What we learned, Wednesday 16 April
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – but stay tuned, as we’ll launch a fresh live blog shortly to cover tonight’s leaders’ debate between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton at 8pm AEST.
For now, here were the main takeaway’s from the campaign trail today:
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, accused Peter Dutton of “fabricat[ing] a statement by the Indonesian president” over Russia’s reported request to get access to an Indonesian military base. You can read more on what Dutton said, here.
Wong also said Australia had not confirmed if Russia had approached Indonesia. The shadow finance minister Jane Hume argued Wong was “blindsided” by the reports, while Anthony Albanese accused Dutton of “always overreaching” and “being quite reckless.”
The Nationals senate leader Bridget McKenzie said it was “appalling” the deputy PM Richard Marles was unable to say whether the opposition had received a briefing on the matter – which she said they did not.
Both leaders began their day in Melbourne, where Dutton pledged $6m to the kid’s online safety foundation. Albanese, meanwhile, was touting the benefits of Labor’s urgent care clinics.
At a press conference, Dutton was asked what the Coalition is doing for women – and pointed to the fuel excise reduction being targeted at “women driving kids around.”
Fielding questions on the cost of their election promises, treasurer Jim Chalmers said a “large portion of the announcements that we have made were already budgeted for.”
The housing and shadow housing ministers Clare O’Neil and Michael Sukkar went head-to-head in a debate in Canberra. You can read their closing arguments here and here.
New figures suggest achieving the Albanese government’s target of 1.2m new well-located homes over five years to mid-2029 is looking less and less likely.
Greens leader Adam Bandt said he was open to changes to policies around housing and other key negotiation issues with Labor in the event of a hung parliament.
The Greens have also announced a plan to double the length of paid parental leave and lift the payment rate to a replacement wage.
And Greens candidate for Franklin, Owen Fitzgerald, has withdrawn from the federal election due his dual citizenship.
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Join the ‘Tell me more’ live stream with Matilda Boseley and Dan Jervis-Bardy
Guardian Australia’s Tell Me More live streams are your chance to ask your burning election news questions to the people who wrote that news in the first place.
This election may well be decided by millennial and gen Z voters, and with politicians desperate to win their vote we’re seeing some … interesting campaign strategies.
This evening host Matilda Boseley is joined by political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy to discuss the posts, memes, AI action figures and youth focused political stunts that have dominated this voting season. Is it working? Who’s doing it best? And do the parties have the youth focused policies to back it up?
If you have a question you want answered, simply pop it in the comments on YouTube or TikTok or email australia.tellmemore@theguardian.com
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Russian ambassador reportedly says Indonesia cooperation ‘normal’, criticises Aukus submarine plan
Russia’s ambassador in Jakarta has neither confirmed nor denied reports Russia is seeking to get access to an Indonesian military base, the ABC has just reported.
According to the ABC, the ambassador said military cooperation between the two sides is normal, and also took aim at Australia’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines.
We are seeking more information on this and will bring you the latest as we learn more.
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Victorian government defends state’s new housing figures as ‘nation leading’
Just circling back to earlier news that the Victorian government has fallen 20,000 new homes short of a target it set to build 80,000 new homes each year.
The Victorian government has responded to the Property Council, saying the state’s new housing figures are nation leading – with 15,000 more homes than New South Wales and 28,000 more than Queensland. A spokesperson said:
The ABS data shows that Victoria continues to lead the nation for home approvals, starts and completions – we’ve also seen an increase year-on-year for home completions and home approvals. We know there’s more to do, which is why we’ve introduced bold reforms to deliver more homes near train and tram stations, a ten-year pipeline of land for family homes and back yards, and to slash stamp duty for off-the-plan apartments, units and townhouses.
If it was up to the Property Council, Victorians would be competing dollar-for-dollar against cashed up foreign buyers that lock them out of the housing market.
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15-year-old charged over alleged attempt to facilitate contract killings overseas
A 15-year-old foreign national has been charged in Sydney for allegedly using an encrypted app to facilitate plans for overseas contract killings, on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate.
He was arrested by the Australian federal police this morning after investigators executed a search warrant at a home in western Sydney. He appeared before Surry Hills children’s court and was formally refused bail, to reappear on 11 June.
The AFP received information from Danish police this month about a foreign national residing in Australia, allegedly linked to attempts to organise crime-as-a-service contract killings in Europe. These killings involve individuals or groups outsourcing criminal activities to third parties and using online platforms and social media to plan and execute the illegal acts, the AFP said.
Danish police deputy chief superintendent of the national special crime unit, Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, said the teenager is “suspected of having attempted to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden as part of ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region” while in Australia.
During the search warrant, the AFP allegedly seized electronic devices which will undergo forensic examination.
The 15-year-old was charged with using a device with the intent of committing conspiracy to murder – punishable by imprisonment for life under Australian commonwealth law. He was also charged with using a device with the intention of committing murder, under Danish laws, also punishable by imprisonment for life.
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BHP flags converting Mt Arthur coal to pumped hydro
Moving away from the campaign for a moment: mining giant BHP will investigate turning part of its Mt Arthur coalmine in New South Wales into a pumped hydro project after the mine closes in 2030.
The company said it had engaged renewable energy firm Acciona Energy to undertake “due diligence” on the possibility of converting the Hunter Valley site from coal to energy storage.
The announcement came as the state government agreed to extend the life of the mine by 4 years, a decision expected to continue the employment of 2,200 workers.
BHP Australia president, Geraldine Slattery, said the company was committed to leaving a positive legacy in the Hunter Valley.
The community have told us they want to see Mt Arthur repurposed when mining ends.
Prof Andrew Blakers, an expert in pumped hydro at the Australian National University, said while Australia had 300 premium sites suited to providing low-cost pumped hydro storage, Mt Arthur was not among them.
Mt Arthur is located in relatively flat land which doesn’t appear to offer a lot of scope for a low cost pumped hydro system. It does not appear as an option in our brownfield pumped hydro atlas.
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Victorian Nationals seeking donations for federal election to push back against Allan
The Victorian branch of the National party is soliciting donations for the federal election by urging supporters to help them push back against the state premier, Jacinta Allan.
An email sent this afternoon told supporters said there was only six days left until voting booths open, and that more money was needed. The email refers to Allan as often as it does Anthony Albanese:
Jacinta Allan and Anthony Albanese have let Victoria down … But together, we can stop them. With your support, we can take a stand against Labor’s damaging agenda and get Australia back on track. We can push back against Anthony Albanese and Jacinta Allan’s policies that are driving up costs and undermining our way of life.
As my colleague Benita Kolovos has pointed out, consecutive surveys have shown Allan’s personal standing has taken a hit while support for her government has plummeted. That’s something the Nationals are keen to capitalise on, while raising a few dollars.
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Bragg says “all Australians are valued” amid colleagues’ comments on transgender issues
Just back to Andrew Bragg’s interview on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing: He was asked what his message is to the LGBTQ+ community, following some concern over comments from his colleagues – particularly on trans issues.
Bragg said “all Australians are valued” and that the Coalition doesn’t “support discrimination against any Australian”.
In the relation to the issues canvassed in parliament by various politicians, there’s now an inquiry through the health department and that’s an inquiry that we support. And we will look at the evidence that comes from that report in due course.
Patricia Karvelas asked if he would “try and reduce these wars they see as cultural wars going on in the next parliament”.
Bragg said it “depends exactly what you’re asking”.
In relation to sporting issues, the sporting codes seem to be able to manage that themselves. They don’t need legal intervention.
In relation to the schooling issues, these have been canvassed for many years, as you know. That would be subject to a lengthy process of consultation with schools and with other interested parties.
But the medical issues at the moment are being canvassed through our health department inquiry, and we are supporting that inquiry.
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Coalition echoing 2022 comments accusing Albanese of being too close to China
As we told you a few moments ago, the Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has suggested that Russia and China would prefer Anthony Albanese to win the election:
I notice that, you know, the Russian defence minister had derogatory comments to make about the leader of the opposition, the alternative prime minister, Peter Dutton. That would make two world leaders who want to see Anthony Albanese re-elected, and that would be China and Russia.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard claims like this during or on the eve of an election campaign. In 2022, then prime minister Scott Morrison accused Albanese of being too close to China. In parliament, he described Albanese as a Manchurian candidate before withdrawing the remark. Morrison told parliament:
The Chinese government has picked their horse and he’s sitting right there.
This rhetoric drew a significant public intervention by Australia’s respected former spy chief Dennis Richardson. He said the comments served China’s interests, not Australia’s, by politicising national security and “seeking to create the perception of a difference [between the major parties] when none in practice exists”.
Albanese is considering a proposal to send troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, as Europe considers a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal with Russia.
Last week, Richard Marles rejected a request from the Chinese ambassador, Xiao Qian, to “join hands” in resistance to US tariffs. Marles said Australia would pursue its own national interests.
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Liberal senator says ‘autocracies like to see Australia weak’ and see Labor as ‘weaker of two options’
Host Patricia Karvelas has asked Andrew Bragg if he agrees with Bridget McKenzie’s comments that Russian and Chinese leaders want to see Anthony Albanese re-elected.
Does he see it that way, too? Bragg replied:
Look, I think the autocracies are working together. They like to see Australia to be weak, and they imagine that Labor would be the weaker of the two options. Their business is working together as autocracies to weaken democracies. That’s their agenda. I imagine they would see Mr Albanese as a generally speaking weak leader.
We’re going to bring you more context on this argument from the Coalition very shortly, so stay tuned.
Shadow home ownership minister says super for housing a ‘good idea’ no ‘matter what gender you are’
Andrew Bragg, the shadow assistant minister for home ownership, is next up on ABC Afternoon Briefing this afternoon.
He was asked about Clare O’Neil’s argument at the housing debate today, that the Coalition’s “super for housing” policy is entrenching gender inequality and raising house prices.
Asked if she was on to something – that women have to raid their super when they have less money in it? Bragg replied:
How do you raid your own money?
Host Patricia Karvelas said it’s there for your retirement, not for housing – that’s Labor’s argument. But she brought him back to the gendered element of the question, and Bragg said:
Sure. I understand that. But I find it a very jarring term, when people are saying you’re raiding your own money. The core of your retirement is your house, not your super fund. In Labor’s nirvana, the super funds own a whole lot of houses and they rent them out to people. We want people to own a house, not have to rent in retirement.
Doesn’t matter what gender you are, it’s a good idea. We think the super for housing policy is one of the best ideas in the marketplace. We think it stands on its own, no matter what Labor and Big Super cook up.
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Lambie weighs in on major parties’ housing policies for first home buyers
Jacqui Lambie was also asked to weigh in on each of the major parties’ policies for first home buyers.
She argued the Coalition should have “got this all done 12 months ago”.
They have been in opposition for three years, they don’t look like they’re in opposition at all. They’re really struggling with that. They should have had costings, they had plenty of time to get it ready and looking like a real smart outfit. They failed to do the work to make them look like a credible opposition. That’s really worrying for me.
On Labor’s policy, Lambie said it “always scares” her when the government gets involved in building houses for first home buyers.
We need to be careful with first home buyers, make sure they don’t put themselves in too much debt. The unemployment rate is right down … With Trump and trade wars going on, I would be really careful what we’re offering, we don’t saddle these people with debt and give them false hope.
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Lambie calling for Senate inquiry into Australia-US relationship
Jacqui Lambie and her running mate, Rex Patrick, are calling for a Senate inquiry into Australia’s relations with the US. Asked why she was doing this, Lambie responded:
Right now we’re going through quite a rough patch because of what’s happened with [Donald] Trump – they’re not with the people themselves, of course. We need to put this under a magnifying glass … Let’s have a good look at our relationship with the USA and get it out on the table.
Lambie says Dutton has ‘overblown’ Indonesian matter
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has also been up on ABC Afternoon Briefing this afternoon, where she said the Indonesian matter had been “overblown” by Peter Dutton.
She said that “certainly we need to keep an eye on it” because “Indonesia does buy a lot of arms from Russia.” But she said the matter had been “blown out of proportion.”
People are doing it tough. They’re very concerned, they’re on edge, it doesn’t help with stability … Let’s be clear and careful when we are speaking about national security issues …
Indonesia came out and said there’s nothing to see here, they seemed to have shut it down straightaway. Let’s just hope there is nothing to see here. Everyone would hope so.
Read more here:
Updated
McKenzie says Russian and Chinese leaders want to see Albanese re-elected
Bridget McKenzie went on, telling the program:
I notice that, you know, the Russian defence minister had derogatory comments to make about the leader of the opposition, the alternative prime minister, Peter Dutton. That would make two world leaders who want to see Anthony Albanese re-elected, and that would be China and Russia. Great pack.
McKenzie is asked what she is suggesting by this – that there is foreign interference in the election? She answered:
The defence minister of Russia and the Chinese leader both have made very public comments that they do not want to see Peter Dutton as the prime minister of our country. I’m stating the facts.
But what are you implying by the facts? McKenzie simply replied: “I’m stating them.”
There was a back and forth, where McKenzie repeated her earlier remark. Asked if she is suggesting Albanese is not independent, she said, “not at all.”
McKenzie again went back to the briefing request and said:
I’m hoping [Albanese] gives the opposition a briefing on this matter as soon as possible, given his defence minister has gone on the public broadcaster and told us all about a conversation he had with Indonesia yesterday, his Indonesian counterpart. We think he could have given the courtesy to the opposition.
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McKenzie says opposition has not received briefing
Bridget McKenzie says the opposition has not yet been given a briefing about the government’s conversations with Indonesia, over the reported request by Russia to base aircraft in the country.
Speaking with ABC Afternoon Briefing just now, the Nationals senate leader argued the protocol for caretaker mode means that on matters of national security, you need to “ensure both sides are cognisant of the facts and the information they need to make an appropriate response.”
We have been seeking an urgent briefing from Anthony Albanese and his ministers on the reports from yesterday, and we are yet to receive that. It makes it very hard for us to respond in a way that is in our national interest, without those briefings.
McKenzie said it was “appalling” that Richard Marles could not say whether or not a briefing had taken place.
Asked if she is suggesting the government is deliberately delaying or blocking access to this briefing, McKenzie said when she was emergency management minister, she provided briefings:
It sounds like [Marles] had a conversation with the Indonesian counterpart that satisfied him … Well, Richard, if you’re so happy with the answer, you won’t be afraid to share a confidential security briefing with the appropriate shadow ministry and Peter Dutton.
Muslim Votes Matter endorse Greens in Banks and Werriwa, may preference Coalition over Labor
The advocacy group Muslim Votes Matter has endorsed Greens candidates in the south-western Sydney seats of Banks and Werriwa.
The group – which is campaigning for candidates in 32 seats that are predominantly Labor held – has already endorsed Greens candidates in the seats of Wills, Bruce, Moreton and Sturt.
Ghaith Krayem, the national spokesperson for Muslim Votes Matter, said the endorsement decisions were based on the incumbent MPs positions on the war in Gaza. The seat of Banks is held by the shadow foreign affairs minister, David Coleman. Werriwa is held by Labor’s Anne Stanley. Krayment said:
We believe Banks is on a knife-edge and that the Muslim community has the ability to swing it and remove the incumbent. We intend to mobilise and do our utmost to remove Coleman from his position.
In Werriwa, Krayem said the group may urge people to preference the Coalition above Labor to send a message that the Muslim community can have an impact on elections.
We’ve gotta give serious consideration to preferencing the Coalition in Werriwa to really drive home that message. That is something we will give serious attention to. This is about holding incumbents to account for ignoring the most important issue facing our community.
Marles unsure whether Dutton has been briefed on Russia-Indonesia matter
Richard Marles said he isn’t sure whether or not a briefing on the matter has yet been provided to Peter Dutton – who has requested one. He told the ABC:
We have been incredibly open through the last three years in the terms of the briefings that we have afforded to the opposition in relation to all of these matters. What is absolutely clear is that when Peter Dutton yesterday asserted the president of Indonesia had said something when he clearly had not … is shooting from the hip in the most dangerous way.
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Marles says there is nothing to ‘smooth over’ with Indonesia
Continuing to take questions on the matter, Richard Marles said he was “really comfortable with the way in which in we have interacted with Indonesia in respect of this”.
He also rejected the notion there was “anything to smooth over” with Indonesia.
We have a really close relationship with Indonesia. I literally had a conversation with my counterpart less than 24 hours ago. That was exactly the assurance I would want to have in respect of where Indonesia is at with this.
At a press conference earlier today, Peter Dutton said the prospect of “having Russia with the greatest presence in our region is very real and there are a lot of questions the government still has to answer”.
Marles responded, saying “I don’t accept that,” and labelled this a “very dangerous comment on the part of Peter Dutton.”
We are aware of Russia’s presence, which has been around for a long time. And we are very aware of it, very mindful of it, we manage it … What matters though is that we build the strongest possible relationship that we can with our neighbours.
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Marles says Dutton ‘doesn’t have the temperament’ to be PM
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with ABC Afternoon Briefing about reports Russia asked Indonesia to station planes in the country – a request Indonesia assured Australia it did not accept.
Asked if the Australian government knew about the Russian request for an Indonesian airbase, Marles did not answer directly:
I’m not about to go into what we do and don’t know in respect of what is happening in the region, because so much of that exists in the classified space. What is important here is I was able to talk to my counterpart, the defence minister of Indonesia yesterday, and he made unequivocally clear there’s no prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia.
Marles said it matters that “we handle these things in a sober and calm way” and took aim at Peter Dutton for “recklessness” in his commentary yesterday.
He draws inspiration from one president, he seeks to put words in the mouth of another. He was shooting from the hip. I cannot overstate how dangerous that is in terms of managing our bilateral relations.
In a time when the world is in a volatile and uncertain situation, we need people who can govern our country in a calm and sober way and manage our relationships. What this demonstrates is that Peter Dutton frankly does not have the temperament to be fit to be the prime minister of our nation.
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Coalition’s super policy will ‘significantly disadvantage women’, O’Neil says
Labor’s housing minister Clare O’Neil has criticised the Coalition’s “super for housing” policy for entrenching gender inequality and raising house prices.
In case you missed her debate with the shadow housing minister, Michael Sukkar, earlier on today, you can watch some of what she said below:
Teal MP weighs in on what Dutton is offering women
Teal independent Zoe Daniel has taken aim at Peter Dutton for the comments he made earlier today, when asked that the Coalition was offering women in this election.
In case you missed it: the opposition leader said the “25 cent fuel excise reduction is targeted at women driving kids around or delivery truck drivers who are trying to make ends meet.”
And on the Coalition’s super for housing policy, Dutton said this would help “women who have had a messy relationship breakup, who haven’t had a home before or have no roof over the head with their kids”.
In a video to social media, Daniel said:
Interesting – my husband drives my kids around more than I do, just saying. But also, what about funding for family, domestic and sexual violence? What about universal early childhood education, for the benefit of women, children and families – which would also reduce the cost of living? What about empowering women into the workforce? Seriously – vote independent, because independence works for women.
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LNP attack ads target Dutton’s independent rival in Dickson
The Liberal National party has paid for billboard ads attacking the independent candidate for Dickson, Ellie Smith, whose campaign spokesperson said more than $1m has been raised in an attempt to beat Peter Dutton.
The billboards, authorised by the Liberal National party, accused Smith of being “a Greenie at heart”. Smith’s campaign said the billboard previously promoted the Coalition’s campaign slogan: “Let’s get Australia back on track”.
An email from the Smith campaign to supporters has pushed for an additional $160,000 in donations to help the campaign match the advertising spend of major parties in Dickson. The spokesperson said donations had come from more than 1000 people.
Earlier this month, Labor’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, told supporters he had approved an extra $130,000 for campaign advertising in Dickson. Dutton has held Dickson since 2001. It has a margin of 1.7%.
Smith is running an open ballot and not telling supporters where to allocate their preferences. A source within the Smith campaign, who declined to be named so they could speak freely, said Labor had approached Smith for preferences:
They were literally texting as the balls were dropping in the ballot draw. It was always a no. Ellie was never going to trade away her independence.
Labor how-to-vote cards in Dickson tell supporters to put the Greens second, Smith fifth and Dutton sixth.
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Australian defence industry grows by 12.4%
Moving away from the campaign trail for a moment, and new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the nation’s defence industry grew by 12.4% – or $1.3bn – in the 2023-24 financial year.
The Australian defence industry contributed $11.9bn in gross value added (GVA) to the national economy in 2023-24, accounting for 0.47% of total GVA.
Employment in the Australian defence industry also grew by 9.1% in the 2023-24 financial year. Luisa Ryan, the ABS’s head of satellite accounts, said:
South Australia drove the national defence industry growth. The state’s defence industry grew by $425m, and 1,300 more defence industry employees were added.
NSW and Victoria continued to have the largest defence industries of the states and territories, the ABS said, with the defence industry contributing $3.5bn in NSW and $2.5bn in Victoria.
Professional, scientific and technical services ($5.4bn) and manufacturing ($2bn) made the largest contributions.
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Good afternoon! Emily Wind here, I’ll bring you all the highlights over the next few hours ahead of tonight’s leaders’ debate. Make sure to stick around for that at 8pm AEST, too.
Thank you all for joining me on the blog today.
I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Emily Wind for the afternoon, and I’ll catch you back here early tomorrow morning!
Hazara community calls on Liberal candidate to apologise over parliamentary submission suggesting ethnic group not persecuted
The Australian Hazara Advocacy Network has called on the Liberal candidate for Bruce to apologise for the contents of a parliamentary submission he co-authored in 2021, which suggested the Hazara community in Afghanistan was not persecuted on the basis of its ethnicity.
A petition calling for Zahid Safi to be disendorsed by the Liberal party, launched by the network on Monday – now has more than 8,300 signatures. It is not known how many of these signatures are from the electorate of Bruce, which has a significant Afghan diaspora.
The submission co-signed by Safi said, in reference to conflict in Afghanistan, “that victims of war are not based on ethnicity”.
The allegations led members of the Hazara community, which has a significant presence in the electorate of Bruce, to lodge their own dissenting submissions to the inquiry, alleging the claims sought to erase the “well-documented persecution of an entire ethnic group”.
Safi stood by the submission when contacted by Guardian Australia and said “a full and fair reading of my submission makes clear that I advocated for every single living individual at risk from the national atrocity and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
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Coalition’s plan to end fee-free Tafe would put whole system at risk, education union says
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has responded to the Coalition’s signals that it will end fee-free Tafe places.
On ABC TV this morning, the shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, said: “We don’t believe that fee-free Tafe is delivering on its promise … why would you continue it?”
The Coalition has instead proposed more apprenticeship places through funds for businesses.
The AEU federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said in a statement that cutting free Tafe puts hundreds of thousands of students, and the whole TAFE system, at risk.
Free TAFE changes lives. The Coalition’s plan would destroy that chance for so many …
Free TAFE has been transformative for students, teachers, and the TAFE sector. We’ve seen 600,000 students enrolling since its introduction, particularly in areas of extreme skill shortage, many of whom would not have been able to afford to access vocational education.
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Victoria misses its 2024 home building target
Away from the campaign trail for a moment:
The Victorian government has fallen 20,000 new homes short of a target it set to build 80,000 new homes each year.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics today released its quarterly data on dwelling commencements and completions for October to December, which showed 13,955 homes were built in Victoria, an 8.8% decrease from the previous quarter.
According to the Victorian branch of the Property Council of Australia, it is the lowest number of dwelling completions since early 2023 and marks a downward trend with two consecutive quarters of decline.
It also brings the total number of homes built in 2024 to just over 60,000 – still short of the Victorian government’s target of 80,000 home completions each year until 2034.
The council’s executive director, Cath Evans, says the property industry’s confidence in the Victorian government’s ability to plan and manage growth is “at an all-time low”. She urged the government to reduce taxes on the industry in its upcoming budget on 20 May.
Evans said:
Today’s data reveals that Victoria’s dwelling completions are now going backwards – a clear sign that reinforces the industry’s lack of confidence and feasibility to invest here. For as long as Victoria’s cumulative tax burden remains, developers will move to more feasible markets interstate, and our housing targets will continue to slip further away.
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Bandt proposes drinking game for tonight’s leaders’ debate
The Greens’ leader, Adam Bandt, has proposed a drinking game for tonight’s leaders’ debate, writing in a post on social media:
It’s not a leaders debate, it’s a group hug as they take us further into housing hell. Here’s a drinking game: have a shot every time they mention negative gearing reform, dental, stopping coal [and] gas or taxing big corporations. You’ll stay sober as a judge.
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Greens candidate withdraws due to dual citizenship
The Greens candidate for Franklin, Owen Fitzgerald, has withdrawn from the federal election due his dual citizenship.
The 19-year-old was unaware he held New Zealand citizenship, according to the Tasmanian Greens, which has accepted responsibility for an administrative error in its vetting process.
Fitzgerald’s grandparents and father were born in Hamilton, New Zealand. According to disclosure forms, his grandparents are NZ citizens while his father is a dual Australian and NZ citizen. All three acquired NZ citizenship by birth.
Section 7 of the New Zealand Citizenship Act 1977 states:
Every person born outside New Zealand on or after 1 January 1978 is a New Zealand citizen by descent if, at the time of the person’s birth his or her mother or father was a New Zealand citizen.
In 2017, the high court ruled former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was ineligible to sit in federal parliament due to his father being born in New Zealand. At the time, New Zealand’s prime minister Bill English confirmed that “unwittingly or not”, Joyce was a citizen due to his father being born there.
Fitzgerald’s disclosure form states he is not a citizen of any country other than Australia.
The Greens made inquiries after being contacted by Guardian Australia yesterday, with his decision to withdraw confirmed at a press conference earlier today.
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Sukkar touts 'firepower' of Coalition policy for first home buyers
Michael Sukkar said this was “a sliding door moment for our country,” arguing that Labor is offering “three more years of the same”.
He said Labor’s criticism of the Coalition is that “our ambitions for home ownership are too high”.
Our first home buyer mortgage deductibility scheme is going to finally give first home buyers the firepower they need to purchase a home. We’re going to, through our housing infrastructure program, deliver more homes for those first home buyers.
So if you think the status quo is OK, that’s really what Labor is offering. The Coalition believes that home ownership is something that every generation of Australians deserve, and that’s precisely what we’ll deliver, if we’re given the great honour of being elected
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'Melange of weird things': O’Neil on Coalition housing policy
Giving her closing remarks, Clare O’Neil argued that under a Peter Dutton government, there would be “more of the same” from the Coalition on housing.
This is a policy melange of weird things that were written on the back of a napkin that will do two things – they will build no new homes around the country from viable analysis that I have seen, and they will make homes more expensive through the ridiculous and dud super for housing policy. These things together are a recipe for making the housing crisis worse.
She said Labor is “genuinely serious about taking a running crack at the underlying problems that have led us where we are today”.
It will require some big things and for the government to do something different, but I hope you see in our first term we have made real progress here and we have a lot more work to do on this in a second term of an Albanese government.
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Will Labor and the Coalition release the modelling of their housing policies?
David Crowe from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age asked about the housing claims put forward by each major party, saying:
The maths on the Labor side says that you’ll put forward $10bn [to] build 100,000 homes – that’s basically $100,000 per home. On the Coalition side, the claim is that you’ll put $5bn into infrastructure, that magically unlocks 500,000 homes, which is $10,000 per home.
I’ll leave it to voters to decide whether $100,000 per home or $10,000 per home is more convincing. But the key question is … will you put forward and tell us who told you the number of homes that you will build under each policy? And will you release the information – whether its treasury or PBO or somebody else – so we can verify that you’ll build the homes that you claim?
Michael Sukkar argued that “a rough figure of civil works of about $10,000 to unlock that is a pretty well accepted industry number.” On the question of modelling, he said it was “not modelling” but “costed projects.”
Clare O’Neil said the Coalition’s figures were “totally fanciful, absolutely ridiculous” and that there is “no way these numbers will stack up.” On Labor’s numbers, she said the figures came from Treasury officials:
We are not paying for the entire cost of building a new home. What we are doing is assisting state development agencies, and in some in instances private developers, making projects that do not stack up today, stack up.
O’Neil said she would release the Treasury modelling “as it ordinarily occurs.”
Ministers duel over build numbers for social and affordable housing
The two have clashed over social and affordable housing, with O’Neil accusing the Liberals of only having built 373 homes in nearly a decade of government.
O’Neil says theres a “chronic national shortage” of social and affordable homes, and says 28,000 of those homes are in construction or development now. (Though the Greens and housing advocates have said many, many more are needed).
Sukkar refutes that claim and says the Coalition started Housing Australia, one of the vehicles to build social and affordable homes, and that the Coalition delivered 13,000 homes (which O’Neil rejects).
He says the Coalition’s policy will be to put the responsibility for building social and affordable housing into the hands of community housing providers.
We will put community housing providers at the heart of social and affordable housing. Why? Because we know that for every dollar that you give to a CHP, it goes a little bit further than, particularly some of the state delivery agencies.
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Sukkar says one reason for diminishing trust is because governments make commitments for things they will never be held accountable for
Back to those housing targets: Sukkar is asked why there’ll be no target under the Coalition when it can provide some accountability.
Well, call in the political spinners because Sukkar just gave us this very real statement:
We have to accept that one of the reasons that there is diminishing trust against politicians in this and something that I’m sure that Clare reflects on and I reflect on here, and no-one is perfect here.
But one of the reasons we’ve seen that happen is because we have so often, governments make commitments for things that they will never be held accountable for, ultimately.
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Labor criticises Coalition’s super for housing policy as entrenching gender inequality and raising house prices
The next question goes to how much difference being able to access superannuation will make to getting together a deposit. Ellen Ransley says the average super balance for a 30- to 34-year-old woman is $44,000, and 40% of that (the maximum that could be taken out under the policy) is $17,600. How will that help?
Sukkar argues it would take years to get that extra $17,600 in savings:
The ability to actually use a portion of your super to supplement the savings you can make, we think makes a huge difference.
O’Neil argues that will entrench gender inequality. She says women have less super than men already, and this policy will exacerbate that:
Not only will it jack up house prices instantly by giving millions of people the ability to ransack their retirement savings but it’s also going to significantly disadvantage women when they’re at an auction bidding against a man. And that can’t be a good thing for gender equality.
O’Neil is also asked what will happen if someone who buys one of Labor’s 100,000 homes for first home buyers wants to sell. She says there aren’t any plans to “make restrictions on young people who purchase the property and resell them”.
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Both parties back 'sustainable growth' in house prices to avoid a generation going into 'negative equity'
The ABC’s Evelyn Manfield gets the next question, and asks O’Neil about her comments to Triple J last year. She said: “We’re not trying to bring down house prices. That may be the view of young people but not the view of our government.”
Peter Dutton and Michael Sukkar have both said in recent days that they also want to see “sustainable growth” in house prices.
O’Neil says for any young person who has taken on a large mortgage while interest rates have been low, they don’t want to go into negative equity. She says the answer is in building more homes.
We’ve also got a generation of pretty young people who have come into the market in the last ten years. Many of them have taken on incredibly large mortgages while interest rates were low. And we don’t want, nor is it good for the country, to see that generation go into negative equity. So we do need to have a balanced approach here.
Neither she nor Sukkar will put a number on what sustainable growth is.
Sukkar backs O’Neil’s point in, saying she’s received “unfair criticism”.
It would be quite devastating for a young first home-buyer who has owned a home for one or two or three years to suddenly go into negative equity, which is the consequence of what some of the suggestions have been.
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Both parties vow to train local workforce to address construction labour shortage
The debate turns to the workforce and the shortage of tradies, which you can read more about here:
O’Neil says Labor’s main priority will “always” be to train Australians “first” for construction jobs, and says Labor’s free Tafe places have added around 40,000 construction professionals into the workforce.
Connell asks if Labor will make it easier to get construction workers in from overseas. She replies:
The challenge is not necessarily the ease of bringing construction workers in. We have a demand-driven migration system. About 10,000 construction workers came in through that system last year.
In response, Sukkar says he agrees on training a local workforce, and will put in place an apprentice wage subsidy, which he claims the construction union (the CFMEU) hasn’t allowed Labor to do. He also says the Coalition will make it easier for construction workers to come in from overseas (which they’ve said before):
[We will] drastically reduce migration, and reorient that smaller program into the sorts of trades we need.
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Sukkar in housing: ‘What’s a target worth if you’re not going to get anywhere near it?’
Staying on that target: Connell asks Sukkar whether the Coalition would set their own target and will they keep in place the housing planning reform the states signed up to with the government?
Sukkar won’t set a target for the Coalition, and claims the current government is building 30,000 less homes right now than under the previous government. He also repeats the line that on the government’s trajectory, they’ll fall 400,000 homes short of target.
I’m saying we’ll get to as many as we possibly can, but I’m certain it will be higher than Labor … What’s a target worth if you’re not going to get anywhere near it?
He does appear to support the housing planning reforms signed on with the states, saying, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with housing ministers at a federal level trying to encourage states to undertake planning and zoning reform.”
O’Neil responds to the criticisms, accusing Sukkar of an “unwillingness to take any responsibility”.
The claim that the Liberals are going to build more houses is ridiculous. They don’t have any policies that are seriously going to do that... This weird cocktail of things that the Liberals have dreamed up are going to lead to more expensive homes and fewer homes being built around the country.
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O’Neil says Coalition’s answer to housing is the ‘lower the national ambition’
Sukkar, in his statement, pointed out that the government is not on track to be able to deliver 1.2m homes over five years, and could fall short by up to 400,000 homes – according to industry experts.
O’Neil hit back on that in her statement, saying:
Michael’s talked a little bit about our national housing target, suggesting that they’re too high. What he’s really saying here is that the answer to this problem is lower the national ambition - and low ambition is what got us here.
The first question goes to O’Neil on that point, and host Tom Connell asks if O’Neil is willing to say the government isn’t on track. She says the government needs to do more, but the work is being done, and the commonwealth is working with states and territories to do that.
We need a bold and ambitious target because boldness and ambition is exactly what is required here. Instead of washing our hands of the problem.
She highlights tradie shortages and planning reforms as a block and says they’re working on those.
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Labor say blame for housing situation lies with former Liberal governments
Clare O’Neil now makes her opening statement, and calls the housing crisis the “biggest social and economic challenge facing our country right now”.
The Coalition has been piling blame on Labor for the state of housing across Australia, and blamed them for allowing more migrants into the country. But O’Neil says the issue has been “building now for 40 years”, and puts the blame back on to the Coalition for not having done enough for the nine years they were previously in government.
We came to office three years ago after a decade of abject neglect of housing … Many of you would remember that Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison actually deliberately made a decision to take the commonwealth out of the discussion. And that’s why, for most of the almost decade that the coalition were in power, there wasn’t even a commonwealth housing minister.
O’Neil then also moves to the “sell” portion of her speech, plugging Labor’s promise to build 1.2m homes, and their recent pledge to open up their 5% deposit scheme.
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Housing debate begins at National Press Club
With housing now one of the biggest issues of the campaign, housing and shadow housing ministers Clare O’Neil and Michael Sukkar are going head to head on their respective policies in a debate at the national press club.
Sukkar starts with his opening address (after winning a coin toss). He says Australians have “witnessed one of the most catastrophic policy failures in a generation,” accusing Labour of building less and approving less homes.
He also accuses the government of running the “biggest migration program in a generation”.
There have been multiple fact checks on the impact that migration and international students have had on the housing crisis.
He then moves to sell his party’s policy:
Under the coalition, first-home buyers of new homes will be able to claim a tax deduction on mortgage interest for the first five years after purchasing their home. This is a monumental tilting of the scales in favour of first-home buyers.
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Report casts doubt over if Labor can achieve housing goals
New figures suggest achieving the Albanese government’s target of 1.2m new well-located homes over five years to mid-2029 is looking less and less likely.
To reach that goal, we would need to complete 240,000 homes a year, or 120,000 every six months.
Instead, over the first six months of Labor’s Housing Accord target, the ABS report shows just over 90,000 homes were built - or roughly 30,000 fewer than needed.
The building pipeline is not promising, either. In the six months to December, we started building about 86,000 homes – again well short of where we need to be.
The ABS data comes as Labor and the Coalition clash over competing visions on how to address the issue of chronically unaffordable housing.
Cameron Kusher, an independent property expert, said: “Whilst I never believed the target was going to be achievable, we’ve started off very slowly and are well behind the target already.”
With interest rates falling in 2025 we should see construction lift, but it remains difficult to see how the Housing Accord target is going to be met.
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Canadian food authority says Vegemite ‘not banned in Canada’ but formulation sold at Toronto cafe ‘did not comply’ with regulations
We’ve heard from the Canadian food regulators regarding their decision to order a cafe owner in Toronto to stop selling Vegemite.
As we brought you yesterday, Canada’s public broadcaster published a story – on Monday evening Australian time – saying the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had told dual citizen Leighton Walters he would have to stop selling and serving the yeast spread because it did not meet local standards.
The CFIA had told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the Vegemite that Walters sought to import was found to have added vitamins that were not permitted with Canadian health regulations.
Now, the CFIA has sent us a statement, which says:
We recognise Vegemite’s ties to Australian culture and the interest in having access to this product in Canada.
The CFIA is working with Health Canada on options and will maintain communications with the regulated party.
Vegemite is not banned in Canada. The Vegemite formulation that was sold at the café did not comply with Canada’s food and drug Regulations.
In comparison to a similar product, Marmite, the manufacturer of Marmite produces a version of their product that meets Canadian requirements.
This doesn’t clear up all of the confusion. While the CFIA has said Vegemite is not banned in Canada, we aren’t aware of any specifically formulated Vegemite products that don’t have B vitamins in them. You can read more here:
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Dutton says he holds no security concerns over hecklers who approached PM yesterday
A final question to Dutton goes to that video we reported earlier, of Anthony Albanese being confronted by two hecklers in the lobby of his hotel in Melbourne yesterday evening.
The video was shared across social media app Telegram, showing two separate men intercepting the prime minister as he was walking through the hotel in Melbourne’s CBD, before being stopped by the PM’s staff.
The videos were attributed on Telegram to “Melbourne Freedom Rally”, a large right-wing group which led protests against Covid restrictions during the pandemic.
He’s asked whether he has any security concerns:
No, I don’t. The police do a fantastic job … as the prime minister pointed out it is not a locked down area, he is in a public space, and I think the police do a great job.
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Dutton says PNG minister who says he wants Labor to win is a ‘colourful character’
A tad earlier in the press conference, Dutton was asked about Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister, Justin Tkatchenko, who told the ABC he wanted to see Labor win the election.
Dutton says Tkatchenko is a “colourful character” and a friend of Australia.
I know him and have for 20 years, he is doing a great job, is a colourful character and is a friend of our country… Justin is a good friend of our country and a Melburnian originally and doing a good job up there.
Tkatchenko told the ABC the relationship between PNG and Australia, “has never been stronger … and that is in all aspects – treasury, foreign affairs, defence, agriculture, fisheries.”
Dutton was asked separately whether the Coalition’s decisions, including to not want to cohost a COP climate conference, would lose the trust of Pacific nations and lead them to move towards China. Dutton says the Coalition was a “great partner” when in government.
I was part of the government who helped get vaccines to Pacific Island nations. They were unbelievably grateful for the support we provided …
When we were in government we were a great partner with many countries including some you have referred to.
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Dutton on what the Coalition is offering women
The Coalition has said itself it has a problem with women, and SMH reporter Olivia Ireland asks Peter Dutton what exactly he’s doing for women.
She says Dutton has focused on mining, construction, agriculture and energy as the four pillars of the economy, and points out that in his campaign launch speech, he only mentioned women twice – in the context of how he had protected them from domestic violence and crime. Dutton starts:
I am offering the chance for them to get a home. Homeless women are at a record level under this government ...
We have said in relation to accessing super, women who have had a messy relationship breakup, who haven’t had a home before or have no roof over the head with their kids, I want to provide that stability.
There’s a lot of back and forth over this answer. Ireland points out housing is an issue for everyone. She keeps pushing Dutton about what he’s actually doing for women working in sectors like education (which he’s consistently said is pushing a “woke” agenda) and health.
Dutton says his party would “invest more” money in those sectors. But Dutton keeps talking about women as either vulnerable (getting out of a “messy relationship”) or as mothers.
The 25 cent fuel excise reduction is targeted at women driving kids around or delivery truck drivers who are trying to make ends meet.
He comes back to housing, saying the Coalition’s housing plan will help a young family or “young professional woman who has given up on that [dream]”.
The whole answer doesn’t come off particularly well.
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Dutton refuses to say his statements risk relationship with Indonesia
Dutton is drawn back to the issue, and is asked by Tom Crowley if he has “overreached” and risks insulting Indonesia – considering the precarious global environment.
Dutton goes straight to attacking Wong again, and won’t answer the question on whether his comments could affect the relationship with Indonesia.
The fact is when you have a foreign minister and a defence minister and a prime minister finding out about decisions from our friends and countries abroad … you know this government is not up to it.
The relationship between Indonesia and Russia is closer, we know that and we want to continue [our] relationship because we don’t want Russian assets in our region.
Another reporter tests Dutton on his previous answer that the statement he made yesterday, that he had seen commentary from the Indonesian administration, was a reference to “a credible media website”. Dutton says:
I made the point earlier in relation to the reference.
Pushed again, and asked for more clarity on whether it was a mistake to say the Indonesian president confirmed those reports, Dutton says:
I have provided that respond to that exact question.
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Dutton denies comments on Russia and Indonesia were irresponsible: ‘A lot of questions the government still has to answer’
The first question, unsurprisingly, goes to Dutton’s comments on Russia and Indonesia, and the government’s claim that Dutton was “irresponsible” in those comments.
Dutton denies he was irresponsible, and says there are further questions for the government to answer.
The prospect of having Russia with the greatest presence in our region is very real and there are a lot of questions the government still has to answer. We have asked for a briefing in relation to the matter that has not been forthcoming yet.
Dutton says the relationship between Indonesia and Russia is “closer under this president”.
Dutton is asked about the reference yesterday to a statement he made from the Indonesian administration. He says:
The reference I made is to a credible military website and that talked about government sources and the Prabowo government sources …
Penny Wong talks a big game but I don’t think she is a foreign minister on top of her brief.
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Opposition leader addresses media in seat of Aston
Peter Dutton is now standing up in the seat of Aston (which the Coalition is hoping to win back, after it lost the seat to Labor in a byelection).
Dutton is also talking about his housing policy:
We will increase supply and we will make sure as we said on the weekend and repeated this policy again, allow young Australians to access their super so that they can get the deposit together. We’ll stop foreigners from purchasing homes for a 2-year period
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Both leaders have been in Melbourne this morning, before their debate on the ABC tonight.
So what have they been up to? Albanese has been at a housing estate while Peter Dutton visited the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
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Queensland MP urges colleagues to adopt ‘do-nothing strategy’ in regards to climate action
Energy is still a key issue in this election and Guardian Australia has uncovered a video of one Coalition MP telling a group of climate science deniers that blackouts are a “big opportunity”.
My colleague Ben Smee reports that, in a video posed on YouTube, Queensland MP Colin Boyce said he’d urged fellow MPs to adopt a “do-nothing strategy” which would build opposition to net zero policies.
You can read the full story right here:
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Albanese says he doesn’t want to encourage Dutton ‘dialling everything up’
Concluding that chat on ABC Melbourne this morning, Anthony Albanese is asked whether he’s been preparing some jabs or zingers to target Peter Dutton at tonight’s ABC leaders’ debate.
The prime minister questioned Dutton’s temperament:
No, no. I stick to the policy framework. I, look, Peter Dutton dials it up to 11. I don’t need to encourage that. That’s just who he is. He dials everything up. And that’s one of the problems, I think, is that you need the right temperament to be prime minister.
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Albanese says Dutton fabricated statement by Indonesian president that ‘simply did not happen’
Anthony Albanese was asked on ABC Melbourne about reports Russia had requested aircraft be based at a facility in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua, as reported by defence publication, Janes.
At a press conference yesterday, Peter Dutton questioned: “Did the prime minister know about this before it was publicly announced by the president of Indonesia, and what is the government’s response to it?”
The report has since been dismissed by the Albanese government as “simply not true” after speaking with Indonesian counterparts. The prime minister accused the opposition leader of falsely attributing the statement to Indonesia’s president.
Albanese told ABC Melbourne:
It wasn’t announced by the president of Indonesia, Indonesia having nothing to do with such a plan. They have made it very clear. [Dutton] has fabricated a statement by the ... president of Indonesia that simply did not happen, based upon goodness knows what, but based upon something that simply wasn’t fact.
The prime minister continued the attack on Dutton’s character, adding he “always shoots from the hip”:
One of Peter Dutton’s problems, just one of them, is that he always dials things up to 11. He always shoots from the hip. And when you are either the prime minister or the alternative prime minister of this country, what you need to do is to have a considered approach to our international relations.
I have had to spend this term repairing relations with friends like France, friends in Asean, in the Pacific. And what Peter Dutton has reminded people, okay, is just how reckless he can be.
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Albanese says Senate candidate who posted address of vacant house for people seeking emergency accomodation is ‘a disgrace’
As if having simultaneous press conferences isn’t enough for a Wednesday morning, Anthony Albanese also joined ABC Melbourne for a pre-recorded interview.
The prime minister was asked about an ABC report where a woman claimed the locks on her house had been changed and items stolen after a Victorian Senate candidate, Jordan van den Lamb, posted the address online encouraging people needing emergency accommodation to squat in.
Van den Lamb, better known as purplepingers online, rose to social media fame for posting about dodgy landlords and creating a database of vacant properties for his audience to squat in. Albanese was asked to respond to the ABC report:
I think he’s a disgrace ... it’s quite clearly just reprehensible, self-indulgent behaviour.
Van den Lamb told ABC he would consider an apology to the woman and did not “want her to feel bad”, adding “there are so many empty homes while people don’t have homes and I think that’s disgusting”.
Asked again later whether there is a housing crisis, Albanese said:
We need to build more homes. I don’t think anything excuses the behaviour of this Senate candidate. I’ve got to say, so I don’t want that link to be drawn, because nothing excuses that behaviour.
Both major parties released housing announcements over the weekend. Read more by Ben Smee here:
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PM says it’s important he goes into ‘uncontrolled environments’ despite hecklers
Our reporter Josh Butler asks the PM about a video that’s been released to social media, of him being confronted by a couple of people in the lobby of his hotel. Butler asks whether it makes him rethink his public appearances, and whether he knows how these protesters are finding out where the media appearances are.
Albanese says:
[It] probably wouldn’t be a good idea to broadcast [our security plans] frankly, and I have faith in the AFP, as I’ve said before, I have no intention of going into security discussions. That’s not in the interests of security.
He says nothing’s stopped him from doing other public appearances, like when he stopped at a gym on the first day of his campaign in Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson.
I’ve engaged with people ... I went for a walk around Adelaide. Adelaide mall was terrific. I went for a walk around Perth as well. And I think it’s really important, and it’s something that I’ve done. I go into uncontrolled environments.
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Chalmers insists ‘large portion’ of Labor’s announcements ‘were already budgeted for’
One of the key questions that’s followed both major parties on their housing policies is: how are they going to be paid for?
That’s put to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, who says a lot of what’s been announced has already been budgeted for.
A large portion of the announcements that we have made were already budgeted for in the budget, as you know, and where we’ve made additional announcements, we’ve made clear how much those new policies cost.
He then turns the focus to the Coalition and says they haven’t released the costings on their tax-deductible lunch policies that they announced last year.
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Albanese reiterates that Indonesia is a sovereign nation but that Australia’s relationship with it ‘has never been stronger’
Albanese is drawn back to the issue of Russia and Indonesia, and is asked about the defence ties between the two nations, and a visit which we mentioned earlier between senior Russian officials with Indonesia’s defence minister and president.
Albanese reiterates the point that the relationship between Australia and Indonesia “has never been stronger”, but that Indonesia is a sovereign nation.
There won’t be joint exercises between Australia and Russia, I assure you of that. But our relationship with Indonesia has never been stronger…
Indonesia is a sovereign nation. So we continue to put our argument about our own case and our own relationship with Indonesia. Indonesia and Russia have historically had relations that are different from Australia’s.
Pushed again on whether Australia is seeking reassurances from Indonesia that they wouldn’t allow any forces or presence of Russian aircraft, Albanese says, “We deal with diplomacy, not through media conferences, but through engagement.”
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PM claims he has evidence urgent care clinics are working to take pressure off emergency departments
Back to the PM’s presser: Labor has been plugging its urgent care clinics across the country, but a reporter asks about a report that shows the clinics haven’t reduced wait times in emergency departments (also known as EDs).
Albanese says “punters” have told him across the country the clinics are working and state and territory leaders have said they are taking pressure off EDs.
You have two reports today about urgent care clinics and about our bulk billing incentive that are completely contradicted by talking to people on the ground ... It’s taking pressure off those EDs, every state health minister is saying the same thing, labor and Liberal.
A follow up question asks Albanese whether there’s clear evidence the clinics are taking pressure off hospitals. Albanese says there is:
Yeah, I do [have evidence]. Come and talk to anyone, I’ll guarantee you this, I will be going to urgent care clinics for the next two and a half weeks and more. And you can talk to people there, talk to people there about whether they would have ended up in an emergency department.
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Dutton pledges $6m to kid’s online safety foundation
Both leaders are in Melbourne this morning, and Peter Dutton is holding a presser at the same time.
He’s talking about online safety for children, and has pledged $6m to the Alannah and Madeline foundation to protect kids from online harm.
Every parent’s nightmare is the worry that your child will end up in a difficult or traumatic circumstance because of an interaction online, which is just devastating for a family.
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PM says langauge from former Liberal government ‘not conducive’ to constructive relationship with China
Albanese is also asked about comments from the WA premier, Roger Cook, that the Liberal’s aggressive diplomacy led to economic coercion from China.
Albanese says “China is responsible” for the actions that they took, but says some of the language from the then Australian government was “not conducive” to a constructive relationship:
China is responsible. But I make this point as well that some of the rhetoric that was given by the Australian government was not conducive towards having a constructive relationship …
We have engaged in a way diplomatically, where, when our approach to China is to cooperate, where we can, to deal respectfully, to not dial things up to 11.
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Albanese says ‘no basis for assuming’ report claiming Russian request to Indonesia is true
Albanese also won’t clarify whether a request was ever made by Russia to Indonesia.
He’s asked first whether the commentary out of Russia was an act of misinformation by Russia to interfere in this election. Albanese says:
What I know is that there’s no statement from the Indonesian president, and what Peter Dutton said was not true.
He’s pushed by another reporter whether that report from a defence publication was true or not.
You’re assuming the Janes report is correct. And there is no basis for you assuming that … I’m saying, I’ll act diplomatically with our friends in Indonesia. That’s what I’m saying.
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Chalmers: ‘disqualifying moment’ from Dutton
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also digs into Dutton’s comments yesterday, calling the opposition leader “risky” and “reckless”:
Peter Dutton is too risky and too reckless to be the prime minister of a great country like ours. He is temperamentally unfit to manage our relationships in the world and to manage our economy here at home and Australians will pay for his recklessness …
What we saw yesterday was a disqualifying moment from Peter Dutton when it came to the comments that he made about the Indonesian president. It is a disqualifying moment whenever he lies in ways that are bordering on the pathological about the Australian economy.
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Albanese says Dutton ‘always overreaching’
Albanese adds a criticism of Peter Dutton on the reports of Russia requesting permission to use Indonesia’s air base to his preamble. He also accuses Dutton of having “verballed” the Indonesian president, and says there was “extraordinary overreach” from the opposition leader.
He verballed the president of Indonesia…
What we saw yesterday was Peter Dutton doing what he does consistently, which is always, always overreaching, always dialling it up to 11. But in this case, being quite reckless, quite reckless, with a neighbour of Australia that is an important neighbour and friend of Australia.
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Albanese starts day in Deakin electorate in Melbourne
Anthony Albanese is in Melbourne this morning, standing up in front of another housing site.
That of course means the government’s housing plan is still their focus of the day, ahead of the leaders’ debate tonight.
Albanese is in the seat of Deakin, which is held by the Liberals on a super tight margin.
28,000 homes under the housing Australia Future Fund are either in under construction, like these ones here or in planning.
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Independent for Watson places Labor ahead of Liberals on how-to-vote card – though both far below the Greens
An independent challenging the Western Sydney seat of Watson has released his how-to-vote card, putting Labor ahead of the Liberals, but both far down on the preference list.
Western Sydney is facing a challenge from independents, some campaigning heavily on the government’s response to the war in Gaza.
The seat of Watson is very safe Labor territory, and has been held by cabinet minister Tony Burke for more than 20 years. Burke’s margin at the last election was 15.2%
But independent candidate Dr Ziad Basyouny poses a threat.
Basyouny has released his how to vote card – putting the Greens second on the ticket, then Burke in sixth and the Liberal candidate in seventh. The trumpet of patriots candidate has been put fourth.
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Kremlin refuses to comment on Indonesian airbase report
The Kremlin declined to comment, when asked on Tuesday about the media report that Russia had asked Indonesia for permission to base its aircraft on its territory, saying there was a lot of “fake news” around, Reuters reports.
Defence publication Janes reported that Jakarta had received an official request from Moscow, seeking permission for Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) aircraft to be based at a facility in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the report: “There are a lot of different pieces of fake news around, publications in the media, including those that relate to sensitive areas. But in this case we are not commenting on such publications.”
Anthony Albanese confirmed yesterday the Australian government was seeking clarity on the report, and Richard Marles and Penny Wong both said this morning they were told there would be no Russian air force planes based in Indonesia.
Russia has friendly relations with Indonesia, with which it conducted joint naval exercises last year.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian security council secretary, visited Indonesia to discuss security and defence issues in February. Russia’s deputy prime minister, Denis Manturov, met Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, according to a local television report.
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Jane Hume claims Wong ‘blindsided’ by Russia-Indonesia air base reports
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, also joined ABC News Breakfast this morning, and says Wong was “blindsided” by the reports of Russia requesting access to Indonesia’s bases for their aircraft.
Hume was asked about Wong and Marles’ accusations of Peter Dutton verballing the Indonesian president and calling him “aggro” and “reckless”. Hume said it was a “bizarre” comment:
That was a bizarre comment. It sounds very defensive from a Foreign Minister. Clearly, she was blindsided by this report and has been on the back foot since. We’re not going to apologise for having a strong leader that will stand up for national interests
Hume was also asked about leaked footage on social media, reported by News.com, of the shadow education minister, Sarah Henderson, telling an event that free Tafe is “not working”.
The Coalition voted against the government’s legislation to extend free Tafe places near the end of last year.
Hume claims that completion rates are “extraordinarily low” and says the Coalition’s policy is to support businesses to take on apprentices.
We don’t believe that fee-free Tafe is delivering on its promise. People are starting courses. They’re not finishing courses. If you’ve got an unsuccessful policy, why would you continue it?
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Marles refuses to confirm if Russia made a request to Indonesia over air bases
Marles has confirmed this morning he’s spoken with his defence counterpart in Indonesia, who has assured him there will be no Russian aircraft on Indonesian bases.
However, the government has remained coy on whether the Russians actually put a request on the table to the Indonesians in the first place.
On the Today show, Karl Stefanovic asks that very question to Marles, who wouldn’t confirm whether a request existed.
It was made… clear to me that reports of a prospect of a Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are completely false, and that Indonesia has no intention of doing this whatsoever. And obviously, that is very good news from our point of view.
Stefanovic tried to push again:
Stefanovic: …Did Russia put the air base on the table or not?
Marles: Well, I mean, Russia we know Russia is active in the region. We know that they have conversations with people … And I’m not about to go through the details of this in the media, unlike what Peter Dutton sought to do yesterday.
Marles goes hard again on Dutton, saying, “I cannot overstate the dangerous nature of an alternative prime minister of this country seeking to put words in the mouth of the president of Indonesia, which turned out to be completely wrong”.
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Paterson says Australia should be proactive, not reactive when it comes to Russian presence in the Pacific
Cannane puts the question he put to Marles about whether there’s discomfort over Indonesia’s relationship with Russia – particularly as the war in Ukraine continues.
Paterson says Indonesia is a “sovereign country” and Australia can’t “dictate to them who they can meet with”.
He adds that the meeting between Russian official Sergei Shoigu and Indonesia’s defence minister and president earlier this year, shows the “importance” Russia places on that relationship:
Russia is obviously placing very great weight on the importance of this relationship. They’re in the middle of their largest war since the end of world war two, and they sent their defence minister to Indonesia to meet with Indonesian officials.
That shows how serious they are about establishing a presence in our region, and it shows why we should take it seriously and why we need to be proactive, not reactive, as the government appears to be.
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Paterson says Labor still has questions to answer over Indonesian and Russian matter
Following Marles, Coalition campaign spokesperson and shadow home affairs minister James Paterson appears on RN Breakfast.
Paterson says he “welcomes” the clarification but believes there are still questions for the Albanese government to answer.
There are some still some unanswered questions about this, and the particularly important one is, what did the Albanese government know? When did they know it?
Steve Cannane asks Paterson about his own leader’s comments that Wong and Marles have heavily criticised this morning. Paterson says:
Well, Peter [Dutton] was referring to media reports in a breaking news story. At that stage, we’d not yet been briefed. In fact, we still haven’t been briefed, even though we’re entitled to be briefed under the caretaker provisions on sensitive foreign policy.
He then attacks the prime minister for confusing the defence force and border force over who was monitoring a Chinese research vessel sitting off the coast of Australia.
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Marles waves off Russia-Indonesia meeting and says what’s important is Australia and Indonesia’s bilateral ties
Cannane asks whether Marles feels uncomfortable that Sergei Shoigu, a high-level Russian official, met with Indonesia’s president and defence minister in February.
Marles says Russia and Indonesia have had a longstanding relationship, so “there’s no news in that”, and points to Indonesia using “Russian kit” in their defence force. He says what important is that Australia is strengthening ties with Indonesia and the broader region.
What’s important is that we, in terms of our bilateral relationship with Indonesia, are taking it forward to a place that it hasn’t been before. The defence cooperation agreement that we signed with Indonesia last year, that I signed with my then counterpart, now president, is an enormous step forward in terms of our bilateral relationship.
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Marles says Indonesia told him ‘no prospect of any Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia’
Richard Marles has joined RN Breakfast, and won’t confirm whether there was a request from Russia to Indonesia, but says he’s been told there is “no prospect of any Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia”.
Marles confirms he’s spoken to his counterpart in Indonesia, and also attacks Dutton over his comments yesterday that there had been a statement released from the Indonesian administration.
Indonesia’s position is that there is no prospect of [Russian aircraft] operating from Indonesia. And that was made unequivocally clear to me, and that is entirely consistent with the relationship that we have built with Indonesia.
Marles says the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is strong, “we are enjoying, I think, the best relationship that we’ve ever had with with Indonesia”。
Host Steve Cannane asks Marles whether his counterpart told him if there was an approach made by Russia. Marles won’t bite.
Well, I’m not going to go into the details of the conversation beyond what I have said, which is that Indonesia is unequivocal in the fact that there won’t be, there won’t be Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia. And it is important that I’m not canvassing that in the public domain.
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Albanese confronted by hecklers overnight
Anthony Albanese and his team were confronted by two hecklers in their Melbourne hotel overnight, again raising questions about the safety and security of political leaders.
In video shared across social media app Telegram, two separate men managed to intercept the prime minister as he was walking through the hotel in Melbourne’s CBD on Tuesday afternoon. Both were quickly stopped by security and Albanese’s staff before they could reach the prime minister, but managed to get relatively close.
The videos were attributed on Telegram to “Melbourne Freedom Rally”, a large right-wing group which led protests against Covid restrictions during the pandemic. The group claimed credit for having “encountered” Albanese in his hotel and “asked a question on behalf of the Australian people”; other alt-right influencers and prominent groups shared the video on Telegram and other channels.
One man asked about Australians “unable to afford housing”, asking the prime minister loudly “when are you going to put Australians first?” In the second clip, which appears to be filmed around the same time as the first but in a different part of the hotel, the other man asked Albanese from a distance about “the rise in immigration”, questioning “do you think it’s fair?”
In the first video, filmed in the hotel lobby, the man approaches Albanese, who is accompanied by one security guard and a staffer; filming with a phone, the man manages to get within a few metres of the prime minister and ask his question, before Albanese’s team create a physical barrier and several more security guards arrive to escort the man from the building.
In the second video, Albanese is heading for a lift inside the hotel when a second man spots him. Also filming on his phone, the man yells to the prime minister who is some distance away, before also being quickly shut down by security.
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Wong: ‘no confirmation’ that Russia approached Indonesia
Wong is continuing her run of morning interviews, and accuses Dutton again of having “fabricated a statement by the President of Indonesia… in order to make a political point.”
On Sunrise, Wong is asked whether, as Dutton claimed, that she should have known about Russia’s reported request to Indonesia. Wong refutes that:
There’s a report of a request. We have confirmed that Indonesia is not contemplating any Russian aircraft operating in its territory.
Asked again whether Wong knew if Russia had approached Indonesia, Wong says:
We have not got confirmation of that approach. So, I just want to be really clear. We have not got confirmation of that approach. What we have is a report, which we have confirmed, from the Indonesians, that it is not correct to assert that there has been any contemplation of a Russian base.
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What were Dutton's 'extraordinary' claims on Indonesia?
Just a quick recap, the “verballing” Wong is accusing Peter Dutton of was from his comments to ABC Afternoon Briefing yesterday.
Dutton told host Patricia Karvelas that if “negotiations were taking place, then surely Australia would have been consulted”, and if not, that would have been a “catastrophic failure”.
Karvelas pushed Dutton on whether the president had announced this, or whether there were any public statements on the issue. Dutton said:
There’s commentary I have seen reported from the Indonesian spokesperson. That’s obviously come from the administration. There are reports of negotiations or discussions that have taken place between Russia and Indonesia.
Pushing again, Karvelas asks, “Where have you seen the Indonesian president confirm this? Aren’t you verballing him? He hasn’t talked publicly about it”.
Dutton digs in:
There’s comment that’s come out of the administration, out of the Prabowo administration ...
Dutton says it a third time, that there are “public reports”:
There’s public reports in relation to the claim that’s been made. There’s been a lot of activity between Russia and China and Indonesia, et cetera. That’s a matter of public record.
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Wong says Trump tariffs changing relationships around the globe
Wong is also asked about whether Trump’s tariffs are pushing some countries across south-east Asia into the arms of China.
Wong says first, the government is against the tariffs and says, like the PM has, that they’re an “act of economic self-harm”. But she does concede the tariffs are changing relationships across the globe.
This does alter American America’s relationships with countries around the world. You’ve seen that in Australia. And you are seeing that in our region. What we have to keep doing is to keep engaging and keep working at those relationships … Australia’s security and prosperity lie in our region.
Host James Glenday puts a final question to Wong, asking whether she’ll retire after her term expires in 2028 (state senators get six year terms, so she’s not up for reelection this year).
Wong says a very sharp “no”, and adds “but thank you for asking”.
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Wong says Dutton ‘fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president’
As I mentioned a moment ago, Penny Wong has come out swinging against Peter Dutton over his response to reports yesterday that Russia had requested access to Indonesian bases for its aircraft.
Wong and the deputy PM, Richard Marles, are doing a round of interviews this morning, starting on ABC News Breakfast.
Wong says she and Marles engaged through “appropriate channels” while Dutton “fabricated a statement”:
We engaged through the appropriate channels - that is, me to the foreign minister, the defence minister to the defence minister, as well as at diplomatic levels, and very quickly we gained the confirmation.
Peter Dutton fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president. Now, this is an extraordinary thing for a man who wants to be the prime minister to do - to actually try and verbal the president of Indonesia in order to make a domestic political point. He is simply too reckless and too aggro.
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Good morning from Krishani
Krishani Dhanji here with you, many thanks to Martin Farrer for starting us off.
The government has confirmed Indonesia will not allow Russia to base several long-range aircraft. Yesterday the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said it would be a “catastrophic failure” if the foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the deputy PM and defence minister, Richard Marles, weren’t aware of those reports before they were leaked. But this morning, Wong came out swinging against Dutton – accussing him of “fabricating” a statement by the Indonesian president. We’ll be following that issue all morning.
And as Martin mentioned, tonight is the second leaders debate. No doubt both Albanese and Dutton will be in full prep mode for that today.
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Debate hype or real impacts? Will Albanese v Dutton change any minds?
As Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton prepare for tonight’s leaders debate, we have been speaking to a few people who have been close to these events over recent years in order to gauge how important they are.
Yaron Finkelstein, who was Scott Morrison’s principal private secretary, tells Dan Jervis-Bardy that for all the hype surrounding leaders’ debates, the contests rarely shifted votes.
“It’s high stakes in the sense they [leaders] think that a mistake will be fatal, because there is a lot of debate hype,” Finkelstein said.
“But of course, as we know, it becomes about the commentary later. But it’s never had a real impact on how people vote. It might reinforce what you already thought, but [it] rarely switches votes.”
Read Dan’s full article here:
Greens plan to double length of paid paternity leave
The Greens want to double the length of paid parental leave (PPL) and lift the payment rate to a replacement wage in an election pitch to young families.
New parents are currently able to access 22 weeks of commonwealth-funded PPL, which will rise to 24 weeks in July and 26 weeks in 2026.
Campaigning in Brisbane on Wednesday, the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, and Greens spokesperson on women, Larissa Waters, will call for a major expansion scheme at a cost of $7.7bn over the forward estimates.
The Greens’ plan would double the length of PPL to 52 weeks by 2030, with superannuation to be paid on payments for the entire year.
The party also wants to increase the payment - currently $915.80 per five-day week - to the equivalent wage of the parent taking time off work to care for their child. The government would fund up to $100,000 of the replacement wage, with their employer required to cover any amount above that.
The scheme would also be made available to PhD students, under the Greens’ proposal. Waters said:
In this cost of living crisis, trying to balance the household budget with a newborn has never been harder.
It’s time parents are rewarded, not penalised, for dedicating themselves to the precious first year of a baby’s life.
Greens open to negotiation with Labor in event of hung parliament, Bandt says
There’s more from the Greens after their leader, Adam Bandt, said last night he is open to changes to policies around housing and other key negotiation issues with Labor in the event of a hung parliament.
Bandt – who is campaigning in Brisbane this week in an attempt to hold the three Greens seats in the state – told ABC’s 7.30 last night that the housing policies announced in the election by the two major parties are “a house fire” but the Greens wouldn’t stand in the way of Labor’s policies in parliament.
He said big changes were needed around capital gains, and the Greens have put on the table “a sensible way of defusing that John Howard time bomb” if negotiations on guaranteeing supply in parliament with a minority Labor government are held after 3 May.
He said the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had not told him privately he would support changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing after ruling it out publicly. But Bandt pointed to Labor saying there would be no changes to the stage-3 tax cuts before making changes to the policy.
He said the Greens would enter negotiations with an open mind and flagged potential changes to policy positions:
I think that’s how it would have to work, because we have the situation in a moment … where less than 1 in 3 people are voting for the government, a bit more than 1 in 3 are voting for the opposition and about 1 in 3 people in the country are voting for someone else.
We have one of the most diverse parliaments we’ve had for some time and I think that’s going to grow at this election. And with more voices at the table, it means ideas like this can get put on the table and I think the flip side of that is that if we’re in a parliament where no-one’s got a majority, there’s an obligation on us to cooperate and work together to get outcomes for people …
He said leaving Aukus or holding an inquiry into the partnership would not be part of negotiations, as he said that was an argument the Greens can win on its merits in the next parliament. He said a native logging ban was also achievable.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the top overnight stories and then Krishani Dhanji will be along to take the wheel.
Energy is back at the top of the election agenda this morning with our story that a Coalition MP told a gathering of climate deniers that there was a “big political opportunity” to be made from power outages. “If I had my way I’d be building coal-fired power stations, full stop, that’s what I’d be doing,” Colin Boyce told the group. But that political opening could backfire as a group of international experts say the Coalition’s nuclear plans could leave the grid more vulnerable to blackouts, not less.
The big set-piece campaign event of the day is the second round of Anthony Albanese v Peter Dutton as the leaders of the two main parties face off at 8pm tonight at the ABC’s Parramatta studios. It is the second of four election leaders’ debates – Labor’s man was judged to have won the first one last week – but campaign veterans doubt whether the televised event will have any impact on voters. More coming up.
Perhaps not wishing to be overshadowed, the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, was on 7.30 last night to spruik his party’s chances. He told the program that, in the event of a hung parliament, he would be willing to negotiate with Anthony Albanese on key policy areas such as housing and tax reform. With the share of votes won by the major parties declining, he said more cooperation was needed to achieve reforms. More coming up.
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