Shorten heckles Morrison over Clive Palmer
Scott Morrison says Labor is sore that Clive Palmer is directing preferences towards the Liberals rather than Labor because he thinks Bill Shorten will be a danger to the economy.
Morrison says Palmer should obey the law and pay his workers properly.
Shorten heckles Morrison through his answer. He targets Palmer over the collapse of his nickel company and not paying workers.
Now Shorten gets personal, targetting Morrison's smirk (which has been on full display tonight).
"If Mr Morrison wants to smirk about doing a deal with Mr Palmer, so be it," says Shorten.
He questions the price of Palmer's preferences and the "debt" Morrison will owe him.
Shorten concedes some pensioners may be affected
Shorten is now forced to make another major concession.
He now concedes a small amount of people who have self-managed super funds created after last March will be affected by the proposed changes to franking credits.
"[The cost of franking credits] is now $6 billion dollars, it not illegal, it's a gift, the nation can't keep giving a gift..." he says before being cut off as the debate cuts to a question on Clive Palmer.
Audience questions begins
We are on to audience questions.
The first comes from Ron Ryan, a white-haired gentleman who asks Bill Shorten about franking credits changes that Labor is proposing. (Liberals would be delighted!)
Shorten says a lot of people don't understand the franking credits policy. He says Labor wants to close a tax loophole "We've decided to fund pensioner dental care."
He tells Ron that Labor's policy doesn't hit pensioners.
Morrison jumps in and says if you have a self-managed super fund c"you will get hit by the retirees tax."
Morrison says there is a difference in the parties border policies
Another aspect of the Coalition's border policies despised by Labor's left is temporary protection visas.
Morrison says Labor doesn't accept these and that Shorten's claim there's no difference between the two parties on border protection is untrue.
Shorten 'listen we are going to have boat turnbacks...I didn't say our policies were identical," he says.
He reiterates: "I have learned the lessons of the past. I accept some of the experience which Mr Morrison has said."
But he says he does take issue with the Coalition for the amount of time its taken for the government to resettle people on Nauru and PNG.
"Boat turnbacks work" concedes Shorten.
Scott Morrison is now spruiking his achievement as Immigration Minister in stopping the boats.
He says he knows what it takes to stop the boats and Labor doesn't because it hasn't learned the lessons.'
Bill Shorten makes a major concession. "...we now agree. I accept that boat turnbacks work and I've convinced my party to accept that."
He says Labor will not wind back turnbacks, easily the most controversial policy for Labor's left when it comes to border protection policies.
"Eight times you voted against it mate"
Shorten says he never ran into a Liberal politician while he was negotiating pay rises for workers.
And we have our first passive aggressive 'mate' of the evening.
As the pair trade barbs on the Fair Work Commission's decision on penalty rates, Bill Shorten asks Morrison why he voted against Labor's attempts to restore penalties: "Eight times you voted against it mate". Morrison says he believes in the independence of the Commission.
Tax cut or wage rise
Bill Shorten responds. He says wages growth is at "record lows." "You name it everything's going up except your wages."
He contrasts tax cuts with an increase in wages growth.
Morrison jumps in and takes penalty wages head-on. "I think its dangerous when politicians tell you they can set your wages." And on Labor's policy to directly intervene and use taxpayer funds to boost childcare workers' wages, Morrision asks: "What other wages are going to be subsidised if Bill Shorten is prime minister?"
And he gets personal, accusing Shorten of trading Clean Event workers penalties away for a payment to his union. Shorten is taking copious notes.
Cost of living
Now to cost of living.
Scott Morrison is asked about wages growth and whether the higher-paid should be given tax cuts.
"The way you drive wages forward is not by taxing people more and you don't do it by taxing business more because that slows the economy down," he says.
He beefs up his criticism of Labor's emissions reduction target as "reckless."
On tax cuts, he looks directly at the camera and points as he says I think your money's better in your hands, Bill Shorten thinks your money is better in his hands.
Climate change
Now to climate change.
Bill Shorten gets the first applause of the evening when he says people want politicians to get on with addressing the issue and points to the takeup of rooftop solar as evidence of that.
He says not taking action will "categorically" be a "disaster for the economy" and that if the Liberals really cared about climate change "Malcolm Turnbull would still be prime minister."
Scott Morrison says climate change "is a threat" and requires "urgent action" but then says the government's policies haven't changed. Quite.
He flips the climate change/future argument to ask how much Labor's higher emissions reduction will cost because he wants to know how his kids will afford that cost.
Shorten - people are voting early because they want a change of government
Bill Shorten says the surge in pre-polling votes being cast shows a mood for change within the public and it's not just about convenience.
Would be interested to hear from readers who voted today and why you do so, so early.
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