Election 2016: What does the PM think of Pauline Hanson?

Money to fight childhood cancers and extending the levy on high income earners Good afternoon, Here's what happened on the campaign trail today: 1. PM TARGETS CHILDREN'S CANCERS Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised $20 million to map the genes that cause childhood cancers. He visited the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick and will spend tonight in Brisbane, where he'll be doing his best not to bump into Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who's in Brisbane too. They both really want those marginal Queensland seats! The PM was asked today about former Federal MP Pauline Hanson. ABC election analyst Antony Green says she has a realistic chance of returning to Parliament as a Queensland senator. Mr Turnbull said Ms Hanson was "not a welcome presence on the Australian political scene" and reminded people she was "chucked out of the Liberal Party". 2. A GOTCHA MOMENT FOR JULIE BISHOP Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has stumbled when pressed on details of the Coalition's superannuation policy. She was quizzed on Radio 3AW about the transition to retirement scheme and responded: "Well I am certainly aware that we have one, yeah." "This is obviously a gotcha moment … it's not my portfolio," she added. When Mr Turnbull was later asked if he considered it acceptable that Ms Bishop could not explain the rules, he described superannuation as a "notoriously complex" area. 3. LABOR'S LEVY Mr Shorten has announced a $1-billion plan to boost tourism in Northern Australia. He wants to set aside one-fifth of the $5 billion Northern Australia infrastructure investment fund to go towards tourism and tourism-related infrastructure. He's also said Labor would keep the high income deficit levy for ten years because he doesn't want to punish low income earners who need healthcare. The Abbott Government introduced the 2 per cent levy for people earning more than $180,000 a year but it's due to end next year. 4. THIS IS NOT ANOTHER CAPTAIN'S PICK Nova Peris's replacement in the Senate, Malarndirri McCarthy, has confirmed she is not a member of the Labor Party and is not enrolled to vote in the Northern Territory. "I am enrolled nationally, I am not enrolled here in the Northern Territory," Ms McCarthy. She explained she moved to Sydney in 2012 to care for her sick father and then began working with SBS and NITV. NT Labor president Syd Stirling has defended the fast-tracked selection process, saying because of the looming election date the candidate was selected by Labor's national executive not local party branch members. "Don't try and pretend this was a captain's pick," Mr Stirling said. ELECTION SPOTLIGHT: FACT CHECK Is government spending today higher than it was during the global financial crisis? Well, despite what Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has been saying, the answer is no. The Fact Check team investigated and found Labor government spending during the GFC peaked at 26 per cent of GDP in 2009-10. The budget estimates the Coalition Government will spend 25.8 per cent of GDP this financial year. FROM THE DRUM: ELECTION 2016 IS OUR CHANCE TO DEMAND A BETTER VERSION OF POLITICS Jonathan Green writes that at this election, there is no evidence of a firmly held core of belief. He says there's no sense that either contender is driven by a coherent and enunciated vision of what the country might be, or become, other than some agreeable elaboration of the status quo. COMING UP NEXT: Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and Labor frontbencher Tony Burke will be on RN Drive at 6pm Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek will be interviewed live on 7.30 Want more? Check out our Australia Votes homepage for all the latest election news and analysis. Follow ABC News About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com. Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Add or remove topics | Unsubscribe | Contact Us Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2016 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters