Mr Turnbull has not been helpful, Mr Morrison may feel.
The former prime minister opined from America about the independents standing in the election back home - independents who may take votes away from Liberal candidates. Whatever the nuance (or obfuscation) intended by Malcolm Turnbull, some corners of the press interpreted it as: "Turnbull says vote independent".
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The current prime minister disagreed.
At a press conference in Perth, he said: "What my view is, I've just explained to you and that is the chaos of a parliament, driven by the daily musings of independents who haven't had the experience to deal with the serious security and economic challenges our country faces, that is going to hurt people's incomes, it's going to hurt people's jobs. It's going to damage Australian security."
Mr Turnbull's opinions were grist to Mr Albanese's mill: "He spoke about the fact that so many people who are traditional Liberals feel the modern Liberal Party under Scott Morrison doesn't represent them, and they are walking away from the Liberal Party," the would-be prime minister said.
"The Liberal Party are divided," he said. Adding for good measure: "They are a rabble."
The reverberations of the war in Ukraine have reached as far as Fiji.
The authorities were searching a yacht seized on behalf of the US when they found documents implicating its suspected owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in breaking US law, the FBI says.
The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the focus of a US bid to seize it as part of US sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The desperately sad court battle between actress Amber Heard and her ex-husband Johnny Depp continued with its parade of grief and heart-break.
She broke down in tears on the witness stand as she said the actor had sexually assaulted her and threatened her life while they were in Australia.
The two are suing each other for defamation. Heard said she visited Depp in Australia about a month after their wedding in early 2015 when he was filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
On their first evening together, Heard said, a planned dinner at the house where Depp was staying evolved into an argument.
Depp, who she said was drinking, pushed her against the refrigerator and held her there by her throat.
THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- 'I don't share his view': Morrison replies to Turnbull support for independents
- Sobbing Heard alleges Depp assault in Aust
- ANU poll reveals Australian voters' key issue for election
- Albanese flags support for COVID-19 royal commission
- Expert shares tips on how to stay 'cyber-safe'
- What pastries and crème brulée say about Morrison and Albanese's path to election victory
- Will the CWA drop royalty and 'God' from state motto?
- How you can watch the Eta Aquariid meteor shower
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
