Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the situation in Syria warrants an international response but that Australia might not need to play a part in a US-led mission.

In other news, Tony Abbott said he found the burqa “confronting”.

Labor policy announcement

• Kevin Rudd campaigned in Darwin, where he announced funding for a local hospital, where he was met with an angry man in shorts and a T-shirt yelling “get out of here!”  Mr Rudd also said Labor would spend $1 million for upgrades to childcare centres in Darwin and Palmerston to assist with increasing demand.

Coalition policy announcement

• Tony Abbott was campaigning in Townsville, where he announced that a Coalition government would contribute $20 million to help flood-proof a major local road.
• Mr Abbott also announced an elected Coalition government would scrap legal aid provided to asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat, saying the $40 million-a-year scheme should not be funded by the taxpayer.

Must read

“It was possibly the biggest blunder in a bloody awful campaign Labor campaign,” writes (paywalled) political journalist Laurie Oakes in relation to the costings issue which Labor managed to mess up.

Quote of the day

Turns out even the politicians acknowledge brilliant politics is associated with rather low levels.

Tony Abbott, when asked about the polls and whether he was celebrating a win just yet, said: “”Modern Labor is hopeless at government, but they’re brilliant at politics and we will see plenty of low politics over the last week.”

Tweet of the day

Sometimes, the media just isn’t welcome.

Campaign window: PM @KRuddMP Palmerston GP Super Clinic pic.twitter.com/jKGhe192TZ

— andrew meares (@mearesy) August 31, 2013

Slip of the day

Rise Up Australia candidate Pam Hecht said the biggest issue facing people in the electorate of Kennedy, held by Bob Katter, was the conversion of Indigenous people to Islam.