Hello readers, and welcome to today’s election edition of Afternoon Update. This will be our last edition of the newsletter until Monday, as we take a break for Anzac Day.
Peter Dutton spent the morning visiting a Catholic social services provider in Hobart to spruik the Coalition’s $90m pledge to tackle domestic violence, before facing a grilling at a press conference and indulging in a pinot noir.
Meanwhile, Labor has pledged to establish a $1.2bn critical minerals strategic reserve, which the resources minister says will be “helpful” for discussions with the Trump administration. Anthony Albanese has been in Western Australia, where he found himself on the backfoot over that infamous step/fall.
Today’s big stories
The Coalition was accused of being “insane” after Dutton pledged to cut almost two-thirds of Canberra’s federal public servants if elected.
In a testy press conference in Tasmania, the opposition leader was on defence on multiple fronts, batting away confusion over his public service policy, shifting positions on migration targets, tax breaks for electric vehicles and support for recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Albanese was in Perth alongside the WA premier, Roger Cook, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, where he chatted to media mogul Kerry Stokes at the West Australian newspaper’s breakfast event and donned the high vis to check out a grain centre.
He aired his frustration with reporters over repeated questioning over whether he fell off a stage, telling the press pack to “chill out”.
Meanwhile, police are investigating an altercation at a candidates’ forum in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong, during which a woman allegedly threw a punch at a man who gatecrashed the event. The local MP, independent Monique Ryan, intervened to prevent further physical altercations.
What they said
***
“It is a proven technology accepted by the prime minister in relation to nuclear submarines and as you know the prime [minister lives] not too far from Lucas Heights. He sleeps well at night.”
Dutton knows a lot about Albanese’s sleeping habits, apparently. Responding to a reporter about not visiting communities that live where the Coalition has proposed seven nuclear sites during the campaign, Dutton touted his fuel excise cuts (he’s onto his 14th petrol station of the campaign).
He also referred to Lucas Heights, which is home to a nuclear medicine facility and is just under 30km from the prime minister’s former place of residence in Marrickville. According to Dutton, the PM is getting no ill rest – despite no longer living there.
How social media saw it
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is continuing to pitch himself as a 365 Party Girl this election campaign. Fresh off his DJ set at Melbourne’s Revolver nightclub, Bandt will be hitting The Brightside in Brisbane in the second edition of his ‘Vote’ parties.
The first event in Melbourne featured influencer Abbie Chatfield, which led to accusations from the Liberals that some of her social media content should have been classed as electoral material.
She was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Australian Electoral Commission and will appear alongside Bandt again on Thursday night.
The big picture
Dutton managed to find a moment to relax today when not pumping petrol bowsers or responding to reporters, enjoying a drop of pinot noir on a visit to Bremley Vineyard. He told the owner his favourite red variety was Shiraz, but “I don’t discriminate”.
As media gathered around the wine barrel to watch him indulge, Dutton said he would get out some more glasses to share the bottle with his favourite journalists. But he then lamented “there are none”. Commiserations to our reporter, Sarah Basford Canales, who missed out.
Watch
We’ve hit the election campaign’s last fortnight like a Liberal campaign truck crashing into an early voting centre (yes, that happened). Election watcher James Colley is here to guide you through the madness, back on the tools after an Easter-induced pause.
From Albanese facing intense geopolitical questions on The Sunday Footy Show to Dutton managing to tie everything back to cheaper petrol – Colley has you covered.
And in other news …
Nine people killed and dozens injured in ‘massive’ Russian missile attack on Kyiv
EVs to cost more under a Coalition government, after Dutton’s apparent backflip on popular tax break
Trump signs orders cracking down on diversity and inclusion at US universities
Australia teen Maya Joint breaks Ash Barty’s record with win on Madrid Open debut
Kneecap say ‘statements aren’t aggressive’ after denouncing Israel at Coachella
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ARC . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update: Election 2025 briefing to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
