Shorten fronts Press Club, Turnbull in Queensland

SBS World News Radio: With days to go until the federal election, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are making some final attempts to win over voters.

Shorten fronts Press Club, Turnbull in QueenslandShorten fronts Press Club, Turnbull in Queensland

Shorten fronts Press Club, Turnbull in Queensland

Marginal seats in Queensland felt the love from Mr Turnbull, while Mr Shorten traveled around the Australian Capital Territory. But Mr Shorten also fronted the National Press Club. Aileen Phillips reports.

It was a personal plea from the man fighting to become Australia's new prime minister.

"I am a father now. I share a connection when parents ask about their kids that, realistically, I didn't understand or fully appreciate before. Chloe (Bill Shorten's wife) has dedicated so much of her time and her energy to tackling family violence. She's educated me about problems on the front line. I've had the privilege of learning about the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with profound and severe disabilities."

Bill Shorten's speech was wide-ranging, covering topics including trade, marriage equality and Brexit.

And, as suspected, Medicare was a strong focus.

He says working-class and middle-class Australians do not just care about Medicare, they need it.

"When you are a woman who suddenly has to pay up to $100 for a mammogram, that's not Medicare. If you're a mum facing a $300 charge for breast-cancer diagnosis, that's not Medicare. And if you're an Australian in the fight of your life with melanoma amd you're being hit with an upfront fee of up to $1,000, that is not Medicare. That's not the Medicare that Bob Hawke created. It's not the Medicare that Labor will always fight for. It's not the Medicare that Australians know and love."

But the Opposition Leader did not escape a grilling from the media at the Press Club.

They tackled him on issues such as superannuation, public-hospital funding and marriage equality.

Meanwhile, fresh from talking up the Government's defence-industry plan in Adelaide, the Prime Minister has gone to Queensland to shore up support in two marginal seats

He hosted a small-business forum in Brisbane, touting the Government's innovation-and-science agenda.

"We often think about innovation as though it is only for geeks, but the truth is that, as we know, all businesses need to innovate to succeed."

The Greens have announced a 200-million-dollar policy to set up a specialist firefighting unit within the Australian Defence Force.

The plan includes purchasing three 50-million-dollar amphibious water bombers and training soldiers who could then help fight bushfires in Australia's remote wilderness.

And, elsewhere in the election campaign, there was this:

(First woman:) "It's Tony again."

(Second:) "Tony Windsor?"

(First:) "Yeah."

(Second:) "What does he want?"

(First:) "He wants me to take him back."

That is the Nationals' advertising campaign to win over votes in the New South Wales seat of New England.

Tony Windsor says the ad appears to suggest he, the independent candidate fighting Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce for his seat, cheated on his wife.

Mr Windsor reportedly wants the ad withdrawn.

Mr Joyce has defended it, saying it has nothing to do with Mr Windsor's private life and it is a ridiculous insinuation.

"It's an actor making a comment about the seat of New England and where the seat of New England goes. So we've made that open offer, that we're happy to withdraw all negative advertising as long as, of course, Mr Windsor's team withdraws all the negative advertising."


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3 min read

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By Aileen Phillips


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