Federal election 2022 live: NSW premier defends Icac in front of Scott Morrison; Albanese says PM ‘has no plans for the future’

Q: Prime Minister, Katherine Deves has said that it is the correct terminology to refer to that procedure as “surgically mutilated and sterilised”. If you stand by her, you must stand by her definition of that procedure. Will you engage with the fact as well –

Morrison:

No, I don’t accept … [he also says “I am not a surgeon”]

Q: There are no adolescents who can have this surgery. Prime Minister, you have implied that young people 18 and over can enter into a fundamentally life-changing surgery lightly. You said it’s not something to be taken into lightly. That implies –

Morrison:

Well, it isn’t something to be taken into lightly.

Q: But you’re implying …

Morrison:

No. You’re implying that. I’m not implying that. I’m simply saying that …

Q: Do you stand by her language –

Morrison:

No. I wouldn’t use that language. I wouldn’t use that language.

Q: Have you spoken to her about the language?

Morrison:

I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to her.

Q: Will you speak to her about what she’s been saying?

Morrison:

I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to talk. I’m not a surgeon or the chief medical officer.

Q: But –

Morrison:

I’m not the chief medical officer.

Q: Children in Australia under 18 can’t undergo gender reassignment surgery in Australia, so how are your comments relevant?

Morrison:

You would also understand that this process can begin in adolescence. Would you know that. You would know that the process of discussions about gender and gender reassignment – the surgical procedure can’t, but the process, the process by which these discussions commence and when issues of gender are being discussed with adolescents, that’s when the process can commence.

And these are issues that I have no doubt Australians are very concerned about. Parents are very concerned about it. They should be dealt with sensitively. I deal with them sensitively and my government will deal with them sensitively.

Updated at 19.22 EDT

Q: Minors can’t undergo that surgery in Australia. Only people aged 18 and over according to your own health website. It can’t happen to minors in Australia.

Scott Morrison:

Even at any other stage, this is serious change. It is irreversible change.

Q: Prime Minister, do you agree with her comments?

That’s not a phrase I would use … and isn’t a phrase any prime minister would use. I’m just simply saying that this is a significant surgical procedure that completely changes someone’s life, and it should never be entered into lightly, and it should never be entered into without a full appreciation of the irreversible changes.

This is what the the health department recommends:

Gender confirmation surgery is not for everyone. Many people are comfortable to live with gender dysphoria or to have hormone therapy only. Choosing gender confirmation surgery is a big decision. It’s almost impossible to reverse.

There are international guidelines covering gender confirmation surgery. Before you have surgery, the guidelines say you must have:

– gender dysphoria that has gone on for some time– be able to make a fully informed decision and give consent– be over 18– have any physical or mental health problems well controlled– have been taking hormones for 12 months continuously, if they are recommended for you– have lived for 12 months continuously as the gender that is the same as your gender identity

Counselling is usually recommended for anyone consider gender confirmation surgery.

As with any surgery, there are risks involved including bleeding, infections, blood clots, damaged tissue and changes in feeling in the skin. Afterwards, some patients have problems going to the toilet or achieving sexual pleasure and/or orgasm.

For people with gender dysphoria, gender confirmation surgery is medically necessary and almost always results in them feeling satisfied and happy after their surgery.

However, gender confirmation surgery can only do so much. You might not be pleased with how you look after surgery. The procedure does not resolve gender dysphoria in everyone.

Updated at 19.25 EDT

Scott Morrison stands by Katherine Deves and wrongly claims young adolescents can have gender confirmation surgery

Scott Morrison has moved on from saying the issue Katherine Deves was talking about was women in sport, to “gender reversal surgery”.

Q: You previously defended Katherine Deve’s controversial comments on transgender teenagers saying she’d apologised and withdrawn them. Now she’s walked that back, do you stand by her?

Morrison:

Yes I do … we’re talking about gender reversal surgery for young adolescents [note: in Australia, minors cannot have the surgery] and we can’t pretend this is not a serious, significant issue.

It is. It’s complicated and the issues that have to be considered, first and foremost in the welfare of the adolescent child and their parents, and their parents – we can’t pretend that this type of surgery is some minor procedure.

This is a very significant change to a young person’s life and it is often irreversible. And I think ensuring that we understand what we’re dealing with here is incredibly important. And that’s why our government and also state governments are so focused on ensuring that we get the right supports, counselling, psychiatric supports, but ultimately the supports for the parents and the family to make the best possible decision.

Now I, and I’m sure many other Australians, are concerned.

This is a concerning issue. It’s a troubling issue and for us to pretend it’s a minor procedure – it’s not. It is extremely significant and it changes that young adolescent’s life forever. And so I think it’s really important that we are very sensitive about those issues. I think it’s very important we’re sensitive about these issues.

Again – you cannot get the surgery Scott Morrison is talking about if you are under 18 in Australia.

Updated at 20.06 EDT

Scott Morrison may want to talk infrastructure today, but it will be his candidates that will most likely take up his time – on top of Katherine Deves backtracking on the apology Morrison had been referring to for the last three weeks, the Bennelong candidate, Simon Kennedy, has made questionable social media posts about vaccines.

Updated at 19.05 EDT

NSW reports 17 Covid deaths

It has been a tough 24 hours in NSW.

Updated at 19.03 EDT

Paul Fletcher, the infrastructure minister, is also at this press conference.

Scott Morrison pushes economic managers message

Scott Morrison is campaigning in Bennelong, but is once again using his pre-press conference spiel to lay out what he actually wants to say – this time, its about economic management.

He starts on the Bennelong bridge, goes to GST and then heads into apprenticeships.

He is reading from notes as he lays out what the Coalition has done on training.

As we come out of this pandemic, and as Australia economy is performing more strongly, the advanced economies in the world, our unemployment falling, our triple A credit rating intact, that means Australia can secure the opportunities ahead of us, because we made the wise decisions during the pandemic to back in those apprenticeships with strong trade policies to ensure that Australian companies had the people they need to now go and seize the opportunities that are ahead of them. Now, I know that’s quite a few things to raise with you this morning. Prime minister Scott Morrison. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Dominic Perrottet is now speaking:

I want to thank the federal government, the Morrison government, for the partnership as he said, we don’t always agree. But we have robust discussions that get things done for our people.

Updated at 19.02 EDT

You can read more about Katherine Deves backtracking on her apology with Paul Karp here:

Bennelong is being wooed with a bridge upgrade:

The Coalition is announcing a $700m investment in the ADF operational headquarters in the seat of Eden-Monaro (Labor held) which it says will create 300 jobs.