Policies touted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor Leader Anthony Albanese in the first week of the election campaign are facing scrutiny amid a Good Friday campaign truce.
Labor's finance spokesperson Katy Gallagher added a caveat to Mr Albanese's statement that the party's proposed 'urgent care clinic' policy had been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).
"This has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office," Mr Albanese said on Wednesday.
But Senator Gallagher tweeted late on Thursday that the policy "has not been formally costed by the PBO" and that the $135 million cost over four years was "based on work done by the PBO".
Mr Albanese echoed Senator Gallagher on Friday, saying the policy had been fully costed based on work done by the PBO.
"They were informed by the PBO work, and all of our policies will be fully costed," Mr Albanese said.
Liberal MPs Stuart Robert and Simon Birmingham also spent Friday morning trying to walk back Mr Morrison's reluctance to establish a federal corruption watchdog despite it being an election promise in 2019.
"We will come back again and we will seek, through a bipartisan level, to get that going," Mr Robert told Nine Network.
Mr Birmingham told Sky News that if the Coalition was re-elected, there would be a mandate to establish the government's preferred model of a federal ICAC.
“We’re not going to legislate for the type of reputation-destroying, star chamber model we’ve seen in NSW,” he said.
Captain's pick criticised
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under pressure over his "captain's pick" for the seat of Warringah, Katherine Deves, who has publicly apologised after a clip resurfaced in which she compares her opposition to transgender women participating in women's sport to Nazi resistance.
The NSW candidate, who is based in Sydney's northern beaches, founded the lobby group Save Women's Sport, which aims to stop trans women from participating in women's sports.
"Many people would say to themselves ... oh I would have been part of the French Resistance, the underground," she is reported to have said on a YouTube podcast in February 2021.
"When all of this was happening and no one was speaking out, I thought 'this is it', this is the moment in my life when I am going to have to stand up and say something."
The French Resistance refers to movements that fought against Nazi military occupation of France during World War II.
Ms Deves recently deleted her Twitter account after she came under fire for her posts, including allegedly claiming "half of all males with trans identities are sex offenders" and .
While standing by the substance of her comments, she said in a statement: "In my dedication to fighting for the rights of women and girls, my language has on occasion been unacceptable."
"It has hurt people, and detracted from my arguments. I apologise for such language and the hurt that I have caused.
"I commit to continuing the fight for the safety of girls and women in a respectful way."
Ms Deves is running for the key seat of Warringah, currently held by independent MP Zali Steggall who sensationally snatched the electorate from former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019.
The prime minister personally endorsed Ms Deves as the candidate for Warringah just days before her posts were exposed.
In an interview with 2GB on Monday, Mr Morrison called Ms Deves an "outstanding individual" for "standing up for things that she believes in".
"I welcome Katherine’s selection, pleased to play a role in that, I think she's raised very important issues."
Independent MP Zali Steggall called for Ms Deves to be disendorsed by the Liberal Party after her posts were uncovered.
"Her personal selection as the Liberal candidate is a sad reflection on the moral compass of the prime minister," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
Good Friday pause
Mr Morrison , while Mr Albanese attended a Maronite service at St Charbel's in Sydney's southwest.
"Easter is not about politics. My faith isn't about politics," Mr Morrison said.
"One of the great things about Australia is that people are allowed to practise their faith with respect," Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese was joined by the prime minister's wife Jenny, their two children, and former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott at the Good Friday Mass.
Mr Morrison last night released a video of himself standing alongside his wife, Jenny, wishing Australians a happy Easter.
"Easter is a time of hope. It's a time for family to come together, and for those of Christian faith it's the most important time of the year when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ," he said.
Police officers released from hospital
Meanwhile, two of the four police officers from the prime minister's security detail involved in a car crash in Tasmania have been released from hospital.
Scott Morrison said on Friday the two Tasmanian officers had been discharged with the two remaining federal police still in hospital.
The prime minister was uninjured in the accident.
He is hoping to speak to the officers who remain hospitalised on Friday, but said it was a reminder for people to stay safe on the roads.
"If you are travelling [this Easter] around of course, please be safe, be careful," he said.
Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese agreed to a political detente for Good Friday, with both expected to return to the campaign trail on Saturday, before pausing again for Easter Sunday.
Both leaders have attended church services, with limited official campaign events to take place.
Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese have also confirmed they will go head-to-head on Wednesday in their first debate of the election campaign.
The leaders will face questions from audience members in Brisbane in what is being billed as a "people's forum" of undecided voters hosted by Sky News and the Courier Mail.
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