Get up to speed on all the updates from the federal election campaign trail as polling day looms.

Follow Friday’s updates as they happen in our live blog.

Live updates

By Jessica Riga

Anne Ruston backs Bridget Archer’s comments about Katherine Deves

(ABC News)

Coalition campaign spokeserson Anne Ruston was on News Breakfast this morning and, when asked if she agrees with Katherine Deves’ comments, said they were “insensitive comments and I certainly am not the kind of words I would use when discussing an issue.”

When asked if Katherine Deves should apologise, Senator Ruston said she “raised an important issue” that “Australians shouldn’t be afraid to have a discussion about”. 

But “it is absolutely incumbent on us all to be very mindful of the language that we use and the impact of that language that it has on others, particularly those that are more vulnerable and more sensitive to the commentary,” she said. 

By Jessica Riga

Labor pledges more money to protect Great Barrier Reef from climate change

Federal Labor has announced an additional $194 million over four years to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change if it wins government on May 21.  

The money would also go towards reducing plastic pollution, helping farmers use less fertiliser and installing real time water quality sensors to study changes in temperature. 

The crown of thorns culling program would be expanded and more money would go towards researching “thermal tolerant corals to help climate adaption”.

(GBRMPA)

Turtles, dugongs, and dolphins would also be protected from illegal fishing and poaching with Indigenous rangers to play a greater role in conservation. 

The funding increase would take Labor’s total investment to almost $1.2 billion by the end of the decade.  

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said protecting the reef would also help secure tens of thousands of jobs that rely on tourism in Queensland.

“Seeing the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef is a highlight for so many Australians,” Mr Albanese said. 

“But parents and grandparents are worried their children will not be able to see this incredible wonder for themselves.”

Albanese is expected to outline more details while campaigning in Queensland today, a state that is crucial to his election changes. 

By Jessica Riga

Coalition wants to charge criminals awaiting deportation holding costs

The Coalition wants to charge criminals awaiting deportation for the cost of holding them in immigration detention.

Currently, only illegal fishers and people smugglers are charged for their time in detention.

Previous governments have found pursuing former detainees for debts costs more money than what is recovered.

But the Coalition will announce today if elected, it will extend the rules to include foreign criminals in detention — charging them more than $450 per day.

By Jessica Riga

Analysis: The election has a clear frontrunner, but the final days are filled with risk — and opportunity

(ABC News)

If snapshot polls are anything to go by, next week’s election result seems certain. But with the campaign about to enter its final days, both parties know it’s still make or break, writes Michelle Grattan.

The Australian newspaper’s YouGov poll, which surveyed almost 19,000 people across all lower house seats between April 14 and May 7, had Labor on track to majority government.

This is not predictive — it’s a snapshot. Both sides know the final campaign days provide risks and opportunities.

A sizeable number of voters have yet to firm up their decisions. In particular, how will soft Liberal voters who are put off by Morrison break? Between those who opt to swallow hard and stick with the government and those who can’t stomach the PM any longer?

But to state the obvious, Morrison has a short time in which to try reduce a big margin. Last minute scare campaigns can play effectively; unexpected developments can change the dynamics. But that’s only if enough voters in the right seats retain an open mind.

By Jessica Riga

Key Event

Marise Payne and Penny Wong gear up for Foreign Affairs debate

(ABC News: Nick Haggarty/ABC News: Luke Stephenson)

Another election debate looms today — the Foreign Minister Marise Payne will go head to head with her Labor counterpart Penny Wong at the National Press Club in Canberra.

Here’s foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic with the latest:

This contest has been quite some time coming. Negotiations between their two offices dragged on for days as they tried to agree on the location, the date and the format.

Foreign affairs has barely featured in recent election campaigns, with both major parties (and most voters) keeping their eyes firmly focussed on domestic issues.

That has all changed this time around. Australia has been grappling with a host of strategic challenges over the last three years; a rapidly deteriorating relationship with China, sharp disruptions caused by a global pandemic, and intensifying competition between China and the US.

And that was all before the draft of a security pact between China and Solomon Islands was leaked online in March this year, sparking a political furore and raising fears that China may be intent of trying to establish a military presence in the Pacific Island country off Australia’s eastern shores.

Both countries announced they’d signed the agreement a few weeks later, ensuring that China – and Australia’s national security – have been dominant themes throughout the campaign.

It’s safe to expect that Marise Payne and Penny Wong will get plenty of questions on the security pact. But it won’t all be China and the Pacific – they are also likely to be grilled about the Coalition’s record on foreign aid, the military coup in Myanmar and how to best built up Australia’s relationship with other major players including the US, Japan and India.

By Jessica Riga

Good morning!

Welcome to another day on the campaign trail. 

I’m Jessica Riga and I’ll be keeping you in the loop today as we approach the one-week countdown until polling day.

We’ve also got another debate coming up today, which will see Foreign Minister Marise Payne face off against her Labor counterpart Penny Wong at the National Press Club. 

So lots to get through! Ready to go? Let’s begin.