Scott Morrison condemns Labor of tactics over Liu ad; Daniel Andrews attacks ‘cruel’ trans debate; 17 Covid deaths – As it happened

With that, I’ll leave you for the evening, but let’s have a look back at the biggest news of the day.

• Scott Morrison has condemned Labor for what he called “sewer” politics over an advertising blitz claiming Liberal MP Gladys Liu had spread fake news and tried to “trick” voters at the 2019 election.
• Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has labelled the campaigning to prevent transgender women from participating in sports alongside other women as “cruel”, stating that he has never encountered this as a concern among the wider community.
  
• Australia recorded 17 Covid-19 related deaths, including eight people in NSW, two in Victoria, five in South Australia, three from Queensland and one person in Tasmania. The national death toll since the start of the pandemic is now approaching 7,000.
• While in the NT today, Morrison also announced that a re-elected Coalition government will hand $100m to major fossil fuel producers to build carbon capture and storage operations, part of a $300m commitment from the government to expand gas exports in Darwin.

Have a lovely evening everyone, we will be back with you bright and early tomorrow to bring you all the updates from the Anzac Day services and election campaign events around the country.

Looking to Europe for a moment and the polls have opened in France for the second round of the presidential election that will see voters choose to give Emmanuel Macron another five years in office or elect Marine Le Pen.

Macron is favourite to win but any second term will be determined by whether he finishes with a convincing victory. Both he and Le Pen need to have convinced the almost 50% of voters who did not choose either of them in the first round ballot two weeks ago.

The level of abstention and the number of people protest voting by casting a blank ballot, as many supporters of “third man” the radical left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon have promised, could affect the result.

You can read the full report from Kim Willsher below:

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce believes a “transition” from coal to cleaner energy “equals unemployment” in the regions, declaring the Coalition would not use the term during the election.

The Nationals leader has also backed the government’s clean energy fund to support coal, and for other government infrastructure funds to finance the construction of coal-fired power stations, but not for the building of cleaner hydrogen plants.

“Transition to what? There is no other industry here,” Joyce said while visiting the Queensland coal community of Gladstone.

You can read the full report below:

Health officials are urging Australians to take Covid-19 precautions at Anzac Day commemorations despite restrictions easing in most states and territories.

With many jurisdictions preparing for the return of full-scale Anzac Day services after two Covid-disrupted years, Victoria’s health department has shared risk-mitigation tips.

It recommends patrons wear a mask when unable to physically distance, particularly in crowds or indoor environments.

Those who are symptomatic are encouraged to stay home and get tested, while people meeting indoors should open doors and windows to maximise air flow.

You can read the full report below:

Every time he sees one of Scott Morrison’s infamous “curry night” selfies, Khushaal Vyas can’t help but feel cynical.

Like many in the Indian-Australian community, Vyas initially welcomed the selfies, taking pride in a prime minister that appeared to respect Indian culture.

But over time Vyas, became “irked” at the sense the selfies were the beginning and end of engagement with his community.

“Part of me, of course, loves that the leader of the country that I live in, loves Indian food or loves celebrating that culture,” he says.

“But the other half of me knows that the kind of engagement that I really needed from the government or from that leader didn’t happen when it mattered most.”

Mostafa Rachwani explores how a new generation of Indian-Australians are looking for genuine engagement from politics at this election.

Morrison is asked about his commitment from this morning not to raise taxes and to forge ahead with cuts.

The question asked whether this is building in a structural deficit down the line by compromising government revenue.

Morrison rejects this by saying its important to “keep the speed limit” on taxes and to focus on reducing the number of people reliant on social security.

“The single biggest thing you can do to balance the budget is to get people off welfare and get them into work,” Morrison said.

Morrison is asked now about whether he would support a reform to stop police in remote Indigenous communities from carrying firearms.

He says it is a sensitive issue but does not answer the question directly and instead praises Coalition MP Ken Wyatt.

“We will work with the community across the Northern Territory to keep people safe,” he says.

It is neither a yes, or no.

Prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking to media again in the Northern Territory with Coalition Senate candidate Jacinta Price.

Price steps in to answer questions and tells anti-fracking protesters who have been protesting the Prime Minister’s presence to “pull their head in” for disrespecting an “elder of our parliament”.

Price also threw her support behind the Coalition’s Warringah candidate Katherine Deves over her trans views, saying that she’s standing up for women.

Five people have died from Covid-19 overnight in South Australia as the state has reported 2816 new cases, with 256 hospitalisations, 11 people in ICU and 2 on ventilation.

Wong is now asked whether “Labor is vilifying Chinese Australians”. Her response:

“You’re asking me that question?”

She then goes on to discuss the “important” issue of foreign interference and the measures Labor supports to limit it.

Following up the question, Wong is asked why Anthony Albanese gave a speech praising a “foreign billionaire” - a person who remains unnamed.

In addressing the question, Wong says Labor would not have made the decision to lease the Port of Darwin and opposed the signing of an extradition treaty with China.

Penny Wong has stepped in out to answer questions about Labor policy that would allow coal mines to continue to operate under its safeguard mechanism.

“I want to make very clear that there will be no competitive disadvantage to any facility. We will not expose an Australian facility to a competitive disadvantage as against their competitors internationally,” says Wong.

This is, essentially, a continuation of a long-running policy that has enjoyed bipartisan support among Australian governments where action on the climate crisis will not happen where it may disadvantage the Australian economy.

It is also responsible for Australia’s lack of ambition.

Labor’s presser a sharp contrast to the prime minister’s who spoke despite anti-fracking protesters attempting to drown him out.

I may have missed it but the heckling was not audible when watching it at the time.

Butler announces a $111m health spend to “deliver more workers and more services to continue to close the gap in Indigenous health” and focus on two diseases of concern:

“The first is chronic kidney disease and the second is rheumatic heart disease. Chronic kidney disease affect around four times as many Indigenous Australians as it does non-Indigenous Australians.

“Rheumatic heart disease is a disease described commonly as a disease of poverty. Which has been eradicated in most developed nations around the role.

“Indigenous Australians are about five times as likely, sorry, 15 times as likely to contract rheumatic heart disease and, shockingly, Indigenous children are 55 times more likely to die of rheumatic heart disease than their non-Indigenous counterparts in this country.”

Senator Wong announces a $519m plan to “strengthen the services veterans and their families count on” that will increase the veterans family support strategy, create a veterans employment program and the pension”.

South Australian MP Mark Butler speaking now about health issues faced by Indigenous people.

South Australian Labor Senator Penny Wong is speaking now while campaigning in the Northern Territory.

She is says Labor will “work with” Indigenous health services and community patrols to improve health outcomes.

“First Nations Australians are four times more likely to die from pneumatic heart disease, four times more likely to have kidney disease, you may have seen some of the consequences of that today. And more than twice as likely to die from suicide in their youth,” Wong says.

The senator says she will get to the health announcement in a moment, as she wants to spend a few moments throwing shade at the government over their handling of veterans affairs.

Meanwhile another look at the reception the PM received from anti-fracking protesters upon arrival in Alice Springs.

The person with Covid-19 who died in Western Australia overnight was a teenager, according to health authorities.

WA Health officials confirmed the information in their latest release but no additional detail was provided.

The other two deaths reported yesterday were a man in his 70s and a man in his 80’s.

Scott Morrison is speaking live now from the Northern Territory where he’s announcing a $14m plan to combat youth crime.

Morrison also says that poor mental health is tied to youth crime and announces $3.4m to support services to help young people transition into adult mental health.

The PM links lower crime to jobs growth and says his government will boost support for apprenticeship and training programs in partnership with the NT government.

“Jobs do create hope. They do build community, they do create self respect and they do build confidence,” he said.

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has declared she owns shares in a Queensland coal mining company after updating the register of member interests.

It appears a fracas has broken out in Alice Springs as anti-fracking protesters have tried to attend a Coalition election event.

Meanwhile protesters in Newcastle are carrying out their own action.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has today slammed Liberal federal MPs who have been campaigning to prevent transgender women from participating in sports along side other women, stating that he has never encountered this as a legitimate concern among the wider community, and labelling the attacks as “cruel” to transgender children:

“What’s the problem we’re trying to fix here? Because I’ve been in the parliament for 20 years, and I’ve never had a school community come to me and raised this issue. I’ve never had parents come to me, I’ve never had a teacher come to me and raise this issue.

And let’s be very clear about something. Trans kids are 15 times more likely to self-harm. 15 times.

Anyone who thinks that this debate, when no one can point to a problem, what is the problem we’re trying to solve here?

Fifteen times more likely to self-harm.

I don’t think this debate is doing any of those young Victorians any good, or their parents. It’s not easy to be trans. There are, many challenges, there’s a lot of stigma, and there’s a lot of prejudice.

I don’t think that adding to that is particularly kind. It’s cruel, in fact.”

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.

One person with Covid-19 has died in Western Australia overnight. The state recorded 6,085 new cases, with 239 people in hospital and eight in ICU.

The update reported three new deaths but two were “historical in nature” and reported on Saturday.

It has been a tough time for WA Premier Mark McGowan who announced yesterday his child had been discharged from hospital after a four-day stay.

The child had been admitted on Thursday in a “serious condition” but is now understood to be well and recovering at home.

All eight people with Covid-19 who died overnight were over 50 years old, New South Wales health authorities say.

Two people were in their 50s, two in their 70s, two in their 80s and two people in their 90s.

The state also announced it will axe is daily Covid-19 media brief but will continue to post information through its social media account and website.

Australia’s defence minister, Peter Dutton, has suggested bribery was involved in helping China secure a security deal with Solomon Islands.

The Coalition has been on the defensive over heavy criticism about the handling of its relationship to its Pacific neighbour.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Dutton heavily implied China was able to edge out its competitors on deals by resorting to bribery.

“I make this point - China conducted their business in a very different way than we do. I mean, you asked the question about bribery or corruption, we don’t pay off, we don’t bribe people,” he said.

“The Chinese certainly do and they have demonstrated that in Africa and elsewhere. People can draw their own conclusions.”

In an interview with Sky News Dutton also suggested Australia may become a “tributary state to China” through its business dealings with its largest trading partner.

“China wants a relationship where they’ll come to the table and say we’re paying a fair price for your commodities but we don’t expect you to be critical of our human rights abuses,” he said.

“We don’t think you should say anything against China when there’s foreign interference, or theft of IP or interference on university campuses in Australia. They want us to remain silent on all of that.”

Dutton denied he was trying to frighten voters into voting for the Coalition.

South Australian police are investigating a dramatic fire at an Adelaide motel early this morning in which seven people were injured.

The dramatic scene unfolded just after 6.30am on Sunday morning as police and emergency services responded to reports of a fire on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide.

Police say the intense fire within the three-level complex was quickly brought under control by fire crews.

Fifteen people were rescued from the motel and seven were taken to hospital for treatment.

Investigators are currently at the site to determine the cause of the fire.

Queensland Health has issued a recall notice for vegan chocolates after they were found to contain milk.

More details would be provided but it looks as if the Foods Standards website is offline for maintenance.

Dramatic scenes from a fire in Adelaide where seven people have been reportedly injured following explosions at a motel just outside the CBD.

More as it happens.

Labor shadow treasure Jim Chalmers is appearing on ABC’s Insiders just now and is lashing the government over its handling of the relationship with Solomon Islands:

Clearly, this is the consequence of a government which has cut foreign aid spending, they have mocked our Pacific friends when it comes to climate change, and they have dropped the ball when it comes to our national security and that’s what we’re seeing now.

Our country is less safe as a consequence of the mistakes that they have made on foreign policy. That is the net effect and the consequence of all of this chest-beating.

Now, this is a prime minister that went to the wrong island, you know, went to Hawaii during the bushfires when his focus should have been on the Solomon Islands.

A few shots from last night when prime minister Scott Morrison was in Sydney to attend Orthodox Easter services.