians couldn't give a stuff what inflation is in the United States," he said referring to
the rising cost of living
.
READ MORE

From food to fuel and housing: As inflation surges, this is what it means for your hip pocket

"Real wages have been going backwards now for some time and wages have been stagnant for the best part of a decade.

"And international developments in the last couple of months don't explain or excuse almost a decade now of Coalition attacks on wages and job security in our economy," Mr Chalmers said, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that the prime minister blamed for inflation, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday.

- Akash Arora
Katherine Deves says she's not transphobic because she went to Mardi Gras in the 90s
The Liberal candidate for the Sydney seat of Warringah, Katherine Deves, has told 2GB Radio that she isn’t transphobic because she attended Mardi Gras in the 1990s.

When asked if she is transphobic by host Ben Fordham, Ms Deves replied, "Of course not."

"This isn't about that – it is about women and girls.

“Back in the early 90s I was going to Mardi Gras ... I voted for same-sex marriage,” Ms Deves said on Friday.

“I don’t have an issue with that. But this is about a collision of rights.

“Women and girls should have the right to have a dedicated female sports category for players’ safety and fair competition."
READ MORE

'Have a shred of empathy': Coverage of Katherine Deves' comments is harmful, transgender advocates say

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg condemned Ms Deves’ comments where she compared her lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's sport to standing up against the Holocaust, but stopped short of disendorsing Ms Deves’ candidacy ahead of the election.

“When you start bringing these analogies, or that level of terminology, I do think that both diminishes the person who’s making the argument that it also distracts from the real issues at play,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC radio this morning.
Josh Frydenberg will preference One Nation over Kooyong independent Monique Ryan
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said he will preference Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party over his independent competitor Monique Ryan for the seat of Kooyong in Melbourne's inner east.

"My preferences are not going to make any difference in the seat ... the Labor Party and the Greens you can barely find a sign for them ... they're in bed with the so-called independent," Mr Frydenberg told RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas.

Dr Ryan, who has stepped away from her role as director of neurology at the Royal Children’s Hospital to run, is backed by Simon Holmes à Court’s Climate 200 and claims to have more than 1,500 volunteers assisting her campaign. She has agreed to debate the treasurer on Sky News next Thursday.

She has become an increasing threat to Mr Frydenberg ahead of the federal election, with a campaign based on addressing the climate crisis and integrity.

Dr Ryan has gained the support of former Liberal Premier Ted Baillieu’s son, Rob Baillieu.

Earlier this month, Mr Baillieu wrote an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, where he said a meeting he had with a Liberal moderate was “one of the most homophobic experiences” of his life.

“The climate scepticism, sexism, and disregard for basic scientific principles didn’t help. If these are the moderates, who on earth are the conservatives?” Mr Baillieu wrote.
Other members of the Liberal Party have also attacked independent candidates on Friday, with MP Jason Faliniski questioning whether independents spending money on their campaigns is moral or not.

"My only real way to answer this question is to say when someone is spending $2 million in a single election in a single electorate, you get to the point where you start wondering whether that is a moral use of money and it is quite obscene," Mr Falinski said.
Anthony Albanese is back on the campaign trail
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is back in business after isolating for one week in Sydney since testing positive to COVID-19 last week.

In his first media interview since leaving isolation, Mr Albanese repeated the sentiment expressed by Opposition Treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers on Thursday regarding the
rising cost of living
and the Morrison government's role in it.

"People out there know that the cost of everything is going up but their wages aren't and that's a fundamental problem that has been presided over by this government in the last decade," Mr Albanese told ABC News Breakfast.
"This government are happy to claim credit any time something goes [well] but as soon as things don't, they look to blame someone else and not accept responsibility.

"We will accept responsibility. We will step up and recognise that people are doing it tough," he said.

The opposition leader will fly to Perth on Friday to resume in-person campaigning, ahead of Labor's campaign launch on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has defended the government's handling of the economy,

In the wake of inflation rising to 5.1 per cent this week, the highest levels for two decades, Mr Frydenberg said the national economy was still going strong.

"The Australian economy has seen a remarkably strong recovery and the key indicator of that has been an unemployment rate of four per cent," he told ABC Radio on Friday.

"(Higher inflation) has been driven by international factors and that's the cold-hard reality of the situation that we face."
READ MORE

Just 2 per cent of rentals in Australia are affordable for people on a low income

Rising inflation levels have led to increased speculation the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates for the first time since 2010 when it meets on Tuesday.

But Mr Frydenberg has denied he suggested the Reserve Bank should hold off making a rate rise until key wages figures were released later in May.

"I'm not saying that I will pre-empt in any way a decision of an independent board, namely of the Reserve Bank," he said.

"That is a decision for them, or them not to take at their upcoming meeting."

- Akash Arora with AAP
A quick recap of what happened on the campaign trail on Thursday
The rising cost of living dominated day 18 of the election campaign as Labor and Coalition traded barbs.

The day started with Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressing the media in Cairns, Queensland, where he announced a $24 million plan to upgrade the Cairns Marine Precinct.

Mr Morrison blamed the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for
the rising cost of living
.

He also blamed the Labor Party, saying the Opposition was trying to pin cost of living issues solely on his government.
READ MORE

From food to fuel and housing: As inflation surges, this is what it means for your hip pocket

"I think Australians understand ... they're not ignorant of the issues that are happening around the world," Mr Morrison said.

"They're not going to be fooled by the Labor Party trying to pretend that what is happening in Australia is happening in Australia alone," he said.
Labor responded to the prime minister comments within hours, with Opposition Treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers saying: "Scott Morrison has an excuse for everything and a plan for nothing."

"When things are going well in the economy, Scott Morrison takes all of the credit but when times are tough for Australians, he takes none of the responsibility and we have seen that again today," he told reporters at a press conference in Sydney.
Later in the day, Labor Senator Kristina Keneally and MP Jason Clare also addressed the media in Sydney, taking aim at the handling of the China-Solomon Islands security pact by the Morrison government.

"Mr Morrison dropped the ball here in what has been the most significant national security failure since World War II," Ms Keneally said.

"And as a result, Australia is less safe and [China] does have a foothold now just 1,600km from Cairns," said.

Speaking to the United States Studies Centre, Foreign Minister Marise Payne insisted Australia remained Solomon Islands' "security partner of choice", and the government would continue to work with Honiara to secure the region.
READ MORE

Rising cost of living dominates day 18 of election campaign as Labor, Coalition trade barbs

Meanwhile, the prime minister rebuffed suggestions Coalition MPs could be disadvantaged at the election after Pauline Hanson indicated One Nation would preference Labor over the Liberals in key seats.

It came after Senator Hanson accused the government of doing a "dirty deal with the devil" by telling voters to preference the Jacqui Lambie Network in the Tasmanian Senate race ahead of One Nation.

- Akash Arora
Welcome to today's SBS News federal election live blog
Good morning.

It's the 19th day of the federal election campaign and we're here to keep you posted about all the noteworthy moments of the day.

Federal Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will re-join the election campaign today
. He's been in isolation in Sydney since last week after contracting COVID-19.

Mr Albanese will fly to Perth on Friday ahead of the party's campaign launch on the weekend.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will start Friday in Hobart, after announcing $50 million for the Nyrstar Smelter in the Tasmanian capital.

- Akash Arora
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