Labor is leading the charge with sustained warnings a re-elected Coalition government would threaten publicly-funded healthcare.
The Prime Minister has announced some of the almost $50 billion ($48.2-billion over 10 years) in corporate tax cuts promised by a re-elected Coalition would be offset by superannuation tax savings.
Malcolm Turnbull was responding to criticism from a Labor predecessor, Paul Keating, that the policy pledge to reduce the company tax rate from 34 to 25 per cent is "irresponsible" and a discretionary, unfunded tax cut.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says they're the comments of a "Labor man", while Mr Turnbull labelled them "political intervention".
Labor's treasury spokesman Chris Bowen questioned Mr Turnbull's claim the Coalition could pay for its tax promise.
"Malcolm Turnbull attempted to say that the corporate tax cuts were paid for by changes to superannuation. That is just a joke. Is he really now asserting to the Australian people that his superannuation changes make $50-billion over the next decades. We all know that's not the case."
But it was Malcolm Turnbull's response to a question in Tasmania on a same-sex marriage plebiscite that gained the most attention.
"I have no doubt that if the plebiscite is carried, as I believe it will be, that you will see an overwhelming majority of MPs and Senators voting for it."
Journalist: "Is the Cabinet bound or is that up to them?"
"The tradition in the Liberal Party is that on matters of this kind it is a free vote."
The Opposition leader, meanwhile, was in Darwin to announce infrastructure and other policy pledges for the Northern Territory.
Labor wants to reform parts of the visa system, it says, to help Australia's unemployed, and protect international workers from exploitation.
Bill Shorten says a future Labor government would ensure employers advertising for workers under the 457 skilled visa stream first look at the suitability of the domestic workforce.
He says, if elected, Labor would also review the Student Visa and Working Holiday Maker Visa Program.
Employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said Labor is prepared to do more for overseas-sourced and Australian workers.
"Over time we've seen exploitation of these workers. Over time we've seen employers choose to go overseas and look for labour and look for skills without looking locally. Labor believes you need to look locally before you go overseas. Labor believes you must ensure the 730,000 unemployed Australians get a chance of work before you go overseas."
Bill Shorten has persisted with warnings about Medicare's future under a new coalition government, but he's backed away from claims the Coalition would privatise publicly funded healthcare.
The Prime Minister has withdrawn the option of possibly outsourcing the payments section, assuring voters no part of Medicare will be privatized.
But Mr Shorten says the existence of a dedicated Health Department task force and a Productivity Commission inquiry on competition in government services are evidence Malcolm Turnbull isn't done with the idea.
"He's been very clear that he believes in privatisation, outsourcing of the payments system. He's said as much in parliament. And he has a $5-million taskforce that they created. So, they've been on the road to privatisation. What's happened is that Malcolm Turnbull has seen the mounting electoral backlash against all his Medicare changes. So, what he's done is that he's doubled down and said, 'Listen, on this issue we won't do any more for the time being.'"
Foreign policy got an airing this week, with Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and her opposition counterpart and Tanya Plibersek both asked about the level of priority their parties place on the bipartisan United Nations Millenium Development Goal of spending 0.5 per cent of GDP on foreign aid.
Bishop: "It's an aspiration. It always has been."
Reporter: "And the Labor party?"
Plibersek: "It's our long-term goal."
The major policy announcements from the Greens centred on a push for a national anti-corruption body, which they'll advocate for in the event of a hung parliament.
They'll also be demanding an end to corporate donations for political parties.
Leader Richard Di Natale says the Greens will fight for the rights of asylum seekers and campaign for the environment if the party finds itself in a power-sharing arrangement.
Dr Di Natale says he is quietly confident of his party having real political influence after the election.
"The Greens are demonstrating that politics doesn't have to be a two-horse race, even if parts of the media and political establishments see it that way. The hard political reality is that the vote for the major parties has been dropping consistently over time and it's a trend that shows no sign of reversing."
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