Almost 10 years ago, both major parties went to the 2007 election with climate change policies. Neither John Howard nor Kevin Rudd were proposing studies into whether or not climate change was real, they were both proposing action on climate change.

Fast forward 10 years and the conversation has deteriorated to questioning whether or not climate change is even real.

Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce has been leading the large climate change denier contingent in the Turnbull Government. As reported in a recent edition of Good Weekend magazine, it appears Joyce is finally starting to wonder whether climate change is real.

“It’s the driest I’ve ever seen it,” he mourns. And then, as if suddenly possessed by the valley’s ghosts (or something equally whoopee), Barnaby Joyce takes a tentative step into the realm of scientific consensus. “When I look at this,” he says, shaking his head, “I start to wonder whether climate change might really be happening.”

Barnaby Joyce, Good Weekend, 21 May 2016

Malcolm Turnbull has barely said a word about climate change this campaign and now we have the Deputy Prime Minister wondering if it is a reality.

While the rest of the world is taking serious action to address climate change, we have a Prime Minister silent on the issue and a Deputy Prime Minister questioning whether or not climate change is real.

This is beyond a joke. When is Malcolm Turnbull actually going to stand up and tell Australians what he really believes in?

The consequences of refusing to take real action on climate change will be devastating for Australia and our economy.

Mark Butler MP

The election campaign has only just begun and already the pork barrel is trundling down the road or rail track and the mud and falsehoods are flying.

As the Turnbull government demonstrates its clear contempt for the arts community by slashing their funds in the middle of an election campaign it then hands over more money for Tony Abbotts failed Tasmanian Cadbury’s project and then takes money from a South Australian infrastructure project assessed and approved by Infrastructure Australia to provide funds to an unapproved project in a marginal South Australian electorate.

It seems that despite all the polish, suits and make-up and the hip buzz words of innovation the Turnbull/Abbott/ Morrison government is mired in the tired old tactics of the past.

This is what I was emailed from the Liberal Party – “First, the bad news: Labor has no plan for Australia. They admitted as much earlier this week. That means, if Labor is elected, we’ve got nothing to look forward to but higher taxes and more debt. It’s the same old Labor.”

What a joke! And, what is this Turnbull Plan!!??

To have a plan you have to have done the hard yards of homework, analysis and thinking and there is absolutely no evidence that the Coalition has done a minute of any of that. They stumbled their way into an election with no policies of any consequence, let alone any plan. Their thinking were mere thought bubbles exploded in seconds.

All the Coalition has done is go from Abbott’s three word slogans to one four letter word.

Contrast that with the over 70 considered and comprehensive policies Labor has produced in the past 18 months.

With no policies, and clearly no plan, the Coalition election rhetoric has had to resort to the crudest and dumbest of rhetoric, fear and lies.

While talking of future opportunity and innovation they defund our education system and sack some of the best scientists in the world, ours! While talking of a new era and fiscal responsibility they corruptly plunder the public purse to run ‘public service’ ads about innovation, infrastructure and national security.

They talk of principle when they have none. They seek to tarnish the reputation of Labor in respect to responsible financial management by outright lies. It was Labor who managed our economic health in the face of the Global Financial Crisis successfully maintaining our ‘AAA’ credit rating in the face of all odds.

It was Hawke and Keating that instituted the most necessary and successful economic reforms in our history, it wasn’t Menzies, Fraser or Howard.

They accuse Labor of being the tax and spend party and yet the Turnbull/Abbott government have been the biggest taxers and spenders in our history.

As a simpler indication of the hypocrisy, double-dealing and ethical failure of this government Malcolm Turnbull sat down for lunch in Brisbane on Tuesday 10 May in a private room of one of Brisbane’s flashiest hotels with twelve leading Queensland business people. Were they discussing the plan? Were they concerned for the collective good of the Australian people?

No, unfortunately not, it was a campaign fundraiser where the mates of the Coalition shelled out $10,000 per head to have a private tete a tete with the nation’s Prime Minister. A Prime Minister and policies for sale to the highest bidder.

Claire Moore, Labor Senator for Queensland