The first full day of the began with the leaders of the major parties announcing million-dollar plus funding pledges as they appeal to voters.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison hit the ground running on the first official day of the election campaign, announcing a multi-million dollar commitment to upgrade local roads.
Campaigning in Nowra, a regional town on the NSW South Coast, the prime minister is set to spruik a $40 million election commitment, prioritising road upgrades that improve safety and address maintenance backlogs.
The area has recently been hit by heavy rain and flash flooding and is still recovering from the impacts the Black Summer bushfires in 2019/20.
Mr Morrison is expected to be joined by former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance, who is attempting to make the jump to federal politics as the Liberal candidate for the Gilmore electorate.
"Backing the Shoalhaven has always been a key priority for my government and with Andrew Constance on my team, we can keep getting things done for this important region," Mr Morrison said.
The Liberals hope to pick up Gilmore at the next election after it was lost to Labor's Fiona Phillips in 2019 with a margin of 2.6 per cent.
The funding will be provided to the local Shoalhaven City Council to support road rehabilitation, resurfacing, widening and intersection upgrades to improve safety for locals and visitors to the region.
The package includes $14 million for Culburra Road between Wollumboola and Culburra Beach and $5 million for the Greenwell Point Road and Worrigee Road intersection.
It's part of a string of investments in the region, including the Nowra bridge, Milton-Ulladulla Bypass and upgrades to areas of the Princes Highway.
Children with hearing loss get Labor boost
Labor leader Anthony Albanese will use the first full day of the election campaign to announce better care for children with hearing loss.
Mr Albanese will start the day in the regional Tasmanian city of Launceston, targeting voters in the marginal seat of Bass.
He will pledge $1.5 million to fund the development of the digital HearHub platform, an online service that will deliver hearing tests and support for families.
Labor will also establish two new Shepherd Centres, which run the platform, in Launceston and Hobart with $2.5 million of funding behind them.
"Kids with hearing loss deserve the best possible start in life and the best possible care and support - no matter where they live," Mr Albanese said.
"A Labor government will ensure our kids are looked after, whether through digital or on-the-ground support services. No child will be left behind."
A new Shepherd Centre in Sydney's southwest will also receive $2.5 million.
Opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said the coalition government had ignored the "gaps" for too long.
Mr Albanese said Labor has "clear policies" for voters following a review of the 2019 federal election loss.
"What we actually need in this country is a government that makes decisions in the national interest, isn't obsessed by day-to-day politics," he told SBS World News.
"The truth is that that this government aren't delivering, they've been there for almost a decade, they're shooting for a fourth term, and a second decade in office, without having a real plan for the future."
