Timeline of 2019 election campaign

What has happened in the first weeks of the 2019 federal election campaign.

ELECTION19 BILL SHORTEN CAMPAIGN DAY 24

Labor leader Bill Shorten has announced a $1 billion package for environmental initiatives. (AAP)

FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN SO FAR

DAY 1 (April 11)

* Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls election for May 18.

* Labor leader Bill Shorten starts his campaign in a suburban Melbourne backyard.

DAY 2 (April 12)

* Morrison heads to western Sydney to talk about Labor's $387 billion tax grab.

* Shorten, also in western Sydney, outlines more of Labor's package to reduce the cost of dealing with cancer.

* Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton comes under fire for comments about his Labor opponent Ali France, who had a leg amputated after a 2011 car accident.

DAY 3 (April 13)

* Morrison campaigns in Sydney, talking about youth and indigenous mental health. PM caught on camera saying a Chinese greeting to a Korean woman.

* Shorten heads to NSW central coast and Sydney to talk about skin cancer.

* Dutton apologises to his ALP rival in his electorate, Ali France.

* Labor candidate in the WA seat of Curtin Melissa Parke quits, after a furore over her comments on the Israel-Palestine situation.

* Liberals lose three candidates over eligibility questions, after two had citizenship problems and one held a public service job.

DAY 4 (April 14)

* Morrison campaigns in Brisbane talking up training for young jobless people.

* Shorten campaigns in Sydney pitching Labor's health funding for the states.

DAY 5 (April 15)

* Morrison campaigns in Melbourne, speaking about the government's economic credentials.

* Shorten is also in Melbourne arguing the merits of health funding versus tax cuts for the wealthy.

* Newspoll puts the coalition and Labor primary vote at 39-all but Labor leads in two-party terms 52-48.

DAY 6 (April 16)

* Morrison campaigns in Geelong, taking aim at Labor over superannuation taxes.

* Shorten visits Adelaide to talk more about health funding.

* Tony Abbott says he'd return to the Liberal leadership if it was uncontested.

DAY 7 (April 17)

* Morrison heads to Tasmania to talk about regional jobs and Labor's superannuation policy.

* Shorten visits Perth to unveil more of the cancer policy.

* Treasury reveals laws are needed to bring in part of the coalition's tax cut plan.

DAY 8 (April 18)

* Morrison campaigns in Tasmania, taking aim at Labor over tax and climate policies.

* Shorten heads to the Northern Territory to talk about indigenous health.

* Labor releases figures showing why high-end tax cuts should be scrapped and government debt should be paid down.

* Clive Palmer announces he'll run for the Senate in Queensland, while crossbench senator Tim Storer pulls out of the race in South Australia.

DAY 9 (April 19):

* Morrison and Shorten downed their campaigning tools for Good Friday but still went out to meet people and shake hands in their respective hometowns of Sydney and Melbourne.

* The minor party Centre Alliance, which is hoping to boost its representation to at least three senators at the election, revealed it won't support Labor's tax plans in the upper house.

* Labor wrote to Facebook demanding it take action on a wide-spreading campaign it said was spreading lies about it wanting to create a "death tax".

DAY 10 (April 20):

* Morrison focused on health, promising $100 million to help fund clinical trials in the country and $65 million for a new cystic fibrosis unit in Sydney.

* Shorten spruiks figures showing fast-food and restaurant workers will be worse off over the Easter public holidays under the coalition's penalty rate cuts.

* Labor also demanded to know whether Morrison is confident that $80 million worth of water purchases under the Murray-Darling Basin plan were above board, after the Greens called for a royal commission into the issue.

* Just before midnight, Labor pledges a $118 million package so all Australian veterans can receive the same funeral benefits, regardless of the conflict they served in.

DAY 11 (April 21):

* The leaders resume their campaign truce on Easter Sunday, focusing instead on spending time with their families.

* The Morrison family heads to their local Pentecostal church and the Easter show, while the Shorten clan arrive in Brisbane for an Easter egg hunt.

DAY 12 (April 22):

* Both leaders respond to a series of bomb blasts that ripped through Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing more than 250 people, including two Australians.

* Morrison was also already scheduled to visit a Buddhist temple in the marginal seat of La Trobe, southeast of Melbourne, to announce a grant for a language and religion school the local Sri Lankan community is building.

* In north Queensland, Shorten promises to spend $95 million on local tourism and $100 million to upgrade regional airports.

* Liberal campaign spokesman Simon Birmingham hoses down the Greens' concerns about water purchases, describing their allegations as "baseless".

DAY 13 (April 23)

* Polling shows a surge of support for Clive Palmer, suggesting he could be a kingmaker in key marginal contests.

* Shorten campaigns in Queensland, talking up Labor's plan to hike wages.

* Morrison campaigns in Adelaide, making a pitch to small business and fending off questions about Palmer, then heads to Darwin for Sri Lanka memorial event.

DAY 14 (April 24)

* Shorten stayed in Queensland, taking his campaign to Townsville where he promised casuals an easier pathway to permanent work.

* In Darwin, Morrison pledges to support veterans adapt to civilian life and also promised to boost funding for health initiatives in the NT.

* The Australian Electoral Commission ballot draw happens across the country, deciding where candidates are listed on voting papers.

* Former senator Rod Culleton is referred to police over his nomination form, which does not mention he is an undischarged bankrupt.

DAY 15 (April 25)

* The campaign is paused for Anzac Day, with Morrison attending a dawn service in Townsville and Shorten in Darwin.

* More than 1500 candidates have nominated to contest the election, the AEC announces.

DAY 16 (April 26)

* Morrison campaigns in Townsville and Gladstone, talking up apprenticeships and taking aim at Labor over national security.

* Shorten on the election trail in Melbourne, outlining Labor's plans to tackle domestic violence and querying the Liberals' deals with Clive Palmer.

DAY 17 (April 27)

* Morrison visited Dubbo NSW with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, promising an extra $54.7 million in drought assistance for farmers.

* Shorten campaigned in Tasmania pledging $120 million for key tourist attractions in the state.

* McCormack commenced the Nationals traditional "wombat trail" election campaign.

DAY 18 (April 28)

* Morrison holds rally in Sydney attended by John Howard to spruik the government's cap on immigration.

* Shorten holds rally in Melbourne to announce $4 billion childcare package and a $2.4 billion promise for dental care for pensioners.

DAY 19 (April 29)

* Both leaders fly to Perth, ahead of a televised debate - their first of the campaign - hosted in the city.

* The prime minister promises $1 billion to build three naval ships in Western Australia, along with funds for cyber-security.

* Shorten promises to invest $75 million in discovering mining resources.

* With polls opening for early voting, parties release their how-to-vote cards showing how they have preferenced other parties.

* Clive Palmer, who struck a preferencing deal with the coalition, fires up in a feisty television interview over comments Labor MPs have made about him.

* The Labor leader comes out on top in the debate, according to a live audience of 48 undecided voters, 25 of whom sided with Shorten compared to 12 for Morrison, with 11 still undecided.

DAY 20 (April 30)

* With both leaders kicking off in the west, Morrison pledges to install 2600 CCTV cameras at 500 "crime hot spots" around the country, for $20 million.

* Shorten promises $1 billion to help up to 4000 Australian schools get cheap loans to put solar panels on their roofs.

* Pauline Hanson accepts the resignation of One Nation senate candidate Steve Dickson after he was filmed in a US strip club groping a dancer and making offensive comments about women.

DAY 21 (May 1)

* Morrison campaigns in Perth, attacking Labor's franking credits policy

* Shorten is in Adelaide and Whyalla, talking up action on renewable energy

* Liberal candidate for Isaacs is disendorsed after making anti-Muslim comments and Liberal candidate for Wills quits over anti-gay comments.

* Apology issued by the Labor candidate for Melbourne over sharing a rape joke online

* Greens leader Richard Di Natale pledges to work with Labor on climate policy.

DAY 22 (May 2)

* Morrison and Shorten campaign in northern Tasmania.

* Coalition releases a policy to make medicines more affordable, while Labor defends its climate costings.

* Liberal candidate for Lyons Jessica Whelan refers "fake" Facebook posts to police

DAY 23 (May 3)

* Morrison and Shorten campaign in Melbourne. Liberals announce better waterways protection and Labor unveils fund to guarantee NDIS.

* Whelan resigns after more anti-Muslim posts are revealed, but will contest Lyons as an independent

* Labor's Melbourne candidate resigns over his Facebook posts

* Morrison and Shorten face off in second debate in Brisbane.

DAY 24 (May 4)

* Morrison and Shorten campaign in Brisbane after Friday's leaders debate, which the Labor leader narrowly won.

* Coalition announces $100 million in funding for cancer and mental health services in the Queensland region along with critical hospital infrastructure.

* Labor announced a $1 billion package for environmental initiatives, including measures to protect native animals and reduce single-use plastics.


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9 min read
Published 4 May 2019 4:00pm
Source: AAP


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