Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten hit the campaign trail

Meanwhile Labor leader Bill Shorten has arrived in Cairns and is on his way to his first appearance of the day.

Campaigns are all about optics and stamina. (Not jokes about Bussy McBusface, okay?)

Mr Turnbull has completed his third campaign stop for the day and the team will now retire for the afternoon and spend the night in Brisbane.

Mr Dutton says the 23 year old Somali woman who said last year she was raped on Nauru has given birth to a baby.

He defends the timing of his update saying he would have done it regardless of the campaign: "We make an announcement on these matters when it is operationally sensible to do so."

Mr Dutton says the situation of the 750 people on Manus Island should take "a couple of months" to resolve.

And that's it for Mr Dutton.

Mr Dutton pounces on the comments of Labor candidate Sophie Ismail (see 10.29 am post) and says she is now the seventh Labor MP or candidate to criticise the party's immigration policy.

Mr Dutton says Labor is divided and Mr Shorten should rebuke the people who criticise policy. He says Labor maintains support for the Coalition's policies while in opposition but acts differently when it is in government.

Mr Dutton confirms three boatloads of asylum seekers tried to reach Australia this year.

One group of 12 people was returned to Sri Lanka opn Friday (you may remember on budget night there were reports of a boat near Cocos Island the day before).

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is giving an update on Operation Sovereign Borders.

He pulls no punches: "If you elect a Turnbull government at the next election we will stare down the people smugglers....Labor can make no such claim."

Heath Aston and Andrew Meares are travelling with Mr Turnbull this week.

Heath has recorded this little video of what it's like to accompany Mr Turnbull on an early morning campaign stop. (Heath went to the Lars von Trier film making school which explains the slightly shaky camera work.)

Earlier this morning Parliament was officially dissolved.

A short ceremony was held at 9 am at Parliament House dealing with the necessary requirements. The Governor-General's proclamation was signed in the marble foyer. It was then read outside the entry to the building by Sir Peter's secretary, Mark Fraser, and placed on a ceremonial stand in the Member's Hall.