The Informer: The election race has began with an early trip up

Scott Morrison visited the seat of Gilmore on NSW's South Coast, announcing $40 million for road upgrades to the local Shoalhaven region, which was hit by the 2019 bushfires.

The seat is held by Labor's Fiona Phillips with a 2.6 per cent margin and is being contested by former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance, who joined Mr Morrison at a canning factory in Nowra.

Meanwhile, Labor leader Anthony Albanese visited the Tasmanian seat of Bass, which is held by Liberal Bridget Archer with a 0.4 per cent margin. In Launceston, Mr Albanese pledged extra support for children suffering with hearing loss.

However the announcement was overshadowed when he was unable to correctly state the national unemployment rate and cash rate, which are 4 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively. He later apologised for the "gaffe" in Devonport saying "I made a mistake, I'm human."

It was not a good look for Mr Albanese who has been criticised for never holding a financial cabinet position, with current Finance Minister Simon Birmingham saying it showed Labor "can't manage money".

The Prime Minister also faced tough questions of his own, again being asked about the future of former education minister Alan Tudge, whom he said was still a member of the cabinet despite standing down last month.

Clive Palmer was also eating his own words, backtracking from a comment he made at his National Press Club address last week, indicating that his United Australia Party would preference the Greens over the Coalition and Labor.

Palmer said the comments were "tongue-in-cheek remarks" and called the reporting of them "fake news".

In other, non-election news, Chris Bailey, frontman of Australian rock band The Saints has died aged 65.

THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW: