Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rebuffed questions about whether he would resign as leader in the event of a hung parliament following the federal election, saying the choice lies in the hands of the Australian people.
Mr Morrison has been adamant in calling for voters not to vote for independent candidates at the 21 May poll, saying it would be a vote for "chaos" and instability".
During a press conference on Friday, the prime minister was pressed about whether he would resign as leader if the election delivered a hung parliament.
"This is a choice for the Australian people," Mr Morrison said.
"My answer to that is that answer lies in the lap of the Australian people. I put my trust in their good conscience and their good faith."
The outcome of a hung parliament - where no party or coalition of parties achieves a majority in the House of Representatives after an election - is a possibility if a number of independent candidates challenging Liberal MPs in previously blue-ribbon seats are successful.
signalled that their candidacy marked a warning about the "diminishing" voice of moderates within the Liberal Party.
He suggested their candidacy offered a valid choice to voters disgruntled with the direction of the Liberal Party during a speech to the Harvard Club of Washington, DC.
But he has since denied he had made a call to arms for people to vote against the Liberal Party at the 21 May poll.
"Now that is their democratic right, and whether you want to vote for them or not — I'm not encouraging people to vote for anyone, I'm encouraging people to vote," Mr Turnbull told the ABC's AM program.
Mr Morrison on Friday repeated his claim that a hung parliament would lead to "chaos" driven by the "daily musings of independents".
"My warning is very clear to those seats where people are thinking about independents," he said.
Mr Morrison added that he wasn’t surprised after a period of so much “disruption” and “hardship” that Australians would be considering their choice at this year's election.
PM announces $1 billion for the SAS
Mr Morrison was campaigning in Perth on Friday where he announced $1 billion to upgrade equipment and technology for Australia's special operations forces.
The prime minister said the response would deliver highly specialised communications and intelligence equipment, new water and land vehicles, tactical equipment and weapons and new facilities.
The funding would go towards the so-called Project Greyfin announced in 2019 to bolster the resources of the special forces.
Mr Morrison had earlier also announced the expansion of the Defence Industry Pathways Program, which would upskill additional teenagers graduating or leaving school in 14 regions across the country.
The prime minister has made its investment in bolstering Australia's national security a key platform of its election campaign.
Anthony Albanese praises Afghan refugees for charity efforts
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese had earlier paused in the middle of his press conference to recognise refugees from Afghanistan who are volunteering at a charity in Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west.
Mr Albanese held a media event on Friday at the Addison Road Community Organisation, which provides food relief for people in need.
During his press conference, Mr Albanese said he had spoken with the refugees from Afghanistan helping the charity and thanked them for their contribution.
"Those Afghan young women - they are heroes - they escaped Kabul," Mr Albanese said.
One of the women then interjected that they were watching the press conference.
"You are heroes - you will make great Australians - great Australians," Mr Albanese said.
"Here you are - you haven't been in the country for a year and you're here helping people."
Three women from Afghanistan who are volunteering at the Addison Road Community Organisation.
Farhat Nazari and Marwa Moeen came to Australia eight months ago after fleeing Kabul, following the Taliban's ascension to power last August.
Ms Moeen said she wanted to give back to the community that had helped them settle into their new lives in Australia.
"Everyone has helped us to escape from the Taliban and come here we are safe we are settling ourself [now] we have to help the people," she said.
"It was very hard to leave everything behind ... we can't go back over there because there [are] no rights for the women."
Ms Nazari said they were making their new lives in Australia.
"We come here to Australia and [now our lives] will all be continued here," she said.
The Opposition leader also faced questions about Labor dropping its plan to pay superannuation on paid parental leave, which was taken to the 2019 election campaign.
Mr Anthony Albanese said his party hadn't announced the response as a policy when questioned about its current position on the plan.
“We support paid parental leave. We can’t commit to everything that we committed to during the last campaign,” he said
Labor’s shadow superannuation minister Stephen Jones had previously said as recently as late 2021 that paying super to people in this situation was “a job that has to be done”.
Labor outlines plan to tackle inflation
Mr Albanese had also appeared on the ABC's Q+A program on Thursday night, where he said a Labor government would put downward pressure on inflation by increasing productivity as opposed to major spending offsets.
Labor has pledged to uphold — or surpass — many of the government's spending commitments, including freezing the deeming rate, cheaper medicines, stage three tax cuts and one-off payments and tax offsets.
When pushed on whether Labor's commitments would be offset beyond its plan to raise $2 billion in taxes on multinational companies, with more spending fuelling more inflation, Mr Albanese said spending would be targeted to increase productivity.
"That's how you put downward pressure on inflation," he said on Q+A.
"You need to be cautious in your spending. If you look at where our expenditure is ... (it's) measured, (it's) aimed at boosting, lifting productivity."
