Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Bill Shorten both campaigned on health on Saturday, with one promising more money to prevent youth suicide, and the other to reinvigorate Australia's 'slip, slop, slap' skin cancer campaign.
Mr Morrison pledged the coalition would spend an extra $42 million on mental health services for young and indigenous Australians if it wins the May 18 poll during a campaign stop in Sydney's inner west.
The prime minister declared combating youth suicide to be "my big priority".
"So it is now $503.1 million, more than half-a-billion, to take up the fight against youth suicide and to say to every young person who is out there, you are not alone in this," an emotional Mr Morrison told reporters in Ashfield.
"I will not rest until we beat this."
Mr Morrison's wife Jenny also spoke to the media, saying it is important for children to feel they can come forward with mental health issues.
"We need that stigma gone," she said.
After doing a meet-and-greet street walk in Strathfield, Mr Morrison travelled to the Randwick racecourse with Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove to watch Winx run, and win, her last race.
On the NSW Central Coast, Mr Shorten launched the $8.6 million commitment to revamp the 'slip, slop, slap' campaign at the junior netball in Gosford, in the Liberal-held electorate of Robertson.
"We don't have to be the skin cancer capital of the world," he told reporters.
"This is one cancer that we can actually have a massive impact with prevention."
Mr Shorten later told a town hall meeting in Woy Woy, to much applause, that Australians' health was more important to him than "tax rorts at the top end, full stop".
As the leaders focused on health, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton will be hoping he has belatedly healed the wounds caused by his insensitive remarks against his Labor rival in the seat of Dickson.
Mr Dutton was condemned for accusing Ali France, an amputee, of using her disability as an excuse for not living in the Brisbane seat.
"I apologise to Ms France for my comments yesterday," Mr Dutton said in a tweet on Saturday.
"My argument with the Labor candidate is about how our respective policies would affect the people of Dickson."
Before he took to Twitter, Labor senator Kristina Keneally labelled Mr Dutton a "thug" and "the most toxic man in the Liberal Party".
Just three days into the election campaign, and yet another candidate was forced to drop out of the race .
Former Labor minister Melissa Parke stood down as candidate for the WA seat of Curtin over her pro-Palestine views, fearing it may become a distraction from the opposition's campaign.
Mr Shorten said Ms Parke had "done the right thing" and that he didn't share her views.
The blue-ribbon seat of Curtin was previously held by retiring Liberal Julie Bishop.
Ms Parke's exit came after three Liberals dropped out because they risked falling foul of Section 44, which claimed 17 MPs and senators in the last parliament.
Two pulled out due to dual citizenship issues, while the third was dumped because she is employed by Australian Post.
Mr Morrison said Section 44 was still "complicated", but said the three candidates were not running in "highly contested seats".
"What this demonstrates is just the party doing its job," he said.
