What we learned, Thursday 17 April
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – many thanks for being with us. Here are all the main takeaways from day 21 on the campaign trail:
Peter Dutton clarified his stance on climate change after saying “I’m not a scientist” when asked if we are seeing the impacts of climate change during last night’s debate. He told reporters today: “I believe in climate change and that is a reality”.
Anthony Albanese said he had been “stunned” by the opposition leader’s comments, adding: “I don’t know what it takes to give a wake-up call to the Coalition.”
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said negative gearing changes were “not something that we are proposing” – and that the government gets “advice from the Treasury on issues that are in the public domain”.
This comes after Albanese said during last night’s debate the government had not commissioned modelling on negative gearing.
Dutton, however, repeated his claim that Labor wants to make changes to negative gearing – something it has ruled out. Former MP Malcolm Turnbull also weighed in and said negative gearing is examined by every government.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has doubled down on her “make Australia great again” comment from last weekend in an opinion piece for the Australian.
Bridget McKenzie, who’s yesterday walked back comments she made to the ABC on Russia and China, misidentified which Chinese leader called the PM a “handsome boy” on breakfast television this morning.
The Coalition announced a $260m plan to establish 12 new technical colleges to get students from years 10 to 12 learning trades, as it attacked fee-free Tafe.
Dutton said he wants to end bracket creep by indexing personal income rates – calling this an “aspiration” rather than a firm promise.
Australia’s unemployment rate remained at a low 4.1% in March.
Thanks for following along today, and enjoy your long weekend.
Updated
1.7 million people watched last night’s leaders’ debate
The second leaders’ debate held on the ABC last night was watched by 1.7 million people across live TV and streaming on iview, according to ABC figures.
The Insiders: Debate Analysis Special which followed last night’s event had a national TV audience of 748,000.
The debate, which was also available live in Auslan on ABC iview, was also listened to on ABC Local Radio and ABC News Radio, and across the day the ABC News website and app had 2.2 million users.
There were 167,000 live streams on the ABC News YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts. ABC managing director Hugh Marks said:
The ABC was honoured to host such a significant national conversation and to be able to put the questions and concerns of Australians directly to our leaders. We can see that people tuned in to the debate on TV, radio or online wherever they were in the country.
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Paterson asked about Turnbull’s tweet on negative gearing
James Paterson was also asked about Malcolm Turnbull’s tweet earlier today, saying that “negative gearing is examined by every government”.
The opposition has been asking questions about whether Labor investigated negative gearing – did this also happen when there was a Coalition government? Paterson responded:
Well, I’m not asking for the prime minister not to consider negative gearing. If that’s what he wants to do he’s welcome to do that. What I’m asking is the prime minister be honest about it, and clearly he wasn’t honest about it in the debate last night. He said his government did not seek any advice from Treasury on this issue.
His own treasurer standing next to him today had to admit in fact they did seek advice on this. When a smooth talker like Jim Chalmers can’t find a way to extricate the prime minister from his lie, I think that speaks volumes.
Paterson argued that the PM had “lied about tax before,” pointing to changes to the stage-three tax cuts.
But does he support the idea that governments ask for different advice, just like the Turnbull government did? Paterson replied:
Yes, governments seek advice. When they do so, they should be honest about it, and the prime minister hasn’t been.
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Paterson asked if Coalition should be held to this same standard?
Continuing from our last post: James Paterson was asked if the Coalition should be held to this same standard – with Peter Dutton making comments over the Indonesian president and Bridget McKenzie making claims about China and Russia.
Paterson turned the focus back on Labor and said briefings on these matters would be helpful:
I would be very grateful if the government would abide by the caretaker conventions and provide the briefings so the opposition has an equal picture about what is going on here.
He was pressed on the question again – should there be this same obligation on the Coalition – and said:
Of course there’s an obligation on all of us to get the facts right and to be informed of the fact, none more so than the prime minister.
Paterson continued, arguing that politicians are thrown questions during an election and need to respond to breaking news, often with “incomplete pictures”.
Occasionally people misspeak, it’s not unknown in government or in opposition. But one thing that would be helpful – and I think in the national interest – is to make sure we have access to those briefings so we have an equal opportunity to be informed about things being developed.
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Paterson defends Coalition commentary when asked if it should be more ‘cautious’
The Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, James Paterson, is also up on ABC Afternoon Briefing where he was asked if the Coalition needs to be more cautious with its commentary going forward, and not “jumping too quickly.”
Paterson replied that it is “important that leaders in government get the details right.”
I was concerned when the prime minister first said the Chinese government gave us adequate notice of the live-firing exercise in the Tasman Sea. That turned out not to be true.
I was also concerned when he claimed he heard from the ADF around the same time he heard from the Virgin Australia pilot those exercises were being conducted. That subsequently turned out not to be true.
And I was concerned when he said the Chinese research vessel was being tracked in the Australian waters by the Australian Defence Force, when it was in fact being tracked by the Australian Border Force.
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Scamps weighs in on negative gearing debate
Asked if there needs to be reform to negative gearing in the next parliament, Sophie Scamps said there was “broad agreement this country does need tax reform”.
There’s a lot of issues that our tax reform needs to face. We need to do it holistically and do it all at once, not just picking off bits here and there …
I think that debate around housing, people are genuinely concerned about where their children are going to live. I had a conversation with a dad this morning, he’s got four children in their 20s, they’re all still at home, and he doesn’t think they’ll be able to move out any time soon, or live on the Northern Beaches.
It’s breaking up families and networks. We’re going to have a society where we don’t have the key workers that we need living in our suburbs.
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Teal independent reacts to Dutton’s comments on climate change
The independent MP for Mackellar, Sophie Scamps, is up on ABC Afternoon Briefing to weigh in on Peter Dutton’s comments regarding climate change.
She described his comments at last night’s debate as “concerning” and said he seemed to give an “evasive slippery answer”.
In case you missed the debate: Dutton was asked if we are seeing the impacts of climate change, and answered that he is “not a scientist”. He clarified the comments at a press conference today and said “I believe in climate change and that is a reality”.
On his comments last night, Scamps said:
I think he was asked very specifically about climate change and how he would act on it. Instead he tried to fudge it and say he didn’t know what the weather was like in a particular place at a particular time. There is a very clear consensus globally about trends – not about weather – about global trends on climate. There is this consensus around global warming over our land, in our oceans, increased frequency and ferocity of extreme weather events. That’s irrefutable. To not come out and claim that was a bit slippery.
Here is what Dutton said at last night’s debate:
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Expert calls for more focus on retrofitting in major parties housing policies
One expert has weighed in on the major parties housing policies, saying the discussion around cost has “largely overlooked” the need to improve the quality of existing housing.
Dr Trivess More, an associate professor of the school of property, construction and project management at RMIT, said more support is needed in this election for retrofitting – AKA making a house more sustainable.
He said this funding needs to “go beyond just funding solar panels and residential battery storage for households”.
This is important given the majority of existing housing will still be here when we need to achieve our 2050 decarbonisation goals.
Dr More said programs already exist to deliver this type of retrofit – through government support programs and tools like the residential scorecard.
The problem is that not everyone can easily access this support and often renters and low-income households are overlooked or do not have the upfront resources to participate.
The recent announcement by the Victorian government to fund ceiling insulation retrofit is a good development, but we need more support from all levels of government to support an equitable retrofit revolution.
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Sex discrimination commissioner reacts to UK ruling on definition of woman
Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner, Dr Anna Cody, has issued a statement of support for the transgender community after the UK supreme court ruled that trans women are not included as “women” under the UK’s Equality Act.
Cody said that trans and gender diverse people “should be safe, respected and legally recognised”.
The laws in the UK are not the laws of Australia. Our laws should reflect inclusion, respect and the right of all people to live with dignity.
Trans and gender diverse people are a vital part of our community, and this moment reminds us that we must continue to advocate for the full enjoyment of human rights for all in our communities here in Australia, not retreat from it.
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Beachgoers urged to take care in the water over long weekend
Moving away from the election campaign for a moment: Beachgoers in NSW are being urged to take care this long weekend, with warm conditions and hazardous surf forecast.
Warm conditions are forecast across the state and a hazardous surf warning is also in place statewide. This Easter long weekend also coincides with the middle of school holidays, the minister for emergency services, Jihad Dib, noted in a statement.
There are more than 20,000 volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards across the state, and I want to thank them for their contribution this holiday weekend and right across the summer.
Volunteer lifesaver flags will come down across NSW on Sunday 27 April, at the end of the Anzac Day long weekend.
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Liberal candidate takes aim at welcome to country and transgender sports participation
A Liberal candidate has claimed Australians are sick of Indigenous welcome to country practices during an interview where he also attacked gender-neutral toilets and transgender sports participation.
David Lamerton, who is running in the south Canberra electorate of Bean, made a series of controversial remarks during an interview with The Canberra Times, published this afternoon.
Lamerton, a veteran who has embraced the practice of acknowledging defence personnel at public events, said Australia is sick of “virtue signalling” around Aboriginal acknowledgment of country practices and said he did not want to be “welcomed to my own country”.
He said he wanted to push back against the use of “unceded” during acknowledgments of country. He told the Canberra Times:
Here we go … where does it stop? A lot of people, they implicitly roll their eyes or they just, they’re just sick of it. But I’m starting to push back on this, as are a lot of people, to say that enough is enough when it comes to this.
Updated
Good afternoon! Emily Wind here, I’ll be with you on the blog for the next few hours.
That’s it from me today, thanks so much for hanging out on the blog.
I’ll leave you with the fabulous Emily Wind to bring you all the news this afternoon, and I’ll catch you next week, bright and early!
Updated
Measles warning issued for greater Melbourne area
Stepping away from the campaign for a moment, Victoria’s chief health officer has issued a health update, warning of an increased risk of measles in the greater Melbourne area.
Dr Tarun Weeramanthri says a number of new exposure sites have been identified, and a growing number of measles cases have acquired their infection locally in Victoria.
He also says there’s an ongoing risk of measles being imported into the state by travellers returning from overseas or interstate.
You can see the full warning and list of exposure sites in greater Melbourne and Gippsland here.
Updated
Australia drops in OECD development assistance rankings
Australia is one of the least generous countries when it comes to aid, Oxfam says, after Australia dropped in the rankings of OECD development assistance.
The OECD ranks aid from 33 countries in the development assistance committee by the amount of money spent and money spent as a proportion of GNI (gross national income).
International aid from official donors fell in 2024 for the first time in five years, data showed, by 7.1% in real terms. In 2023, Australia ranked 14th on total aid, providing US$3.25bn, and ranked 27th in proportions spending only 0.19% of GNI.
The latest data shows Australia’s ranking remains 14th, providing US$3.32bn, but fell two places to 29th with a proportion of 0.19%.
Oxfam Australia’s acting chief executive, Dr Chrisanta Muli, called on the government to keep pace with other countries, and said Australia “continues to lag behind on aid” in a world of “increased and growing need”:
Australia continues to be among the least generous countries when it comes to aid and has in fact fallen two places in a ranking of OECD countries. Outside of the OECD, Australia trails behind countries like Malta and Croatia who give more as a proportion of their economies.
We are calling for the next Australian government to lift its aid contribution from 0.65% to 1% of overall spending so we can meet the challenges we are facing both in the region and beyond.
As a comparison, in 2024, Norway spent 1.02% of GNI on official development aid, while the US was ranked first on overall spend, providing US$63.3bn in aid that year. (This, of course, is prior to Donald Trump’s sweeping aid cuts in early 2025).
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Today on the campaign trail, through the lens
You never know what might happen in a public place on the election trail, but it seems like there were all smiles at the Paddo, a pub in Brisbane where Albanese and Chalmers made a stopover this afternoon.
But like this ball, the election is still up in the air for both parties (sorry, not sorry).
Meanwhile, in the Hunter, Peter Dutton is fuelling up again (a truck, that is) at another petrol station. I’ve lost count now of how many he’s visited!
Updated
It’s been a long week (which if you’re getting the Easter weekend off, is now mostly over) and a fair bit has happened over the last few days of the campaign.
If you haven’t been following every second of the campaign – or need to relive it – James Colley has done the hard yards for you and has all the key moments from the week. You can watch it here:
Updated
Labor matches Coalition pledge of $6m to the Alannah and Madeline foundation for student digital literacy
Labor has announced a reelected Albanese government will fund digital literacy for school children with $6m to be provided to the Alannah and Madeline foundation.
The eSmart program, which 100,000 students have already been through to receive a digital licence, is for children aged 10 to 14 to teach digital literacy skills like being respectful online, using social media and protecting their privacy.
It’s unclear if the program will need to change as the children in the age group covered by the program are facing being banned from using social media under the federal government’s policy by December this year.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said:
Keeping children safe online is a priority of the Albanese government and we are continuing to invest in the tried-and-tested tools.
Digital and media literacy are critical skills for all students and this funding ensures schools have the resources to empower young people to stay safe online.
No parent and no school should have to pay to get access to the evidence-based resources needed to keep children safe. This is why we have supported the eSmart initiative in 2022, and why we are proud to continue to do so.
The Coalition also announced $6m for the foundation yesterday.
Updated
Turnbull: ‘negative gearing is examined by every government’
The former PM (and well-known lover of weighing in on political issues) Malcolm Turnbull has weighed into the issue of how the government received advice on negative gearing and capital gains tax.
The opposition has accused the prime minister of lying over advice that the Treasury department provided to the government on negative gearing. The PM last night denied the government had done modelling, and Chalmers said today he “sought a view” from his department on issues that were in “the public domain” around September last year.
Turnbull has gone to X (formerly Twitter) to say that “negative gearing is examined by every government”:
OK, to save time – negative gearing is examined by every government. It is a major tax concession and always contentious and so it is always looked at – what does it cost? What would particular changes mean in terms of revenue and housing affordability[?]
There are many pages in my memoir describing the detailed consideration of negative gearing that went on in my government in which Peter Dutton was a cabinet minister.
Okay to save time - negative gearing is examined by every government. It is a major tax concession and always contentious and so it is always looked at - what does it cost? What would particular changes mean in terms of revenue and housing affordability. There are many pages in…
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) April 17, 2025
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Price calls media ‘obsessed’ with Trump
Nampijinpa Price also turned her sights on the media, who she accused of being “obsessed” with Trump over the weekend.
Although the media asked me whether my comments were an endorsement of Trumpian policy, they didn’t want to know the answer. Because despite my unequivocal answer that the Coalition would govern Australia for Australians, those comments didn’t make the headlines because they didn’t fit the separatist narrative.”
In her opinion piece, the senator claimed the media was “dumbing down” the comment she made by linking it to Trump’s rally cry.
Guardian Australia revealed on Sunday Nampijinpa Price had posted an image wearing a “make America great again” Christmas hat with her partner in December 2024, while holding a mini Trump tree decoration. Nampijinpa Price clarified the items had been gifts.
As an aside, the media also bears the burden of having made gifts I got at Christmas somehow more important than the cost-of-living crisis.
You can read more on that story here:
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Jacinta Nampijinpa Price doubles down on 'Make Australia Great Again' slogan
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has doubled down on her “make Australia great again” comment made over the weekend - echoing the slogan Donald Trump popularised in his presidential election campaigns.
In an opinion piece in The Australia earlier today, the outspoken Northern Territory senator accused the media of a “pile-on” and “dumbing down” the statement by querying its association with the US president.
While the Coalition signalled intentions to enact Trump-like policies – such as slashing “government waste” and diversity and inclusion roles – before the election was called, Peter Dutton and his frontbench have sought to distance themselves from comparisons in the wake of the US administration’s unpopular decision to place tariffs on Australian exports.
On Saturday, Nampijinpa Price told a party rally she wanted to “make Australia great again” before finishing with the Coalition’s actual campaign slogan to “get Australia back on track”.
The opposition’s Indigenous affairs spokesperson wrote today “what I meant by that was exactly what I said” and “I want our country’s trajectory to begin to point true north again ... dare I say it, greatness”.
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Dutton says ‘I won’t be able to meet every Australian’ and claims coal necessary to ‘keep the lights on’
While Dutton is an area that’s been slated for a nuclear site, he hasn’t actually visited the coal-fired power station that would be replaced under the Coalition’s plan.
A reporter asks why he hasn’t visited one, and whether he’ll meet residents in those areas who are concerned about earthquakes as well as what will happen to those areas between coal plants shutting down and nuclear coming online.
He says he can’t meet everyone.
I want to be clear about that. I won’t be able to meet every Australian.
Dutton cites other countries like France, Canada and the UK who all generate nuclear power and says there will be opportunities through nuclear to create new jobs.
He also says Labor have been forced to keep coal-fired power stations going to keep the lights on:
You have seen Labor extending the life of coal-fired power stations and will see … the government extending [them] more because they know that if they don’t, the lights are going out. This is the problem.
Those who work in the coal sector know that there is almost 80% transfer of those skills into the construction and operating phase [of nuclear].
Updated
Dutton rules out changes to GST
Dutton is asked whether he would consider any other tax reform like changes to the goods and services tax.
The opposition leader says “no”.
No in relation to GST is the answer… The indexation of tax brackets is … a fundamental change in the system but it is not replacing the income tax system with a new system.
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Dutton avoids questions over migration and staffing levels in aged and disability care
The Coalition has promised to cut permanent migration levels and Dutton is asked about whether there will also be a cut in aged care and NDIS workers from overseas. There have been calls to expand programs to get more care workers into the country to deal with staff shortages.
Dutton doesn’t exactly answer the question, and says that he sat down with the government to support “sensible reforms”.
He says the Coalition wants to have a “well-managed migration program to prioritise the workers who are required for a system”, and adds that the Coalition has also promised to cut international students to deal with the housing crisis.
Updated
Dutton claims tech companies like Apple and Microsoft willing to spend billions on nuclear-powered data centres
Dutton says companies like Apple and Microsoft are willing to spend billions of dollars on data centres that can be attached to nuclear plants. He says the plants can “rejuvenate” areas where coal fired power stations are being retired.
He cites data centres in the US where those tech companies are having conversations with nuclear power providers:
The beauty of an investment like nuclear into the Hunter region for example is you can attract the data centres which is exactly what is happening in the US. Apple and Oracle and Microsoft, or these companies are willing to spend tens of billions of dollars but they are only having conversations with nuclear power providers.
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Dutton on Labor’s legislated tax cuts
Dutton is asked whether the Coalition will still repeal the tax cut top-ups that were legislated during budget week, that will come into effect in 2026. Dutton repeats the line that the cuts only save 70 cents a day for taxpayers.
He plugs the fuel excise cut and $1,200 one-off tax offset that the Coalition has promised as better options.
Updated
Dutton asserts he would be able to get a deal with Trump
Where would we be without some questions on Donald Trump?
Picking up on Dutton’s comments from last night that he doesn’t know Donald Trump, but would still be able to secure a better deal for Australia, Dutton is asked whether he “trusts” the US president.
Dutton won’t say either way if he trusts Trump, and reiterates that he’ll “work with whoever is in the oval office”:
I demonstrated my capacity to work with the Obama administration, we worked closely with the Biden administration… [there’s] a lot we have done in the defence and security space as I did as defence minister when negotiating the Aukus deal underpinning the security for the next century and we will work with the Trump Administration.
He turns back to criticising the US ambassador, Kevin Rudd, calling him a “persona non grata” with the Trump administration. He adds: “I suspect in that relationship there is very little trust.”
Asked again why he’d be able to get a deal if he doesn’t know Trump, Dutton says it’s because the Coalition did it last time – of course last time several countries got tariff exemptions, and this time not one country has.
There is a lot we can sell into the United States and I think the prime minister last night [did] not have even the basics about what critical minerals would look like as part of the relationship.
Updated
Dutton steers clear of gender question
The opposition leader is asked about a ruling by the British supreme court, defining a woman as a biological female. He’s asked if thats the “right call”.
Dutton, perhaps deterred by previous debates on the issue at the last election, won’t bite.
That is a matter before the British courts, I’ve not seen the detail of the case and not something front of mind at this election. This election is about who do you trust to manage the economy…
Dutton again claims public cannot trust PM on negative gearing
Again, in response to a question on whether indexing tax brackets is a clear commitment, Dutton says “it is an aspiration”.
But there’s no more clarity on when this could happen, when the budget has forecast deficits for the next decade.
Dutton says he wants to “clear up the mess of Labor” to then change the tax system:
It is an aspiration. I want to clear up the mess of Labor and pay down the debt of Labor and get ourselves into a position where we can have a tax system fit for purpose.
He then turns to negative gearing and capital gains tax, and the Treasury’s advice on changing those.
To recap, Chalmers had said that work had been done, but the prime minister first denied that and then said it hadn’t been commissioned by the government. Dutton says:
The Australian public cannot trust this prime minister because he does not tell the truth… his department and the Department of Treasury have commissioned work to abolish negative gearing and abolish the capital gains discount, that would devastate the housing industry even more.
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Dutton: 'I believe in climate change and that is a reality'
Dutton is asked next about his comments on climate change and why he won’t say himself that climate change is happening and getting worse. He says he believes in climate change:
I believe in climate change and that is a reality, it is widely adopted, our position in relation to net zero by 2050.
He now brings up nuclear power as part of the Coalition’s plan to get to net zero by 2050:
We are a party that wants to deliver reliable power … cheaper power and meet our emission reductions. And that is demonstrated in our policy around nuclear.
He doesn’t say any more about the impacts of climate change and natural disasters in Australia.
You might have missed his less forthright comments last night – here they are.
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Dutton says Liberals will ‘get budget in position’ to index tax brackets but offers no timeline or conditions
The opposition leader is tested on his comments to “aspirationally” index tax brackets in the future when a future government could afford it.
We will get the budget in a position where we will index the brackets.
It’s a promise that has no timeline, and no conditions, other than the budget being “in a position” to afford it.
As mentioned earlier, the Hunter is an area that has been earmarked as one of the seven sites that the Coalition would build a nuclear plant. It’s been noted by commentators aplenty that Dutton hasn’t spent a lot of time talking about the nuclear policy, and has focused a lot more on gas.
Today he’s talking energy, but still focusing on gas:
We can get in, put our medium-term strategy in place which is to bring Australian gas into the domestic market, to help Australians bring down the cost of groceries and bring down the cost of electricity because natural gas is a big component in generating electricity. If we can do that we can bring the price pressures down in the economy.
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Dutton repeats claims that Labor want to abolish negative gearing
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to reporters in the Hunter region of NSW. He pointed to last night’s leaders’ debate and said there was a “bit of a train wreck” from the PM over negative gearing. He made this claim:
If you own a rental property and [you’re] setting up to buy a property so you can maybe have a bit of extra income in retirement, if you’ve got a rental property and think you may leave that to your kids one day, all that is at risk under the Albanese government. At least Bill Shorten was honest with the Australian people in relation to negative gearing.
Dutton argued the Labor party has “always harboured a desire to abolish negative gearing and their partners in crime the Greens are open about it as well”.
As we just brought you, Richard Marles just said Labor could not “be any clearer” that negative gearing or CGT changes are not a part of its policies.
But Dutton continued, saying:
If you go to abolish negative gearing or are doing the planning for it now, be upfront with the Australian people before they vote on … 3 May.
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Marles on opposition’s briefing request: ‘essential content’ of conversation with Indonesia already on public record
Richard Marles was also asked about claims from the Coalition it had not yet received a briefing on this matter. He defended this by saying there is “nothing that has happened here”:
Throughout the last three years, we could not have been more open and transparent in the way in which we have provided briefings to the opposition. There is nothing that has happened here … The matters that the Liberal party have been out there asserting have not, in fact, been real.
Indonesia has made that completely clear, that has been placed into the public domain, and that is at the heart of this, and it didn’t require a briefing for Peter Dutton to not verbal the president of Indonesia.
Marles said the government was “utterly happy to provide briefings” but said this was not about a government decision or action.
What we’re talking about is a conversation that I’ve had with the defence minister of Indonesia, the essential content of which has been placed into the public domain. There’s no issue with the briefing, but we shouldn’t be overstating what a briefing is going to reveal.
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Deputy PM says Indonesia’s reassurance regarding Russia ‘absolutely’ enough
Moving to Indonesia, Richard Marles was asked whether the assurance he received from Indonesia that it wouldn’t host Russian aircraft was enough. Marles said it “absolutely” was, continuing:
The Indonesians could not have been more clear. [The minister] could not have been more clear in his conversation with me, and that is the position of Indonesia.
Marles said there were “various assertions … about when people knew” and he was “not about to canvas that in the public domain, and nor should I”:
It’s important that people not make assumptions about the way in which Indonesia and Australia have communicated. Let me say this, though – I am utterly happy and comfortable with the way in which we have been communicating with Indonesia, in respect of defence and in respect of this matter specifically.
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Marles again rules out any changes to negative gearing or capital gains tax
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with Sky News and says Labor could not “be any clearer” that negative gearing or CGT changes are not a part of its policies:
We’ve made clear that negative gearing is not part of our policies. We’ve got a housing plan – negative gearing is not part of it, nor are changes to capital gains. I don’t think we could be any clearer than that …
We’re not doing any negotiations with the Greens in relation to any policies. And I think we could not be clearer about the fact that we are not going to be doing policies in relation to negative gearing and capital gains tax, and that’s been made abundantly clear by both the prime minister and the treasurer.
The host asked if Labor would rule out making these changes in the future, beyond this election. Marles outlined the government’s housing policies and again repeated:
That’s what we’re going to be doing going forward, and that’s the policies that we’re taking to this election. And negative gearing and changes to capital gains have no part in that at all.
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Australian academy establishes talent program to attract disenfranchised US researchers
The Australian Academy of Science has established a global talent program to attract American researchers disenfranchised by the Trump administration’s cuts.
In a statement, the academy’s president, Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC, said Australia had an “urgent and unparalleled opportunity to attract the smartest minds leaving the United States”:
We must act swiftly to capitalise on this opportunity ... there is no time to waste as other countries have already recognised the opportunity and are mobilising to attract talent to their shores.
Researchers, faculty and leadership at universities and colleges across the US have been grappling with the impacts of funding freezes, cuts and executive orders from the Trump administration.
In the immediate crossfire is Harvard University, who Donald Trump has declared should no longer receive federal funds after it stood up against a series of onerous demands from the administration.
The academy is inviting funders to contribute to the program, which will lead a “national, coordinated effort” to recruit Australia to leading US scientists and returning Australians via a “competitive relocation package”.
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Latest unemployment figures released
Australia’s unemployment rate remained at a low 4.1% in March, a further testament to the resilience of the jobs market even as the Reserve Bank prepares to cut interest rates at its meeting in a little over a month’s time.
The number of employed people rose by 32,300 in the month, according to the new Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
That included 15,000 full-time jobs, and 17,200 part-time roles, on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The number of total hours worked actually fell in the month, despite the rise in employment. The ABS said this reflected the major weather events in March which kept people from work, including ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and heavy rain and flooding in NSW and Queensland.
The jobless rate is about 1 percentage point lower than before the pandemic, and we have historically high rates of participation in the workforce.
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Dutton visits ‘make or break’ seat in Hunter region
Peter Dutton is in NSW’s Hunter region today in the seat of Paterson, where he’ll be speaking shortly.
There are a few seats there that will help make or break the election result for both major parties – including Hunter, which is held by Labor MP Dan Repacholi on a 4.78% margin, and Paterson, which is held by Labor MP Meryl Swanson on a 2.6% margin.
Hunter has bled red and voted Labor since the seat was created in 1910, while Paterson has swung back and forth.
The Hunter region is mining territory, and one of the seven locations the Coalition has earmarked to get a nuclear reactor in the future.
You can have a read of all the seats that will shape the results (including Hunter and Paterson) here:
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What did Peter Dutton say on climate change last night?
In his press conference, the PM said he was “stunned” Peter Dutton wouldn’t say whether the impacts of climate change were getting worse.
This morning, Coalition senator Jane Hume said, “Well, I personally believe in climate change. I know that Peter Dutton does.”
If you missed it (or you just want to watch it again) you can see the question and answer from last night’s debate here:
Updated
Education union slams Coalition technical college plans as taking away from Tafe
The Australian Education Union (Aeu) has slammed the Coalition’s announcement to spend $260m to establish 12 new technical colleges at the same time as voting against permanent fee-free Tafe places.
The shadow skills and training minister, Sussan Ley, detailed the plan on the ABC this morning. She said it would get students from year 10 to 12 into trades like construction and engineering, acting as a partnership between the government and not-for-profit organisations including independent schools.
Aeu’s federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said Australia already had a “world-class network of technical colleges - they’re called Tafes”:
Instead of reinvesting in the proven institutions we already have, Peter Dutton is proposing a handful of technical colleges that won’t deliver a single course for years and will drain public money away from where it’s needed most.
Haythorpe said the proposal echoed a Howard-era technical college initiative in 2005, which gave tenders to church groups and for-profit companies. Funding was removed by the Rudd government in 2008.
The Howard government’s technical college program was expensive and an unnecessary duplication of existing resources with colleges taking years to establish and some struggling to attract students … Tafe is the most cost-effective way for governments to deliver the vocational skills our country needs. It must be backed by governments to do so.
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Albanese says ‘Australia determines our own position’ on Palestinian statehood
The final question goes to the SBS’s Anna Henderson, who asks about French president Emmanuel Macron pressing ahead with plans to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN in June.
Albanese says “Australia determines our own position”.
Last year Australia has backed in a United Nations resolution to recognise the “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Henderson also asks about a Perth-based doctor, who has been treating patients in Gaza, who wants to talk directly to the PM. Albanese says, “I don’t know the issue that you raise,” but says he’ll give it “consideration”. That’s not a commitment to meet with the doctor.
He throws in a final stab at Peter Dutton saying, “I do is give considered responses. I don’t shoot from the hip. You’re thinking of the other bloke.”
He ends the presser wishing everyone a happy Easter.
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Chalmers on negative gearing modelling: ‘we get advice from the Treasury on issues that are in the public domain’
To model or not to model, that is the question …
Shane Wright asks Chalmers to clear up whether he did ask Treasury for advice on negative gearing and capital gains tax or if it was unsolicited.
Chalmers says negative gearing is “not something that we are proposing”, but that the government often gets advice on different issues from the department:
When it comes to the advice we get from the Treasury department, I said last year when you asked me lots of times … that from time to time we get advice from the Treasury on issues that are in the public domain.
We know that we rely heavily on the advice that we get there, whether it comes unsolicited or whether we ask for it, we rely heavily on it.
Asked again whether it was unsolicited, Chalmers says:
I said last year and I have said on a number of occasions now, that I sought a view. That’s different to commissioning modelling. The Prime Minister was asked about commissioning modelling. I sought a view.
He then rules out again any changes to those policies.
The question was in response to Albanese denying claims last night, that his government had received modelling on the impact of any change to negative gearing. He later had to clarify that the advice did exist and that it wasn’t commissioned by his team. He said:
Under our public service, we value them coming up with ideas and various assessments, that is what happened. It certainly wasn’t commissioned by us.
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Albanese: ‘I have been underestimated from time to time’
The PM is asked why he was underestimated at the start of the campaign.
He’s also asked whether he thinks Peter Dutton is helping Albanese look better during this campaign.
I have been underestimated from time to time … I am captain of an extraordinary team. But the truth is that it’s hard to win a second term. You know, we’re trying to climb a mountain.
“Climbing a mountain” has been a favourite phrase of the PM over the last few days as we’ve ticked over the halfway point (in an effort to make it seem like he’s not taking the polls and headlines putting Labor in a stronger position for granted).
On whether the Coalition is helping his campaign: Albanese says “I’m not the commentator” but points to Dutton’s comments on Indonesia, his idea for three referendums (that was floated and then walked back), and Bridget McKenzie’s comments on China and Russia yesterday – that she also had to walk back.
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Albanese on Paterson: ‘I don’t take him seriously’
Speaking of tax, another reporter asks the PM to confirm whether or not the government asked Treasury look at modelling changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax.
Albanese digs in and says it’s “normal process” for the public service to look at different policy options.
He then goes on the attack again, when asked about James Paterson who said Albanese had “lied” when he said the government had not asked for that advice. Albanese calls Paterson an “attack dog” for the Coalition:
Seriously. James Paterson will say anything. That’s his job. He piles in. I don’t take him seriously.
Albanese is pressed on whether he’d work with the Greens, who have been pushing for changes to negative gearing and CTG. He says, “I rule out negotiating with the Greens.”
Updated
Will the PM commit to indexing tax brackets?
The question is in response to comments from Peter Dutton in The Australian that he has an aspirational pledge to index personal tax – but “at a time where the budget can afford to do so.” So no commitment to when that would be, if ever.
Albanese turns the question back to Dutton’s promise to repeal the tax cut top-up legislation that was passed last month.
Well, I have never seen before in an election campaign an alternative prime minister or a prime minister say, “I’m going to increase income taxes if I’m elected for all 14 million taxpayers, but I have an aspiration to do something different about it down the track.” That makes no sense.
Albanese says their latest tax cut helps lower income earners and says the Coalition’s promises are “short-term”. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says the government is “not going down this path” because they’ve found a “better way” to return bracket creep:
We found a better, more responsible, more affordable way to return bracket creep.
Peter Dutton should be laughed off the stage for what he said in The Australian today.
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Albanese avoids questions on if childcare fees will rise if workers paid more
Albanese is asked next about the Fair Work Commission’s recommendation of pay rises of up to 30% to hundreds of thousands of early childhood workers and health professionals. He says the question is “not right”, that the commission has found that workers are “undervalued”, and he promised to work with the commission, unions and childcare sector going forward.
[This is] a five-year process… this is an interim report about the gender pay gap. We know that no government has done more to close the gender pay gap than my government.
We’re working through the process and when we work through the process, that’s what you do – you work with the Fair Work Commission. We’ll continue to do that.
Albanese is asked further whether the government will ensure future childcare fees won’t rise as a result of these pay increases. There’s a bit of back and forth on this, with one reporter pointing out that the fee cap under the government’s worker retention payment finishes next year.
What we have done is make sure as part of the condition not only are we paying early educators more, but we’re making sure that families don’t pay higher fees.
Will the government guarantee that will continue down the track? Albanese says he’s answering questions about “what is happening right now”.
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Albanese avoids question on Russian ambassador statement to attack Dutton
The first question goes to reports Russia’s ambassador to Jakarta said overnight that “Military cooperation is an integral part of the intergovernmental relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia”.
Albanese is asked how he reconciles that statement with the government’s denial that Russia wanted to establish a military base in Indonesia? Albanese slams Peter Dutton in response:
How do you reconcile the fact that the issue here is that Peter Dutton said that the Indonesian president had issued a statement saying that there would be a Russian air force base in West Papua. It was simply wrong…
There was no statement from the Indonesian president. No statement from the Indonesian defence minister, no statement from the Indonesian foreign minister.
Albanese and other senior cabinet ministers said yesterday there was no statement from Indonesia’s president, but would not say if there had been a request from Russia in the first place to base their military aircraft in Indonesia.
Updated
Albanese 'stunned' by Dutton comments on climate change
Albanese also addresses that moment in last night’s debate when Peter Dutton wouldn’t say the impacts of climate change are getting worse. You can read more about that here:
Albanese says he was “stunned” by the comments, and that the “science is very clear on climate change”:
The fact that in 2025 you have someone running for prime minister who can’t say that the science is clear that climate change is real and it is happening … I don’t know what it takes to give a wake-up call to the Coalition.
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Albanese boosts Labor childcare policy and says Coalition want ‘free Tafe gone’
The prime minister is standing up in Brisbane this morning, in the seat of Bonner – a Liberal-held electorate sitting on a margin at the last election of 3.4%.
He’s at a childcare centre and starts on Labor’s cheaper childcare promise.
I want the move towards affordable childcare for all Australians to be part of the legacy of the government that I’m proud to lead. We have already made a substantial difference.
Childcare is another pillar of the government’s cost-of-living pitch to voters – particularly for parents and families struggling to meet the costs of putting their kids into care and those wanting to go back into work.
Albanese also brings up Tafe and the Coalition’s hints that they’ll get rid of free Tafe places.
What I have seen when I have gone in to Tafes is people studying construction, electrical, but also studying to be care workers, particularly women, but certainly not exclusively. People wanting to work in child care, in aged care, and in disability care and free Tafe is making a difference there and the Coalition have made it clear that free Tafe is gone if they are elected.
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Climate Council offers experts to brief ‘out-of-touch’ Dutton on climate risks
There’s been some strong reaction to Peter Dutton’s comments on climate change in last night’s debate, where he wouldn’t say whether he thought the impacts of climate change were getting worse.
To recap, he said:
I don’t know because I’m not a scientist and I can’t tell you whether the temperature has risen in Thargomindah because of climate change or the water levels are up.
The Climate Council has said it’s “outrageous” for a senior political leader to say they “don’t know” the risks of climate change. The council’s CEO, Amanda McKenzie, said climate experts are “ready and willing to brief” Dutton.
It’s outrageous for a senior political leader to be so out of touch that they claim they ‘don’t know’ the risks Australians are facing. In 2025 there is no excuse for someone vying to be prime minister not to have educated themselves thoroughly on the science and impacts of the climate crisis.
The Climate Council released new data this week showing two million homes and businesses are now at moderate to high risk from worsening climate disasters. They say in Dutton’s electorate of Dickson, 3962 properties are at high risk of escalating damage from extreme weather.
McKenzie added:
Australians remember the black summer bushfires when then Liberal leader Scott Morrison, rejected repeated offers from experts to brief him on the risks of a catastrophic fire season … we hope Peter Dutton doesn’t also bury his head in the sand.
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Clare says ‘first tranche’ of pay rises for childcare workers already within previous Labor promises
Jason Clare has continued his morning rounds, joining Sky News, and he’s pushed again on energy prices – where he still backs renewable energy as the cheapest form of energy and rails against nuclear.
As the education minister, he’s also asked about the fair work commission recommending pay rises of up to 30% for hundreds of thousands of early childhood workers and health professionals. Will the government would absorb that cost or will childcare costs go up more for families?
What that decision said yesterday was that for childcare workers, that their salary should be increased by anywhere from 9% to 27% over the next five years, and the first tranche of that should be 5% I think, starting on the first of August. So they’ve put that advice out. They haven’t made their final decision yet, but if they were to do that, increase the award by 5%, that would be absorbed within that 15% that we’ve already announced.
A future government will need to look at this over the next couple of years. It’s [a pay rise] between 9% and 27% over five years.
Updated
Education minister says general funding for students will help high school completion rates for First Nations kids
Clare was also pushed by host Bridget Brennan on what rate of school completion the government would like to see by First Nations students. She says just over two thirds of First Nations’ students are finishing year 12 right now.
The first thing Clare says is “we’re not getting ahead of ourselves”. He doesn’t set a target and says the government’s reforms and school agreements with the states and territories that were finalised earlier this year will help. The focus, he says, is on helping “kids who fall behind to catch up and keep up”:
When I became the minister for education, the funding for students in schools in the Northern Territory was abysmal, effectively one in five students weren’t being funded at all … investment targeted in the right way, we think, will help to increase the number of young people finishing high school, both Indigenous and non-indigenous.
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Clare on Coalition attacks on low fee-free Tafe completions: ‘courses take more than a year to go’
Jason Clare also jumped on ABC News Breakfast earlier, and responded to the Coalition’s plan to establish 12 new technical colleges.
Clare won’t reveal whether he supports the policy, but says more young people need to finish school and then be able to go to Tafe or university, and blames the Coalition for cutting funding out of schools during their last terms of government.
What we need to do is not just build one or two technical colleges in a state – there’s kids in every single high school that want to get the skills they need to get a trade and that means that we need to provide them with that support in every high school and help them to get the skills they need through these fee-free courses at Tafe.
The Liberals’ record is rip money out of schools and now they want to rip money out of Tafe that shows they have got no credibility when it comes to education.
Asked about the criticisms the Liberals have made – that the completion rates of the free Tafe courses are low – Clare says students are still doing those courses, so many can’t have been completed yet.
This is the great line that the Liberal party is peddling that people aren’t completing the courses. Courses take more than a year to do.
Updated
Coalition announces $260m for technical colleges and attacks fee-free Tafe
This morning, the Coalition has announced it will open up new tech colleges, to get students from years 10 to 12 learning trades like construction and engineering away from university or Tafe.
Earlier on ABC News Breakfast, Sussan Ley, who also holds the shadow portfolio for skills and training, said the Coalition will invest $260m to establish 12 new technical colleges.
The colleges will be partnerships between the government and not-for-profit organisations, including independent schools and industry, and Ley says they’ll work “inside the school system”:
I don’t want to see kids getting in a bus and going to Tafe on Thursday afternoon and struggling to do something called VET in schools. I want to see schools that deliver this in a first class way.
The opposition has said it believes fee-free Tafe places aren’t working and had voted against legislation to create more permanent free places last year.
Ley is asked whether she’s “underselling” Tafe, when Tafe teaches different skills. She says the policy “sits alongside” Tafe:
This policy sits alongside Tafe. This is a policy inside schools. But sometimes, we’re pushing our school kids out of the school setting to attend a Tafe course, often some suburbs away… You don’t want to make someone, a student at school, feel that they have to be pushed into university.
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Pocock ‘appalled but not surprised’ by Reuters gambling report
Staying on the Reuters gambling report, independent ACT senator David Pocock told RN Breakfast:
[I’m] appalled but but not surprised. I think the lack of action on gambling advertising was one of the biggest tragedies of the 47th parliament, there was support, strong support through the crossbench to legislate a phased in complete ban on down the advertising in line with what the Murphy review recommended … They betrayed Australians and bowed to vested interests and just kicked this can down the road.
The Murphy report made 32 recommendations, but banning online gambling is only a small part of the series of reforms her committee had called for.
Asked about Jason Clare’s comments about accepting and declaring any complementary tickets to sporting matches, Pocock says a politician can’t just say “nothing to see here” just because there’s been a disclosure:
We should be holding ourselves to higher standard as as politicians, and just because you say, well, we disclosed it, so nothing to see here, I think we need to ensure that … perceived or real conflicts of interest are avoided, not just disclosed.
Updated
Jason Clare says match ticket gifting not necessarily inappropriate so long as disclosures are made
Onto the stickier issue of gambling – an issue that remains a thorn in Labor’s side – Clare is challenged on a report from Reuters finding Australian politicians were gifted almost a quarter of a million dollars in sporting match tickets over two years while the government was considering reforms on online gambling.
Is it inappropriate? Clare says not necessarily.
What’s inappropriate is if you take the ticket and don’t declare it. Key here, as it is with all of these things, is that you declare it’s got to be transparent…
If someone provides a politician with a free ticket to the footy, then there’s an obligation on the politician to declare it so it’s not covered up.
Clare says the government has implemented “serious reform”. But Labor still hasn’t responded to a report chaired by the late Labor senator Peta Murphy that was tabled in June 2023. Clare says:
When it comes to that Murphy report, it’s not right to say that we’ve ignored it or rejected we’re continuing to look at it taking longer than right. It’s taking longer than expected, but it’s important to important to get it right and that’s what we intend.
Updated
Jason Clare refuses to put number value on potential energy bill savings
Following Jane Hume in the RN Breakfast studio was Labor’s campaign spokesperson, Jason Clare.
The first question goes to energy bills and Anthony Albanese’s reluctance to put a figure on how much they would be reduced under another Labor term. Jason Clare won’t promise anything either:
What I’ll tell you is that energy bills will be lower under Labor than they will be under Peter Dutton and the liberals. And the simple reason for that is building $600bn worth of nuclear reactors costs. It’ll increase the power bills of every Australian by up to 1,000 bucks.
Clare also weighs in on Dutton’s apology over his comments on Indonesia and Russia earlier this week. Clare says Dutton “effectively lied”.
He [Dutton] effectively lied about what the president of Indonesia said, or, in fact, did not say…
It’s not the first time he’s had to apologise. He had to apologise for telling people that they couldn’t work from home a couple of weeks ago, this guy is apologising more than a learner driver in a car park at the moment, and that’s not the sort of person that you want as Prime minister of Australia.
Updated
Bridget McKenzie misidentifies which Chinese leader called Albanese a 'handsome boy'
Bridget McKenzie, who’s had to defend herself this morning after comments she made to the ABC yesterday, has appeared to make another foreign policy blunder this morning.
On the Today show, McKenzie was asked by fellow panelist Paul Sakkal whether her comments meant, “broadly that our adversaries are more keen on having a Labor government? Because, in your view, they’re weaker?”
McKenzie replied:
Well, I think it’s pretty clear from President Xi’s public commentary that he finds Albo a very handsome boy. He’s been very complimentary about the prime minister…
McKenzie’s mistake there was that it wasn’t president Xi who called Albanese a “handsome boy”, but China’s premier, Li Qiang, during Albanese’s visit to Beijing in 2023.
Updated
Jane Hume: ‘Well I personally believe in climate change’
Another sticking point of last night’s debate was climate change and Peter Dutton declining to say that the impacts of climate change are getting worse. When asked last night whether the impacts of climate change were getting worse, Dutton said: “I’ll let scientists pass that judgment.”
I don’t know because I’m not a scientist and I can’t tell you whether the temperature has risen in Thargomindah [Queensland] because of climate change or the water levels are up.
Hume was asked on RN Breakfast what the deal was with climate change and the Coalition, and said she personally believes in climate change.
Well, I personally believe in climate change. I know that Peter Dutton does. He said that he listens to the scientists. So do I, that’s why we have a target for net zero, and that’s why we have a critical pathway to get there.
Cannane asks whether the Coalition accepts that climate change is making natural disasters worse. Hume says:
Well, if that’s what scientists are telling us, then that’s what we should believe. The question, though, really is not about what it is, whether cyclones are worse or whatever it is, but what is you’re going to do about it?
Updated
Hume doubles down on attacking Labor over Indonesia-Russia military base reports
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, is also up on ABC RN Breakfast to weigh into the debate last night (no prizes for who she thinks won).
It looks like the Coalition spokespeople are up first, and Labor’s spokespeople will be up to push their side shortly.
Hume is asked about comments made by her colleague Bridget McKenzie – which you can see here – that Russia and China want Labor to win the election. Hume deflects the question, putting the blame back onto the government.
Well, there’s no doubt that the government still does need to explain what it knew of any requests from Russia to have military bases in Indonesia.
Host Steve Cannane pushes back, asking if it was “sloppy” for McKenzie to make statements that could suggest foreign interference. Hume still won’t bite:
But the alternative, of course, is that it would be a catastrophic failure of the Albanese government if there was a request that was made and the government only became aware about it through media reports …
I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask for information from the government in these very, very uncertain times.
Updated
Both parties claim victory in last night’s debate
The political reaction to last night’s debate is coming in thick and fast. No surprises here that the Liberals believe their leader Peter Dutton won with flying colours, while Labor has backed Albanese for the victory.
The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, is on ABC News Breakfast who says:
I saw a very weak, indecisive Prime Minister and a very strong Opposition leader. And I was particularly blown away, Bridget, by the prime minister not fessing up that his own government modelled changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax with respect to homeownership.
It seems like the Liberals are jumping on that modelling on negative gearing and CTG discounts. Over on Sky, James Paterson is up at the same time as Ley, and says:
The prime minister says the government did not commission any advice on negative gearing or capital gains tax changes, but the treasurer admitted last year that’s exactly what he did. He asked the treasury department to model changes on negative gearing and capital gains tax. if the prime minister will lie about this, what else will he lie about?
Asked what the Coalition would do on the policy, Paterson said there would be “no changes” to negative gearing and CTG and said the Coalition has never asked Treasury to look at that.
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Ryan says push polling ‘not ideal’
Ryan was also asked on News Breakfast about a story in Nine newspapers that some teal independents are engaging in “push polling”.
Push polling – generally done over the phone – is a campaign tactic used to influence voters using loaded questions on a candidate or issue under the appearance of being an objective opinion poll.
Ryan says she’s “not aware” of any polling taking place in her electorate of Kooyong, and says the practice “is not ideal”
I’m not aware of any polling in the electorate of Kooyong. I certainly haven’t undertaken any. And I wouldn’t know what questions are being asked of people if that is happening. I think push polling is not ideal… I don’t think it’s a great idea.
The story in the Nine papers claims Zoe Daniel, the independent MP for Goldstein has been engaging in push polling – though Daniel’s camp told the paper it was “not our poll”.
Ryan said it was “not something which I have any knowledge [of].”
Updated
Monique Ryan ‘very open’ to work with either party but wants more information on the table
Monique Ryan, an independent backed by Climate200, says she was “concerned” by comments made by Peter Dutton on climate change last night during the leaders’ debate.
Look, I thought [it was] a bit concerning… the leader of the opposition saying he wouldn’t commit the existence or the reality of climate change.
On ABC News Breakfast she also said it was concerning that neither leader would look more critically at the relationship between the US and Australia on Aukus. Ryan has called for a parliamentary review into the agreement.
People are just saying they’re concerned about their the unpredictability of Donald Trump… they’re saying, ‘Are we ever going to get Aukus? Are those submarines going to be delivered to us?’ If they’re not, if the US decides to pull out on that deal at some point down the track, what’s the backup plan?
Asked who she would negotiate with in the case of a hung parliament, Ryan said she’d be “very open” to work with either party, but had worked most with the prime minister over the last three years to get some pieces of legislation through the House.
I’d be very open to working with either the political leaders, or whoever the leader might be of the political parties after the election, but we do need more certainty about what they’re going to actually commit to.
…[but] they haven’t put on the table as yet the information that we [independents] need to have to make a decision.
Updated
Pocock to host press conference with head of Down Syndrone Australia
Following from our last post…
In announcing his support for the abolition of the $3 wage, David Pocock will deliver a press conference with Down Syndrome Australia’s chief executive Darryl Steff this morning at 10am AEST.
DSA launched a campaign in March to encourage politicians to commit to abolishing the subminimum wage and help people with disability into meaningful jobs.
DSA-commissioned polling showed that 85% of respondents did not know about the subminimum wage, and once they did know, 82% thought it was unacceptable.
Steff said on Thursday that the subminimum wage forced people with disability to live in poverty their whole lives:
It also puts strain on family members who often then have to support them financially. You can’t even buy a cup of coffee for $3 these days.
It’s not that people with down syndrome can’t work or don’t want to work in open employment – it’s that they’re not being given the opportunity …
Ahead of the federal election, we’re urgently calling on all parties and politicians to commit to breaking down the barriers [to] allow people with an intellectual disability to get access to the decent jobs they deserve. Phasing out $3 wages should be the first cab off the rank.
You can read more about the issue of subminimum wages here:
Updated
David Pocock to campaign against $3 per hour wage for people with disability
Independent ACT senator David Pocock will today announce his support for a campaign to abolish the $3-hour wage for people with disability and urge the major parties to do likewise.
Under the supported employment award, companies are legally allowed to pay staff with disability a fraction of what they pay everyone else – currently, as little as $3 an hour.
There are around 20,000 people employed under these conditions – mostly workers with intellectual disability in what were once called “sheltered workshops”, now known as Australian disability enterprises (ADEs).
The Disability Royal Commission recommended the complete phase-out of the subminimum wage by 2034, but no steps have been taken on it to date and the government has not responded to the recommendation.
Pocock said on Thursday that it was “common sense” that people with disability should be paid a fair wage for the work they do and that the major parties had failed to make meaningful commitments to people with disability during this election campaign. He said:
Everyone should be paid a fair wage for the work they complete and it is time for the major parties to commit to this meaningful change for people with disability.
People with disability are being overlooked and left behind in the major party policy promises this election campaign.
… The answer to getting more people with disability into work is not to allow cheap labour, it’s to ensure we are funding employment services that actually work, which allow people with disability to connect with work they find meaningful and also gives them the opportunity to build their capacity to perform those roles.
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Million-dollar house now the norm in five capital cities, report shows
We have a story this morning on new data showing that million-dollar houses are now the norm in five of Australia’s capital cities after Adelaide passed the seven-figure mark. It comes despite unaffordable costs and high interest rates that saw home prices grow at their slowest rate in two years and unit prices fall.
Read the full article here:
Plus, while we’re at it our Full Story podcast today is with the economist Saul Eslake and why he thinks the two main parties’ policies to ease the housing crisis could make it worse:
Listen here:
Gen Z men have more traditional gender beliefs than older men, data shows
New data shows that gen Z men – aged between 13 and 28 – are more likely to hold traditional gender beliefs than older men, and far more so than their female peers.
The e61 Institute has taken data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, to see how attitudes towards traditional gender norms vary by age and gender from 2001 to 2023.
A clear trend emerged – on average, beliefs in traditional gender roles have been declining across generations. But gen Z men are emerging as an exception.
Erin Clarke, a research economist with the e61 Institute, said gen Z men reported more traditional beliefs than both millennials (1981–1996) and gen X (1965–1980) men.
Meanwhile, women’s typical beliefs have declined steadily across generations, with younger cohorts consistently showing less belief in traditional norms.
The data has pinpointed 2018 as the year young men’s views became significantly more traditional. Clarke said more research is needed to understand the drivers of this change.
With the federal election approaching, this data is a reminder that “young voters” are not a uniform group. Whether beliefs about traditional gender norms translate directly into political preferences is unclear. Nonetheless, segmenting by age alone may mask important variations within a cohort. Gender is one dimension where differences are emerging.
Good morning from Krishani
Krishani Dhanji here with you, many thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
As we’ve been bringing you, the leaders’ faced their second debate last night where we got an admission from Peter Dutton that he’d made a mistake claiming Indonesia had announced a request from Russia to base military aircraft.
Early voting opens on Tuesday and with the Easter long weekend quickly approaching, it was a chance for both leaders to get their messages across before voters start putting in their ballots.
Both leaders are in Sydney this morning. It’s now day 21 of the campaign – let’s get cracking!
Updated
Dutton wants to end bracket creep as he hails Howard reforms
In his interview with The Australian, Peter Dutton said that he wanted to end bracket creep by indexing personal income rates – though he didn’t say when he would do it if he won government, calling it an “aspiration” rather than a firm promise.
Indexing income tax means that tax brackets rise automatically over time rather than requiring new legislation. He said:
I want to see us move as quickly as we can as a country to changes around personal income tax, including indexation, because bracket creep, as we know, is a killer in the economy.
It stifles productivity and entrepreneurialism and hard work, but we need to do it at a time where the budget can afford to do so. It would be an aspiration of our government to achieve that because it provides equity in the tax system and it is costly to do so.
Much of the interview concentrated on the economy with Dutton invoking the Coalition’s Howard-Costello years by promising not to make major reforms until the budget was in better shape.
The Howard government never promised taxation reform going into the 1996 election. They never promised a revolution around rewriting of the way in which the economy works.
And he claimed the Coalition was a safer pair of hands for the economy.
I think we will always do better than the Labor government when it comes to economic management.
We demonstrated that we could do better than 10 years when we came to government after the Rudd-Gillard wrecking ball.
We also did well in getting the budget back to balance, and we did well going into Covid. We saved the economy through jobkeeper and jobseeker, and we didn’t lock in that recurrent spend.
Here’s a link to the piece but it is behind a paywall.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories and then it will be Krishani Dhanji to take you through the day.
Last night’s leaders’ debate saw Peter Dutton admit he made a mistake by wrongly claiming the Indonesian president had announced a proposal for Russia to base military aircraft in Indonesia. The Coalition leader also declined to state whether the effects of climate change were getting worse. Dutton’s close lieutenant Bridget McKenzie also admitted a blunder yesterday when she had to concede she was wrong to say Russia and China wanted Labor to win the election. More coming up.
Dutton has attempted to fire up his flagging campaign with a big interview for The Australian newspaper. He gave what the paper called an “aspirational pledge” to index personal income tax scales in order to end the process of bracket creep. But he was vague on when this would happen, saying it would be “at a time where the budget can afford to do so”. He is likely to face questions on this today and of course we will be following all the action.
Housing has been a huge issue in the election campaign so far and new data released this morning will only continue to fuel debate. A report by Domain shows that Adelaide has become the fifth capital city after Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra to have a median house price of more than $1m.
