Barnaby Joyce defends PM over Solomon Islands as Coalition doubles down on ‘lower tax guarantee’

In regards to the Solomon Islands government saying China did not want to build a naval base there, Mr Joyce said to look at other Chinese bases such as in Myanmar and eastern Africa.

“I just hope that China does not get the capacity to set up a naval base because it’s obviously an intimidating tactic to Australia.

“They want to.

“There’s no doubt about that because we see what they did in the South China Sea where they said they weren’t going to militarise and obviously for the Solomons I take their word, but I say be really careful to invite a totalitarian power into your country because it’s going to affect your sovereignty.”

Mr Joyce said he doesn’t think the government took the situation in the Solomon Islands too gently.

“I’m Deputy Chair of the National Security Committee and I say that the Prime Minister has been in an intense process around this for a long period of time, not just with the Solomons but also with the Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, as a mechanism of that that is her portfolio.

“I cannot confirm or how many phone calls were made. As Deputy Chair of the National Security Committee, it’s – it comes with 15 years in jail if you start declaring what happens.”

When asked about the Coalition’s climate change policy, Mr Joyce diverted the question to criticism of the Labor party.

“Here is the vital difference – is that we are standing by the jobs they got and investing billions in towards hydrogen but we’re not going to be saying to people the word “transition” because that equals to unemployment.

“Transition to what? There is no other industry here.

“If you [Labor] bring in a reduction of your safeguard mechanism, yes you do have to buy permits it’s in the policy you should have read it,” Mr Joyce told ABC’s David Speers.

Mr Joyce said critical minerals like coal were key in driving economic expansion and he wasn’t afraid of “saying the word” and “standing behind it.”

PM doubles down on ‘lower tax guarantee’

The prime minister has doubled down on the Coalition’s plans not to introduce new taxes.

Scott Morrison’s pledge will see $100 billion added to the national debt as part of a ‘lower tax guarantee’ with no new income, superannuation, business or housing taxes.

“Lower taxes are at the heart of our economic plan for a stronger economy and stronger future,” the prime minister said.

The Coalition is upping the scare campaign by suggesting Labor will introduce new taxes, despite the opposition already ruling it out. Labor has floated taking stronger action to curb multinational tax evasion.

Mr Morrison says his new tax guarantee will mean Australians will be $100 billion better off but there are questions over whether this figure represents already legislated cuts.

Labor’s treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers said Australians should dismiss the promise of lower taxes.

“You can’t believe a word Scott Morrison says about the economy, especially about tax,” Mr Chalmers told the ABC Insiders program.

Mr Morrison will head to Darwin later on Sunday for an ANZAC dawn service on Monday, with Labor deputy Richard Marles to attend in Mr Albanese’s stead.

Labor pledges resources for Indigenous health workers

Ahead of landing in the Northern Territory, Labor has pledged to train an additional 500 Indigenous health workers and invest in life-saving dialysis and rheumatic heart disease treatments.

The party says it will work closely with Indigenous health services to deliver up to 30 new dialysis units to treat chronic kidney disease and double the federal funding to combat Rheumatic Heart Disease with $12 million for prevention, screening and treatment.

It will also invest $15 million to improve water supply in remote communities to enable new dialysis units in these communities for the first time.

“Throughout the pandemic, Aboriginal controlled health services worked tirelessly to protect the health of their communities,” Labor’s Indigenous spokeswoman Linda Burney said.

“Building their workforce through a dedicated, culturally appropriate traineeship program and supporting their capacity to undertake preventative care will save lives and bring us closer to closing the gap in First Nations health outcomes.”

Labor faces a strong challenge to retain the federal seat of Lingiari, which covers 99 per cent of the Northern Territory.

The seat was held by Warren Snowdon on a five per cent margin, but with the MP retiring, Labor will need to hold it against former Alice Springs mayor Damien Ryan.

PM attends Orthodox Easter service

On Saturday evening, Morrison called for peace in Ukraine during his attendance at a service at the Greek Orthodox Church in Kogarah, Sydney.

He joined the Saturday evening service in the seat of Barton – also attended by Greece’s Minister for Culture, Lina Mendoni – lighting candles and speaking with parishioners, before speaking about unity during Easter.

“Let us pray for peace, particularly in Ukraine,” he said, addressing the congregation with his wife, Jenny, also in attendance.

“Let us pray for our nation… that together we will continue to be strong; that together we will continue to enjoy this blessed nation of Australia.”

He also used a few phrases in Greek in his message.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison lights his candle from Archbishop Makarios at the service held at the Greek Orthodox Church in Kogarah on 23 April 2022. Source: AAP / AAP

“I want to thank you for your great sense of community,” he said. “Faith and community that has sustained our country through these past difficult years.

“And as I look out at the lights here in Kogarah this evening, my heart is full of hope.

“You are lighting up the country, with your faith and your belief and your community. And this enables us, I think, to move forward with great confidence.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor frontbenchers will continue campaigning on Sunday in Sydney before making their way to Darwin ahead of the ANZAC dawn service on Monday.

Labor leader on day three of COVID isolation

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is now spending his third day in isolation.

He said he was putting his time in isolation to good use, working on his campaign speech.

In a message on Twitter on Saturday, he posted a photo of himself smiling with his dog, Toto.Senior Labor MPs have been standing up in Mr Albanese’s absence, addressing the travelling press pack in alternation after ruling out creating a de facto opposition leader for seven days.

Ahead of landing in the Northern Territory, Labor has pledged to train an additional 500 Indigenous health workers and invest in life-saving dialysis and rheumatic heart disease treatments.

The party says it will work closely with Indigenous health services to deliver up to 30 new dialysis units to treat chronic kidney disease and double the federal funding to combat Rheumatic Heart Disease with $12 million for prevention, screening and treatment.