The latest poll shows Labor’s primary vote is up, but it’s still facing an election defeat.

Labor policy announcement

• Kevin Rudd announced a re-elected Labor government would allocate $52 million to a new authority to oversee a high-speed rail project which would stretch down the east coast from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra.

Coalition policy announcement

• Tony Abbott said a Coalition government would suspend and review protected marine areas, and that he’d release the Coalition’s long-awaited costings this week.
• Mr Abbott was in Brisbane campaigning, where he spoke of giving interest-free loans to help apprentices buy tools.

Must read

Or must watch.

If for nothing else, for the mullet wig that Wikileaks founder and Senate candidate Julian Assange wears in this video.

Quote of the day

Today’s quote goes to Education Minister, Bill Shorten.  We’re often quick to judge pollies for “not saying much” but this one really tops the charts.

This is what happens when they’re forced to just speak without substance.

“Here in Canberra, we’ve got our national capital,” he said.  “This is the nation’s capital for the whole of Australia.”

Glad that’s sorted.

Tweet of the day

Poor taste, says the potential incoming Minister for Immigration.

Funny – that’s what most people would say about the asylum seeker debate coming from all sides of politics.

Just got chaser’d at the airport. all light hearted until they thought it was amusing to pull a baby out of a boat – v poor taste.

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) August 26, 2013

Slip of the day

Today’s award goes to ABC broadcaster Jon Faine.

Faine was broadcasting in Torquay, south of Geelong, which is a town in the marginal seat of Corangamite, which is currently held by Labor’s Darren Cheeseman with a 0.3% margin.

Mr Cheeseman and the Liberal Party candidate, Sarah Henderson, were having a debate on air, and Faine was indicating to Ms Henderson to wrap things up.

When she didn’t, Faine said: “I could use the ‘will this woman ever shut up?’ line here, but I won’t…”

Ms Henderson was offended, and said she was “quite surprised” to hear him speak that way to her.  Faine then apologised off air, and then on air after the 9am news, admitting that while he was quoting the debate-gaffe from Tony Abbott, it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say.

But hey, weirder things have happened in election campaigns.

And thus we blame the campaign, not the journalist.

Wrap by Liam Quinn and Erdem Koç. Follow them and send them tips on Twitter – @Quinn_LP and@erdemkoc.