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Petrol prices are on the rise again, despite the efforts of the Morrison government to curb cost of living pressures at the bowser by slashing fuel excise for six months in the March budget.

The Australian Institute of Petroleum said the national average for petrol prices rose 9.3 cents to 178.2 cents a litre in the past week, the second weekly increase in a row, although still comfortably below the $2-mark at this stage.

Commonwealth Securities senior economist Ryan Felsman said international crude prices - which have the biggest influence of petrol prices - have been boosted by fears that supply will continue to be disrupted by the Ukrainian war.

"While COVID-19 lockdowns in China could weigh on crude demand, supporting prices is the increased likelihood that Germany will join other EU member states in an embargo on Russian oil," he said.

A spread of new data also saw monthly house price growth slowing to a pace not seen since October 2020.

The CoreLogic national home value index rose just 0.6 per cent in April with the annual rate slowing to 16.7 per cent.

Economists say home prices risk going backwards in coming months if they are correct in expecting the Reserve Bank of Australia to start lifting the cash rate at Tuesday's monthly board meeting.

Financial markets are fully priced for a 0.15 per cent rise in the cash rate to 0.25 per cent after annual inflation surged to 5.1 per cent.

The anticipated modest increase in the cash rate from a record low 0.1 per cent is expected to be followed by increases of 0.25 per cent in subsequent months.

"Having a near-zero cash rate when unemployment is four per cent and inflation is over five per cent makes no sense," AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said.

"The experience from the late 1960s and 1970s tells us the longer high inflation persists the more inflation expectations will rise, making it even harder to get inflation back down again without engineering a recession."

While rising interest rates may have a bearing on the election campaign, as they did in 2007 when then Liberal leader John Howard lost power, Prime Minister Scott Morrison still has a falling unemployment rate as part of his economic credentials.

While job advertising suffered a small fall in April, it still pointed to strong employment growth in the months ahead and a further decline in the unemployment rate.

The ANZ job ads series showed a 0.5 per cent fall in April, but was still 26.3 per cent higher than a year earlier and 57.3 per cent up from pre-COVID-19 levels.

"We expect strong labour demand to lead to solid employment gains in the coming months," ANZ head of Australian economics David Planks said.

"We see the unemployment rate dropping well below four per cent in the second half of 2022, which should reinforce the momentum toward higher wages growth."

March's federal budget forecast the jobless rate falling to 3.75 per cent in coming months, the lowest in almost 50 years.

Industries such as manufacturing are being constrained by skill shortages, as well as input price pressures and rising wages costs, although the sector is still growing.

The Australian Industry Group performance of manufacturing index rose by a further 2.8 points in April to 58.5, its fastest pace since July 2015.

It was the third consecutive month above the key 50-point mark, which separates growth from contraction.

"New orders increased further in April and, with many businesses feeling capacity constraints and difficulties in securing inputs and staff, the pressures on filling orders are set to continue in coming months," Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said.

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Senior Australians are being courted by the major parties as each side commits to extra health care benefits.

But the peak body representing older Australians wants more ambitious policies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised an extra 50,000 older Australians will have access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card if the Liberal-National coalition is re-elected by increasing the income test threshold.

"They want that independence they've worked hard for and this will help 50,000 more Australians be able to have access to that certainty of the health care that they wish to have as they move into their senior years," Mr Morrison said in Geelong on Monday.

At the commonwealth level, all cardholders will be eligible for cheaper medications and health care and may also be entitled to state, territory and local government savings.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese immediately matched the commitment on Monday, where he attended the Labour Day march in Brisbane.

Mr Albanese said Labor would always support good policy ideas and ruled out increases to superannuation taxes or policy changes for self-funded retirees.

"We have no intentions of making any super changes ... we're making all of our policies clear, we're putting them out there for all to see," he said.

Asked whether he would consider allowing pensioners to keep more of what they earn without losing the pension, Mr Morrison said when such a scheme had been offered there had not been a big takeup.

"Those who have worked hard all their life and are on a pension or a self-funded retirees don't necessarily want to be forced back to work," he said.

Council on the Ageing chief Ian Yates said both parties must consider a review of the aged pension, private rental market assistance for pensioners and a seniors' dental and oral health plan.

"Oral health for older Australians is a real challenge and has all sorts of implications for their physical and mental health," he told ABC News.

"It was taken by Labor to the last election. We would like to see both parties commit to introducing a seniors' dental and oral health plan."

Labor and the coalition are also promising an expansion of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The coalition has committed to cutting the cost of medications by $10, while Labor is proposing a $12.50 cut.

Yet Labor may have to work harder to secure the older vote, as the most recent Roy Morgan poll shows the coalition ahead of the ALP 57-43 on a two-party basis among the 65 and older bracket.

Both parties are treading lightly around poll results as Labor campaign spokesman Jason Clare warned they were wrong about the 2019 election.

"We need to win seats, not polls, we need to win people's votes all across the country and we're going to," he told ABC Radio National.

Labor is leading the Liberal-National coalition by 53 per cent to 47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, a Newspoll published in The Australian on Monday showed.

If realised, the coalition could lose 10 seats at the May 21 election.

Asked if it was time for a change of government, the Newspoll of 1538 voters taken between April 27 and 30 found 56 per cent agreed and 44 per cent said the coalition should be returned.

But 45 per cent of respondents believe Mr Morrison would make the better prime minister, against 39 per cent for Mr Albanese.

A Resolve poll of 1408 voters published in Nine newspapers on Monday closely mirrored the Newspoll result, finding Labor leading on a two-party basis at 54-46.

Mr Morrison was ahead on the preferred prime minister measure at 39 per cent to 33 per cent.

The prime minister started Monday in western Sydney where he attended Eid prayers in the marginal Parramatta seat with Liberal candidate Maria Kovacic.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd attended the same prayers with Labor's candidate Andrew Charlton.

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An extra 50,000 older Australians will get access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card if the Morrison government is re-elected, as two new polls show Labor continues to lead on the two party vote.

A day after Labor leader Anthony Albanese accused him of neglecting older Australians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce an increase in the singles income test threshold - from $57,761 to around $90,000 - from July 1 this year to broaden access to the concession card.

The couples threshold will also increase from $92,416 to $144,000.

At the commonwealth level, all card holders are eligible for cheaper medications and health care and may also be entitled to state, territory and local government savings, like discounted rates, electricity and gas bills, ambulance, dental, eye care, recreation and public transport.

Mr Morrison says the $70 million expansion is part of the coalition's plan to deliver cost of living relief.

"This means more senior Australians could save hundreds of dollars, including up to $428 a year for access to a monthly script for vital medicines and a refund for medical costs if you reach the Medicare safety net," he said.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the commitment would build on the $525 million plan to reduce the safety net threshold for PBS medications, including a cut in the price of medications by $10 per script from January 1 next year.

At Labor's campaign launch in Perth on Sunday, Mr Albanese revealed a higher medicines price cut of $12.50.

The PBS was "another of the great Australian institutions established by Labor" and proof of his party's commitment to universal health care.

As the election campaign reaches the halfway point, Labor is hoping its A Better Future-themed campaign launch on Sunday will provide some momentum after Mr Albanese spent a week in COVID-19 isolation.

The launch included new policies on first home purchasing, manufacturing and electric vehicles, as well as dealing with the issue of gender pay equity and fixing problems in aged care and child care.

A Newspoll published in The Australian on Monday shows Labor is leading the government by 53 per cent to 47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

If realised, the coalition could lose 10 seats at the May 21 election.

Asked if it was time for a change of government, the poll of 1538 voters taken between April 27 and 30 found 56 per cent agreed and 44 per cent said the coalition should be returned.

But 45 per cent of respondents believe Mr Morrison would make the better prime minister, against 39 per cent for Mr Albanese.

A Resolve poll of 1408 voters published in Nine newspapers on Monday closely mirrored the Newspoll result, finding Labor leading on a two-party basis at 54 per cent to 46 per cent.

Mr Morrison was ahead on the preferred prime minister measure at 39 per cent to 33 per cent.

Mr Albanese is expected on Monday to campaign in Queensland, where Labor holds six of 30 seats and needs to make gains if it is to win the election.

He told the campaign launch a Labor government would invest $1 billion in developing value-added products from minerals like lithium and nickel.

The coalition has been campaigning in Queensland on division within Labor over the future of the resources sector, especially coal mining jobs, which cost the party votes in 2019.

"We know Labor is dominated by its green-left faction and is deeply divided over the future of Australia's resources sector," Resources Minister Keith Pitt said.

Meanwhile, a second leaders debate will be hosted by the Nine Network this Sunday night and the Liberal campaign is expected to be launched a week later.

Early voting starts on May 9.

© AAP 2022