Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler has joined Labor’s campaign bus and is in Brisbane where the opposition is holding a campaign rally.
We will bring you updates as they come.
Kevin Rudd is up first at the Labor rally. Criticising the Coalition, he says “the people of Australia want to toss this mob out”
If that sounds familiar, think back to 2013… pic.twitter.com/TjpLUAJ51f
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 15, 2022
Queensland records two Covid deaths
Two people with Covid-19 have died overnight in Queensland. The state recorded 4,812 new cases on Sunday, with 417 people in hospital, 17 in ICU and two on ventilation.
Bandt says he has been spending time in coal communities in Queensland and New South Wales with a clear message “coal and gas workers are not the enemy”.
“One coal miner said to me in New South Wales, look, the worst kept secret in this area is coal has a used-by date,” he said.
“The problem is all the others, Liberal, Labor, keep saying, “We can keep opening coal mines to 2050 and meet climate targets, we can’t”.
“Workers and communities know. This they’re looking for an honest discussion and a plan.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt spoke to the ABC earlier where he was discussing the future of the Greens and the Independents who may end up the winners in a fractured political landscape if they hold the balance of power.
Bandt is very clear about what the Greens want to see: “It is time to turf out this terrible government. They have had years in power, they have made housing more expensive and haven’t acted on the climate crisis.”
“We are a real chance in lower house seats, in inner-city Brisbane, in northern NSW, and here in Melbourne, in McNamara, amongst others. We’re campaigning very strongly some seats that there are independents running with a shot.
“As you say, in those seeds go there is a chance that they might knock off some Liberal members we are recommending preferences to those independents.”
“Elsewhere we are recommending preferences to Labor because you want to see a change of government. I think a strong crossbench with a climate focus would get the action this country needs.”
Anthony Albanese about to address a Labor campaign rally in Brisbane. They’re playing a montage of videos from Labor’s TikTok as pre-game entertainment to gee up the room pic.twitter.com/dK35Hsw1sS
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 15, 2022
Josh Butler
Anthony Albanese is expected to use his Brisbane campaign rally to further detail this morning’s announcement of $1 billion for advanced manufacturing.
Part of Labor’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, the latest block of funding is said to be to “rebuild our industrial base creating new capabilities and opportunities to innovate in transport, defence, resources, agricultural and food processing, medical science, renewables and low emission technologies manufacturing.”
The announcement was somewhat light on detail and specifics on what the money will go to – which is perhaps partly explained by the accompanying pledge that Labor would hold “wide-ranging consultations” with unions, state governments, local communities and other bodies to identify projects worthy of cash. A major focus will be on “sovereign capability” for “essentials.”
“Labor’s plan will give businesses access to capital to diversify operations, industrial processes, and use research and development to climb the technological ladder,” Albanese’s announcement reads.
“Serious countries should make things. Serious countries can stand on their own two feet when it comes to manufacturing essentials.”
Josh Butler
After appearing on the ABC’s Insiders, Anthony Albanese will headline a Labor campaign rally in Brisbane this morning.
The opposition has its eyes hungrily set on the seat of Brisbane, held by Coalition assistant minister Trevor Evans on a 4.9% margin.
The rally will also feature Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former treasurer and ALP president Wayne Swan, and numerous Labor frontbenchers from the Sunshine State.
Also billed on the lineup is Madonna Jarrett, Labor’s candidate for Brisbane – a clear sign the ALP has high hopes for this seat next Saturday.
The rally will go up against the Coalition’s campaign launch, also in Brisbane today – literally just across the city’s famous river, affectionately known as the ‘brown snake’.
Albanese is not expected to give a press conference today, and head to Perth later this afternoon.
Record number of Australians voting early
A record number of Australians are voting early in the 2022 federal election, with many saying they’re “sick” of the drawn-out election campaign and want to avoid expected queues on 21 May.
Some 314,095 Australians cast their ballots on the first day of early voting this year, almost three times the 120,000 people that voted on day one of pre-poll in 2019.
As of Friday more than 1.2 million of the 17 million Australians registered to vote had already pre-polled after just four days of early voting.
The safe Nationals-held seat of Hinkler topped the list, with 18,060 early voters, followed by the marginal seats of Gilmore (16,902), Paterson (16,271) and Richmond (15,111), according to data released by the Australian Electoral Commission.
No new Covid deaths recorded in the ACT
Six people with Covid-19 are in ICU in the ACT. The territory recorded 885 new cases on Sunday, with 75 people in hospital and two on ventilation.
ACT COVID-19 Update – 15 May 2022
💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
◾ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose): 80.6%
◾ Aged 5-11 years (2 doses): 66.6%
◾ Aged 5+ years (2 doses): 97.1%
◾ Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 75.8% pic.twitter.com/uF6OZ40Sch— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) May 15, 2022
🦠 COVID-19 case numbers
◾ New cases today: 885 (451 PCR and 434 RAT)
◾ Active cases: 6,472 (3,394 PCR and 3,078 RAT)
◾ Total cases: 118,728 (73,123 PCR and 45,605 RAT)— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) May 15, 2022
Melissa Davey
Samantha Hodgson met all the criteria for a possible heart attack: “A tight, crushing pain that started in my shoulders and spread through my chest and ribcage. I was dizzy, and the pain had escalated over 24 hours so that it hurt to breathe.”
Hodgson was also on day nine of being infected with Covid-19, and until the chest pain hit, she had been feeling better. According to health guidelines, she needed an ambulance for a suspected heart attack.
But when Hodgson, who lives in Potts Point in Sydney, rang triple zero, the operator told her, “You could be waiting a while, we don’t know how long it might be”. In too much pain to walk far, she put on two masks and called an Uber to take her to the nearest public hospital.
When arrived she was told to wait outside in the rain because she had Covid.
“I sat under a little tarp outside of emergency, next to a carpark,” Hodgson said. “I stayed out there for at least two hours. I don’t remember exactly as I was so out of it.”
For the full story on how the pandemic is exposing the cracks in Australia’s healthcare system, check out Guardian Australia’s Medical editor Melissa Davey’s weekend feature.