Election 2022 live updates: Marise Payne meets Solomon Islands foreign minister; poll points to possible Mackellar upset; at least 44 Covid deaths

The Greens have announced an artists funding pilot program that would see 10,000 established or emerging artists and arts workers create while they are paid $772.60 per week for one year.

Australian Greens spokesperson for the arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young joined NSW Senate candidate David Shoebridge in Sydney to launch the creative funding initiative on Saturday.

Senator Hanson-Young said it’s critical Australia would not lose a generation of creatives due to the pandemic and the ongoing failure to support the sector by the federal government:

Ensuring artists receive a living wage will bring stability to a sector that has been left behind by the Morrison government. The arts are a core part of Australian culture and contribute so much to our economy. We must do everything we can to make sure our artists can continue creating.

The Morrison government has treated the arts sector and creative workers with contempt, like a bunch of philistines who dismiss the public good of the arts but love belting out tunes from their favourite artists.

Countries like France and Ireland are successfully running programs to give artists a living wage. Australia should do the same. The arts helped us all get through lockdowns and now it’s time we are there for them.

The Artists Wage is part of the Greens’ comprehensive Creative Australia policy to revive and secure our arts and creative industry, including an Artists in Residence program which will see an artist in every school and library across the country to also drive arts jobs and mentorship.

Lanai Scarr is the federal political reporter at the West Australian. She’s at a morning tea with the PM:

WA records six deaths and 9,243 new cases

SA records two Covid deaths

Reporter: Marise Payne has met with her counterpart from the Solomon Islands in Brisbane. Are you pleased about this? And are you concerned that Labor didn’t have a seat at the table?

Albanese:

I think it would have been appropriate. I don’t know the circumstances of whether Marise Payne invited the shadow foreign minister, given we are in caretaker mode. They would have been appropriate.

Reporter: I know costings will be released, but will the deficit be bigger than that of the Coalition?

Albanese:

All of our costings will be released. But can I say that report, that report that I did see in the paper, I don’t know what it is based on, it certainly isn’t based upon comments from the finance shadow minister or the shadow treasurer.

Reporter: Studies suggest up to 50% of women or more, after giving birth, experience incontinence. It is a major issue amongst women. How is it appropriate for your member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, to tweet about “if this debate not wrapping up soon, we will need mops, women can’t hold on”?

Albanese:

Where is that tweet from?

Reporter: A few years ago – 2011 – but still not appropriate, right?

Albanese:

Of course it is inappropriate, but that is at a time well before he was a member of parliament. I’m sure that Mr Mitchell regrets saying that and it isn’t appropriate.

Reporter: There are reports that there will be increased deficits over the next four years with Labor. Is that in the plan, and how can you speak about responsible economic management when you want to blow out the already strained budget?

Albanese:

That is in the plan. We will release all of our costings, in the usual way that oppositions have done for a long time.

And now we are on to questions – it was a short statement because Albanese is also about to address a rally.

First up he is asked, if he becomes PM will RATs be free – an initiative he has publically supported in the past:

The times have changed and what we would do is consider the health advice at the time. At the time there was an urgent need to get RATs out to people.

People were struggling and one of the things that happened at that time as well was that the government said go to your local pharmacy and you can get a free RAT if you are a concession cardholder, but when they went to their local pharmacies, they were told they were not for everyone, you’ve got to pay – [for] everyone [it] is unavailable.

Now, of course, with supply, it is like the supply, as well, vaccines. The government was too slow. The government was too slow to order vaccines, and it was too slow to organise rapid antigen tests.

Albanese says Labor will also support a feasibility study and early development costs for the proposed west coast renewable energy park.

This has the potential for hundreds of jobs to be created. Tasmania, of course, understands the importance of renewables. And this will be important.

And I know that this week as well we announced funding to support Waverley Mills textiles here in Tasmania.

All of these measures are consistent with our plan to shape the future because if you don’t shape the future, the future will shape you.

Albanese says he is announcing key commitments to the area:

The fact that Australia ranks last in the OECD for manufacturing and self-sufficiency. When we look at the Harvard index of economic complexity, Australia ranks 86, in between Paraguay and Uzbekistan. We need to do better.

And the commitments are:

Firstly to kickstart the hydrogen project using co-located solar panels to produce green hydrogen to replace diesel in Tasmania’s trucks and buses. The intended thought of this as well is this would have benefits for the whole of Tasmania, as you have at least five delivery spots here in Tasmania down the track.

Secondly, support for expanding the Devonport distribution centre. This can support as many as 140 jobs year round – a practical program reminiscent of some of the measures we put in place when I was regional development minister to support salmon and other industries. Tasmania is known for its produce. We need to commercialise it and take advantage of it for domestic and exports.

Thirdly, we will partner with Inghams to implement a carbon-zero certified business model. This will provide a great example for how businesses can transition to carbon zero, protecting more than 120 local jobs, but pioneering sustainable manufacturing throughout Australia.

Anthony Albanese speaks to media in Tasmania

Bill Shorten has Covid

NT records one Covid death and 298 new cases

Tasmania records two Covid deaths and 903 cases