Key events
What we learned this Monday 28 April
We’ll be wrapping up the blog, here’s what happened today:
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The final week of the campaign kicked off with a whirlwind day of travel for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who did a whistlestop tour of some of NSW’s most marginal seats – including Robertson in Gosford on the Central Coast, the ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong in Sydney’s north-west, then on to the seat of Fowler in western Sydney; ending the day in Brisbane, where Labor is hoping to pick up the Greens-held seats of Griffith and Brisbane.
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Peter Dutton’s campaign took him to Paterson on the NSW Central Coast – his third visit to the seat during the campaign – then on to Robertson, also on the Central Coast.
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Coalition frontbenchers have walked back Dutton’s comments from yesterday that the ABC and the Guardian are “hate media”, with Jane Hume telling ABC News Breakfast the opposition leader’s comment was made “tongue in cheek”. On RN Breakfast, the shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, was also asked about the comment and said it was made “in jest” and “he was being bit flippant”.
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Dutton has said welcome to country ceremonies shouldn’t be held at Anzac dawn ceremonies. “Anzac Day is about our veterans … I think the majority view would be that they don’t want it on that day.”
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Dutton called the Greens an “antisemitic, Jew-hating party” at a press conference this morning, in reference to Labor’s preferencing of the Greens across many electorates. Greens leader Adam Bandt responded, saying he would not “take lectures from someone who has made a career out of punching down”, adding the comments were “reprehensible, offensive and utterly untrue”.
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Treasurer Jim Chalmers and finance minister Katy Gallagher released Labor’s election costings, saying that over the past three years Labor has saved and reprioritised $100bn. Gallagher said in the costings that Labor would save $6.4bn from “non-wage” expenses in another term of government.
Thanks for following along, we’ll be back tomorrow for more of the day’s news. Until then.
Coalition rejects Chalmers’ claim that Dutton plans to build nuclear plant in own electorate
Henry Belot
The Coalition has rejected Jim Chalmers’ claim that Peter Dutton plans to build a nuclear power plant in his Queensland electorate of Dickson.
Chalmers made the unprompted claim during a press conference in Brisbane earlier today:
To all of those people in that wonderful part of south-east Queensland, in the electorate of Dickson, you all need to know that your local member wants to build a nuclear reactor in your suburbs.
[Labor candidate] Ali France is not going to build a nuclear reactor in your local community but Peter Dutton wants to. I would encourage you to think about that as you choose your local member.
A Coalition spokesperson said:
We have been emphatic that only the seven identified communities, each with a retiring or recently retired coal-fired power station, are being considered as possible locations for zero-emissions nuclear energy. No other locations will be considered.
Dickson is not among the seven sites identified by the Coalition.
Julia Gillard urges voters to back Labor MP for Victorian seat
Benita Kolovos
Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard has made a rare foray into federal politics by writing a letter to voters in Wills, urging them to put Peter Khalil first on their ballots.
In a sign of Labor’s effort to shore up support in what is expected to be an incredibly tight contest between Khalil and Greens candidate Samantha Ratnam, Gillard’s letter spruiks her party’s action on climate change, full funding of every public school and progress on gender equality, and warns against the prospect for voting for an “alternative party”.
The letter reads:
By voting for Peter Khalil in Wills, you can help secure these gains and enable Anthony Albanese and Labor to continue this progressive agenda. Some may argue that voting for an alternative party doesn’t put that at risk, but it does.
So, before you vote in this election, I would encourage you to ask yourself this simple question – can I risk a Peter Dutton-led government, or will I back Anthony Albanese and Labor to continue to deliver the progress Australia needs?
Since quitting federal parliament in 2013, Gillard has largely stayed out of domestic politics but was recently spotted at Albanese’s campaign launch and recorded a video in support of Khalil, which Labor is running as an ad on YouTube. She also recorded a video during the 2024 Dunkley byelection supporting Labor’s candidate, Jodie Belyea.
Wills was once Labor heartland and takes in suburbs such as Brunswick, Coburg, Glenroy, Fawkner and Pascoe Vale. But it has increasingly gentrified and the Greens have developed a stronghold south of Bell Street.
The minor party has also benefited from a redistribution that has seen Labor’s margin shrink from 8.6% to 4.6% against the Greens, according to ABC election analyst Antony Green.
Henry Belot
Independents dismiss speaker role speculation
Independent MPs Rebekah Sharkie and Andrew Wilkie have both downplayed reports they have been in discussions with Labor and the Coalition about becoming speaker in the next parliament.
Shakie said she had “not had any formal discussions with either side of politics about the role of speaker”.
I presume this speculation is generated by the fact I was a member on the speaker’s panel during the last parliament. In any event, I feel it is somewhat presumptuous to have such a conversation, given no member, including me, is guaranteed of their job after Saturday.
Wilkie said there had been no engagements “that could be characterised as discussions”.
The speaker of the house does not vote on the floor of parliament, unless there is a tied outcome. Appointing an independent to the position of speaker could complicate the government’s ability to form a minority government if required.
Henry Belot
Gambling on election ‘flat’ as bookies blame lack of excitement
It is often said there’s not much Australians won’t gamble on. But so far, the amount of money being gambled on this election is “flat”, according to multiple gambling industry sources.
One gambling insider who declined to be named so they could speak freely about their own revenue said they expected betting to pick up later this week, when more people start paying attention. They suggested the lack of money being gambled was due to a lack of excitement and cut-through in the campaign so far.
The media have published lots of commentary that this event is uninspiring and lacking a contest of ideas, vision and personality which is required to make this a mass-market event with lots of betting interest. There does not appear to be much expectation of a close contest, which also impacts betting appeal.
The betting odds are often referred to in media discussions about who is likely to win the election. But these references don’t coincide with the amount of money gambled. One source said all bets placed on this election “would be in the bottom 20% of individual AFL or NRL games we hold markets on”.
So far, punters were also more willing to bet on the outcome of the US election than their own:
The recent US election between Trump and Harris will hold four to five times more volume than this election between Albanese and Dutton.
Reporters on PM’s campaign trail land in Brisbane
Dan Jervis-Bardy
After a whistle-stop tour of four NSW seats on Monday, the press pack trailing Anthony Albanese has touched down in Brisbane.
Labor is hoping to pick up the Greens-held seats of Griffith and Brisbane in the Queensland capital on Saturday.
Peter Dutton’s own electorate of Dickson is also a target, with Labor pouring significant resources into unseating the opposition leader.
You might recall Albanese visited Dutton’s seat on the very first day of the campaign.
Might we see him there again?
Dutton meets domestic violence advocates in NSW
Josh Butler
Peter Dutton has now joined Gosford domestic violence advocates for another coffee catch-up. He earlier today announced a $20m commitment for a DV centre in the area.
He is joined by Ian Lynch, of Pacific Lynch Housing, and Sara Forster, of the Central Coast Women’s Health Centre.
Forster says she has heard local stories of women and children forced to sleep in car parks as they escape violence. Lynch is talking of an under-investment in social and crisis housing.
Dutton is joined again by Robertson candidate Lucy Wicks and the candidate for Dobell, Brendan Small. They’re in the same cafe as the last photo op, having just moved up a few tables from his chat with Joel and his family.
Dutton is still even drinking from the same cup (it appears to be a hot chocolate) that he was nursing at the earlier chat.
Josh Butler
Dutton hits play on Coalition’s cost-of-living policies in NSW Central Coast visit
Peter Dutton has arrived in Robertson, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Joined by wife, Kirilly, he’s meeting Liberal candidate and former MP Lucy Wicks at a cafe in Gosford.
They’re meeting a local family – Joel and his two young children – for an afternoon tea. Dutton is talking up the Liberal cost-of-living policies, including fuel excise cuts and a $1,200 tax rebate.
Joel says the cheaper fuel would make a big difference for him because he does a lot of driving for work. He’s also concerned about rising power bills.
Krishani Dhanji
Thank you all for joining me on the blog today, I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Kate Lyons to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
I’ll see you back here bright and early tomorrow as the campaign countdown continues!
What are the main spending and savings items in Labor’s costings?
The bottom line (the budget bottom line, that is) will improve by $1bn over the forward estimates.
So instead of cumulative of budget of $151.6bn, the government says the deficit will come in at $150.5bn.
Labor has promised to raise the money for its election commitments by cutting the number of consultants, contractors and labor hire workers in the public service, which it claims will save $6.4bn over the forwards.
It has also said it will raise an extra $760m by increasing the cost of student visa applications to $2,000 from 1 July – but that increase won’t apply to students from Pacific Islands or Timor-Leste.
The biggest spending item that Labor’s announced during the campaign, is the $1,000 instant tax deduction for work expenses. Over the forwards, that’ll cost about $2.4bn.
Chalmers: biggest risk to Australia’s AAA credit rating is Peter Dutton
As my colleague Patrick Commins reported earlier, S&P Global Ratings has warned that big spending election commitments from the big parties could risk further undermining Australia’s fiscal position and put the country’s “AAA” debt rating at risk.
The agency’s report said:
The budget is already regressing to moderate deficits as public spending hits postwar highs, global trade tensions intensify, and growth slows … How the elected government funds its campaign pledges and rising spending will be crucial for maintaining the rating.
Asked about the report and the level of campaign spending, Jim Chalmers throws the focus on to Peter Dutton.
The biggest risk to our AAA credit rating is Peter Dutton and the Coalition. They won’t come clean on their cuts. They’ve got more than $60bn of commitments.
Chalmers deflected questions about whether Labor will maintain a AAA credit rating, and if he is committed to cutting the forecast budget deficit.
He spoke more retrospectively about Labor’s budget surpluses and savings, and again attacked Dutton for not yet having released the Coalition’s costings.
I am sure the ratings agencies have noticed the record turn around, nominal turn around in the budget on our watch. Responsible economic management is ongoing, it is not a destination.
Chalmers: Labor’s cuts to number of consultants has improved the budget
Labor choosing to cut consultants continues the war between Labor and the Coalition on the size of the public sector.
Jim Chalmers accuses the previous government of having “hollowed out” the public sector, which led to consultants being hired to fill capability gaps.
We’ve invested in more capacity for the public service. We’ve gotten through all of that shameful backlog in Veterans’ claims, for example. And one of the ways that we’ve improved the budget is to wind back the wasteful spending of our predecessors on contractors and on consultants and some of these other areas.
Labor’s plan ‘costed, coherent and credible’, treasurer says
Costings have been one of the last elements that the big parties reveal come election time.
The opposition is yet to say exactly what all of its promises will cost and how they will be paid for. It’s a point Jim Chalmers is pretty keen to exploit.
It is long past time for the Coalition to come clean on their secret cuts to pay for their nuclear reactors. They need to come clean on what their secret cuts for nuclear reactors means for Medicare, for pensions, and payments, for skills and housing, and other essential investments in the budget …
Labor is the only party going to this election on Saturday with a costed, coherent and credible plan.
Cutting contractors from the public service isn’t a totally shocking move from Labor.
As my colleague Henry Belot reported, Katy Gallagher had told Guardian Australia she’s been working on this policy for some time:
Finance minister: Labor has saved, reprioritised $100bn
Katy Gallagher says that over the past three years, Labor has saved and reprioritised $100bn.
Today she says in the costings, Labor will save $6.4bn from “non-wage” expenses in another term of government.
She says this will come from further reducing contractors and consultants in the public service over the forward estimates.
We’ve managed in the first term to find about $5.3bn in savings in those areas. So this is really a continuation of that effort.
We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to do this hard work. We’ve been able to offset the commitments that we’ve made post-PEFO for those that were announced beforehand, we’ve found room in the budget for those.
*PEFO is the pre-election fiscal outlook.
Chalmers spruiks Labor’s ‘responsible economic management’ as government releases costings
Treasurer Jim Chalmers and finance minister Katy Gallagher are releasing Labor’s election costings.
Chalmers says “responsible economic management” has been a “defining feature” of Labor’s election campaign.
So far, Chalmers is doing a highlight reel of what Labor believes are its strongest wins on the economy – such as low unemployment, and the savings Labor has made from the budget.
Back-to-back surpluses for the first time in almost two decades. A much smaller deficit this year – $177bn less Liberal debt, saving tens of billions of dollars in debt interest; $100bn in savings.
This is what responsible economic management looks like, and it has been a defining feature of the government that Anthony Albanese leads.
Gallagher, who’s been in charge of finding savings, says the government has gotten rid of “a lot of the waste and rorts” from the budget.
Bandt: Liberals are ‘resorting to dangerous lies’ to save their election chances
Greens leader Adam Bandt has responded to Peter Dutton calling the Greens an “antisemitic, Jew-hating” party.
Bandt says the comments are “reprehensible, offensive and utterly untrue”.
In a statement to Guardian Australia, Bandt said the comments were also “dangerous”.
Those comments are reprehensible, offensive and utterly untrue, and moreover they are dangerous at a time when far-right movements are emboldened by Donald Trump’s presidency.
The Liberals are resorting to dangerous lies because their campaign is in freefall. I will not be lectured to by someone who has made a career out of punching down and trying to use race to win votes.
Inching closer but Dutton still staying clear of proposed nuclear power plant sites
You might have seen our coverage last week of Peter Dutton failing to go near the seven communities where the Coalition has pledged to build nuclear power plants.
Dutton has said he has visited some of the sites and has spoken to nearby communities, but he hasn’t done this since the PM called the election campaign.
So far, the closest he’s been is about 66km away from a proposed site, when he visited Maitland in the NSW Hunter region.
He had another opportunity today to visit a site in the same region, but was still 65kms away.
