Election 2016: Bill Shorten wins against Malcolm Turnbull in first leadership debate after heated discussion about housing
- Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten faced off at the debate in west Sydney
- Post-debate votes by the audience scored Mr Shorten as the winner
- Mr Shorten gained 42 votes compared to 29 for Mr Turnbull
- It is the first leader's debate of the campaign
Bill Shorten has scored a slim victory in an evenly-fought first leader’s debate where neither participant landed a knockout blow.
Opposition leader Mr Shorten was the victor according to post-debate votes cast by the 100-strong live audience – gaining 42 votes compared with 29 for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Twenty nine audience members could not pick a winner.
Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten squared off in the wide-ranging debate in Windsor, western Sydney, on Friday, pitching starkly contrasting policies on topics such as education, healthcare, banking and housing.
Malcolm Turnbull spoke first at the debate, using his two minute address to plug his party’s policy to create more jobs and an environment for business growth.
He said: ‘What we are setting out in this campaign is an economic plan for jobs and growth.
‘We live in an extraordinary time of opportunity and we need a plan to serve these opportunities.
‘Our plan is based on an innovation and science agenda. It’s based on opening up those big markets in Asia with our trade export deals.
‘It’s based on making our tax system support businesses.‘
Bill Shorten replied by stressing his party’s people-first policy and emphasising the need for action on education.
He said: ‘I’m looking forward to explaining Labor’s positive plans for Australia. We have positive plans for education, so that every child in every school can get a quality education.
‘I also hope to get the chance to talk about fair taxation and housing affordability.
‘If the government puts people first, nothing can hold us back.’
An audience member grilled the two about economic projections and the need for the government to escape its mounting pile of debt.
Malcolm Turnbull outlined his plan to raise prosperity through business growth.
Bill Shorten said: ‘I’m deeply conscious of the obligation to reduce the deficit. I will not do that by giving multinationals a tax cut.
'What I won’t do is reduce debt by shoving all the problems of the budget onto the sick and the pensioners and other people in society.’
Mr Shorten used a question on the funding of small regional hospitals to make a point about wasteful government expenditure and same-sex marriage.
He said: ‘Malcolm Turnbull made a throwaway remark about wanting to spend more money on hospitals and schools.
‘Yes we will spend more on schools and hospitals. And we will do that by cutting out wasteful government expenditure.’
He used the example of the government’s plan to spend $160m on a plebiscite – or referendum – on the legality of same-sex marriage.
The leaders were asked about their plans to reduce the cost of childcare.
Mr Turnbull emphasised the importance of female participation in the workforce and said his government would support people on lower incomes.
He said: ‘We are very focused on making sure that there is more support, and we will deliver more support. Your concerns are our concerns.’
Mr Shorten said the issue was a matter of priorities – helping struggling people over successful big business.
He said: ‘It’s all about priorities. We won’t be delaying our childcare package. We think people getting back to work need more encouragement and multimillionaires don’t need big tax cuts.’
Mr Shorten used a question on the banking sector to call for a Royal Commission of Enquiry into a lack of competition while also saying he would reduce fees charged at ATMs.
He said: ‘I think these banks don’t feel enough competitive pressure. I think one solution will be a Royal Commission into the banking sector.
‘I’m not saying banks are not criminals. But what I am saying is that how many scandals does it take for a Liberal government to give them a telling off.’
Mr Turnbull ridiculed his stance, saying Mr Shorten wanted banks lined up in the dock as if they had committed a crime.
He said: ‘What Bill is proposing is that it’s time to put the banks in the dock. That’s where the criminal stands on trial. He wants the banks lined up as if they are accused of a crime.’
There was strong disagreement between the two on the topic of housing affordability.
A woman in the audience asked why the government was talking about ‘jobs and growth’ when it should be focused on putting more people into houses.
Mr Turnbull warned that rent prices would drastically increase under Labor’s policy of negative gearing, while Mr Shorten branded budget measures to curb the housing crisis ‘a joke’.
Answering the question first, Mr Turnbull said: ‘You talked about rent – within 30-minutes drive from Windsor there are 69,000 families renting their home. Every single one will see their rent increase if Bill becomes Prime Minister.’
Mr Shorten replied that his party would not be dropping the policy of negative gearing, and that negative gearing would not push house prices up.
He said: ‘Labor has no claims to allow people to use their superannuation for a housing deposit. That is the question you’re asking.
‘You made another point about housing affordability. It’s a joke. Someone who earns a million dollars will pay 17 per cent less tax next year under this government.’
One woman - already struggling to pay her doctor’s bills – asked the leaders whether the cost of healthcare would go up under their respective governments.
Mr Turnbull assured the woman that the cost of healthcare was an important focus for him.
He said: ‘You are right to be concerned about the cost of medicine. In terms of GPs, the rate of bulk billing has increased and is now 85 per cent.
‘I can assure you that health care is a key focus of our government.’
He also used his reply to settle a long-running dispute with the country's pathologists over bulk-billing for blood tests.
Mr Turnbull said: 'Our Health Minister has reached an agreement with the pathologists, Pathology Australia, and they will be continuing to bulk-bill.
'The concern that has been expressed about patients who go to have their blood tests done and being charged extra - not being bulk-billed - that concern is gone.'
Mr Shorten said his party would fight tooth and nail to keep the cost of a doctor’s visit down.
He said: ‘For people who live on the pension, healthcare costs are a giant issue.
‘We will do better at funding the Medicare system, because we believe in Medicare full stop.’
Both leaders had a busy day on the hustings in the lead up to the debate.
Mr Turnbull was campaigning in the marginal seat of Hindmarsh, in South Australia, where he announced plans to contribute $43m for a cross-city train in Adelaide.
The Coalition expects the project could create 2,000 jobs and attract $800m worth of investment into the state, reported Adelaide Now.
Mr Shorten was campaigning in the Sydney electorate of Reid, his first Sydney stop of the campaign.
He used his time to talk about his party's $400m policy to provide 25,000 new scholarships for science, technology, engineering and mathematics students.
This debate is the first in a series leading up to polling day on July 2.
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