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The first leader's debate of the election campaign started out as a friendly affair, but it ended with Labor leader Anthony Albanese accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of making an "outrageous slur".
Key points:
- The debate got heated when Mr Morrison accused Mr Albanese of siding with China
- Mr Morrison also confronted Mr Albanese about his past policy on boat turnbacks
- The PM acknowledged that the Labor Party was responsible for some of the country's biggest reforms but said Coalition governments pay for them
The debate began with both leaders informally calling each other by their first name before going on to discuss border policy, the NDIS, health, housing affordability and national reforms.
But things got heated when Mr Morrison accused Mr Albanese of siding with China over issues concerning national security, specifically in the Pacific region.
"When it comes to standing up to China, they've criticised me for being too strong, I was called a racist for closing the borders, I was protecting Australia," Mr Morrison said in front of an audience of 100 undecided voters in Brisbane.
"What I don't understand is, when something of this significance takes place, why would you take China's side?"
Mr Albanese was not happy with the question.
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Labor had just spent the day accusing the Coalition of messing up a key security relationship, after Solomon Islands shrugged off warnings from Australia and signed a new pact with China.
"National security issues shouldn't be the subject of that sort of slur," he said.
"The truth is, we all know China has changed. China has changed its posture, it's more aggressive, it's more active in the region and we need to understand that and respond to it."
"The contradiction in what Scott has said is saying that on one hand but then not really stepping up — it's not a Pacific Step-up, it's a pacific stuff up."
Back to talking about borders
Mr Morrison confronted Mr Albanese about his past policy on boat turnbacks, and appeared to catch him on the hop.
It's an issue that emerged early on the campaign trail.
During the debate, Mr Albanese said Labor effectively adopted the Coalition's approach when he was deputy prime minister back in 2013.
But Scott Morrison said Labor didn't back boat turnbacks until many years later.
Here's the full exchange:
Morrison: So when you were deputy prime minister, why didn't you support boat turnbacks them?
Albanese: You weren't proposing that then...
Morrison: We were, I'm sorry it was our policy, turnbacks were our policy before the 2013 election, I was the shadow immigration minister, I designed the policy. You were on the national security committee so why did you not support turnbacks?
Albanese: I was on the NSC, we had established offshore processing ... in 2013, when I became deputy PM, that was the first step.
Morrison: So you were going to do turnbacks.
Albanese: No ... no that's right. But why is it Scott that you're always looking for division?
Morrison: No I'm looking for accuracy and the truth.
Albanese: The truth is we support boat turnbacks.
The pair found common ground, before they disagreed
Mr Morrison acknowledged that the Labor Party is responsible for some of the country's biggest reforms.
But he argued that the Coalition always ends up paying for them.
Mr Morrison said the NDIS is now bigger than Medicare, before making the issue about the economy.
"It's always the Liberals and Nationals who have to work out how to pay for these things and that's what we've done over the last eight years," he said.
"So one of the most important things I can do to ensure the National Disability Insurance Scheme is fully funded is to run a strong economy."
Mr Albanese said the economy was in good shape because of the Labor Party.
"Labor does the big things and we also do the big reforms and what the PM has attempted to say there is we have an issue paying for things," Mr Albanese said.
"We just went through three decades of consecutive economic growth because of the Hawke/Keating reforms, we then went through the GFC better than just about any economy in the world because of the actions of the Rudd and Gillard governments.
"And while we were doing it we did the NDIS, paid parental leave and a fibre based NBN."
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