Dutton won’t rule out cutting ABC
Staying on Dutton’s interview with ABC radio Melbourne, Raf Epstein asks whether Dutton’s cuts to the public service include the ABC.
He won’t rule it out, and says where there is waste or ineffective spending, “we don’t support that”.
I think where we find waste and we find ineffective spending, then we don’t support that
I think there’s a lot of very good work that the ABC does, and if it’s being run efficiently, then you would keep the funding in place.
If it’s not being run efficiently and there is waste, then I think taxpayers, who pay for it, and who are working harder than ever just to get ahead, would expect us to, you know, to not support the waste.
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Updated at 18.37 EDT
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On tariffs, Dutton is digging in to his criticism that Albanese is a ‘weak’ leader and that he would take a stronger stance against the Trump administration.
He also says under the previous Liberal government, his party drove a “very hard deal” with Biden for the Aukus agreement with the US and UK.
I don’t care whether it is President Trump or any other well leader, my job is to up for Australians and I have the strength and experience to be able to do that. The Prime Minister is seen as a weak leader here in Australia and is a weak leader in our international partners as well. That is just the reality of it, the way he conducts himself.
Earlier on Sky News, Dutton said he had no concerns about Aukus, and that there was enough support from Republicans and Democrats to sustain the agreement.
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Dutton says ‘ballooning the public service is not an efficient way of helping families’
Dutton’s being pushed again on what sort of cuts he would make to the public service and where.
The Coalition has promised to cut it by 41,000 staff – the same number that have been employed by the government over the last three years – but has said this won’t impact frontline services. Dutton also this morning wouldn’t rule out cutting the ABC.
The government has created an environment and an economy where they are increasing the public service by 41,000 people, three times the rate of the right Gillard Government… Increasing the bureaucracy in Canberra is not a way to deliver efficient services to families in the suburbs.
He adds, “I think it is important for us to live within our means”, a reference to the Abbott 2014 budget, when cuts were made to key services like health and the ABC.
Our own Josh Butler asks whether it’s fair Dutton won’t say exactly where those 41,000 public servant job losses will come from?
I think you want to get back to reality and reality is in the suburbs, here across the country where families cannot afford to pay that bill and ballooning the public service by 41,000 is not an efficient way of helping families.
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Updated at 19.14 EDT
Dutton blames Labor for sending wages ‘backwards’
Peter Dutton is also in Melbourne and is speaking off the back of Albanese, and is asked what submission a Coalition government would make to the Fair Work Commission.
Earlier this morning, two Coalition frontbenchers said they support wage rises, but stopped short of supporting a push for the commission to lift the minimum wage above the rate on inflation.
Dutton says the same, that he supports wage increases, but blames the government for sending wages backwards.
Families have gone backwards under this government. There’s been 7 quarters where families have been in recession. Mr Albanese can talk up about putting up wages. Real wages have gone down under this government.
The last part of that is not quite true… real wages according to the ABS wage price index have gone up (though a very modest 0.7% in the latest quarter.)
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Updated at 19.04 EDT
PM says Port of Darwin shouldn’t have been ‘flogged off’ to Chinese company
Albanese has flagged he will have “more to say” over the campaign on the future of the Port of Darwin.
Under the former government, the Northern Territory signed a 99-year lease with Chinese-owned Landbridge for the port in 2015.
Albanese says he wouldn’t have “flogged it off” in the first place.
We opposed it at the time, we thought that was unwise… not only did the Northern Territory government get income from the People’s Republic of China for flogging off the port, they got a top-up payment from Australian taxpayers for selling the port of Darwin to a company that is closely connected with the People’s Republic of China government. I will have more to say when – over the course of this campaign.
Machinery at the Port of Darwin, Northern Territory. Photograph: ReutersShare
Updated at 19.00 EDT
Back to the tariffs, Albanese says there are daily discussions taking place between the Australian and US administrations ahead of the next round of tariffs.
We are certainly prepared tomorrow for whatever outcome is determined. And you’ll see that tomorrow.
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Why isn’t Jacinta Allan with PM in Melbourne?
There’s been speculation as to why Victorian premier Jacinta Allan isn’t with Albanese, Wong and Murray Watt at today’s press conference in Melbourne. (Note: the very popular Peter Malinauskas was right by Albanese’s side when he was in Adelaide yesterday, and Roger Cook was with the PM earlier during his visit to Perth).
Allan isn’t as popular in Victoria, and Liberal insiders believe her lack of popularity will help turn voters towards the Coalition in the state.
But Albanese says:
Parliament is sitting. It’s this little thing called Parliament.
He adds he works closely and has a good relationship with every premier and chief minister.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan. Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 19.10 EDT
Albanese rejects Dutton barb over Trump
Albanese refutes the criticism from Dutton during that earlier interview, that Trump is walking all over him.
Albanese says Dutton “says different things every day”, between praising President Trump and standing up for Australia. (You might remember Dutton had called Trump “shrewd”, “reasonable”, and a “big thinker”).
I stood up for Australia when they put on aluminium and steel tariffs. I continue to stand up for Australia and have said very clearly we won’t compromise and negotiate on our PBS, our on biosecurity, on our media bargaining code. I will stand up for Australia.
Peter Dutton will always dial things up to 11. He thinks this is a contest of who can say the most aggro things. It’s not.
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Updated at 18.45 EDT
Wong says Labor working to diversity trade in face of Trump tariffs
To Trump (no surprises here – we’ll be seeing questions on this for days to come), foreign minister Penny Wong takes a question on whether Australia should team up with China to counter the US’s tariffs.
Earlier on ABC RN Breakfast, Wong said Australia needed to be “realistic” about the potential outcomes on trade.
Wong reiterates the point, adding that the government has been working to diversify trade and will continue to do so.
What we have to do is to recognise the reality and make good decisions for Australia. And they include making sure we diversify our trade, and you’ve seen over the three years of this government our work to diversify our trading markets, not only to remove $20 billion of trade impediments on the Chinese market, but to do more to exploit the economic opportunities, to take the economic opportunities of South-East Asia, of India, of [a] free trade agreement with the UAE.
We just heard earlier from Peter Dutton talking to Sky, saying that he’d take a more aggressive approach to the US administration.
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Updated at 18.53 EDT
PM says Labor support aims to offset falling birth rate
Back to Albanese’s press conference in Melbourne, the PM is asked about the decreasing birth rate in Australia, and what that shows about confidence in the economy and future.
Albanese says that’s why Labor has looked at paid parental leave, and super on that leave, as well as more subsidised childcare to try and help young parents and families.
All of these measures have been aimed at encouraging population growth through an increased number of births that are important. So, the government is conscious about it.
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Updated at 18.50 EDT
Dutton says he’ll ‘have a fight with Donald Trump’ in a heartbeat if needed
Over on Sky, Peter Dutton has done a pre-recorded sit down interview traversing health, public service cuts, defence and tariffs.
Labor has been trying to tie Dutton and his policies to the US, at a particularly awkward time when Australia is negotiating against a new round of tariffs (due to be announced tomorrow morning our time).
Yesterday we heard treasurer Jim Chalmers call Dutton “DOGE-ee” – a reference to the US “department of government efficiency”. But Dutton has been trying hard to pin Albanese as a weak leader.
Asked whether the comparison with Trump is hurting the Liberal campaign, Dutton says:
I think the prime minister will go and he’ll throw the lines out. He’ll get Jim Chalmers and other lackeys to throw the lines out. Ultimately, what people want is a prime minister who can stand up for our country…
If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader to advance our nation’s interests, I’d do it in a heartbeat, and I’ll put the Americans on notice.
That sounds a little like shirt fronting to me… (see Tony Abbott versus Vladimir Putin circa 2014).
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Updated at 19.03 EDT
PM spruiks minimum-wage rise in childcare centre
Anthony Albanese is standing up in Melbourne childcare centre, in an area that Labor needs to sandbag its support.
There are two key themes here for Albanese – one is the submission to increase the minimum wage (which would impact some childcare workers) plus the government’s guarantee for three days of subsidised care for kids.
On the wage rises, Albanese reminisces that last election, he held up a $1 coin to signify what a wage rise matching inflation would mean.
Last campaign I was in Victoria here in Melbourne, where I held up a $1 coin repeatedly. Because when asked… would I support a pay increase if the Fair Work Commission determined it, I said ‘absolutely.’ The coalition at that time said that must be a mistake because the sky would fall in.
We’ve said that not once, not twice, not three times but now for the fourth time we’re saying we support minimum wage and those on award wages, some 3 million Australians, not going backwards.
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Updated at 19.18 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Meanwhile, in Victorian politics…
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has announced public school students will be allowed to wear non-branded shorts, pants, skirts and socks under a major policy change designed to ease financial pressure on families.
Speaking at Abbotsford Primary School, Allan announced from 2026, school logos on shorts, pants, skirts and socks in Victorian government schools will be banned.
She said the decision followed consultation with schools and parents, which found the branded items were the biggest contributor to uniform costs, especially when it came to items worn daily.
Allan said:
Kids grow pretty rapidly and often need a new school uniform, a new pair of socks, a new pair of shorts – that is adding cost and additional pressures on family. I’ve certainly noticed this – one of our kids started year seven this year, so we had to go and get a whole new school uniform. And whilst we didn’t have the branded socks, we certainly had the branded shorts, the branded pants, which does add cost and often they are more expensive, much more expensive than what you could buy as a more generic item from other retail outlets.
Allan says branded logos would be required “from the waist up” on hats, tops, shirts, dresses and jackets but not “from the waist down”. She says:
We absolutely want to see the uniforms born with pride, but that’s why we’re saying from the waist up – have those logos. For the other items, the generic items will do just the same job.
The unbranded items will need to match the school colours. There will be transitional arrangements to ensure that uniforms already purchased can continue to be worn.
ShareJosh Butler
Peter Dutton will visit a housing estate at Donnybrook, in the outer Melbourne seat of McEwen, for a press conference this morning.
The seat is Labor-held, but only on a slim 3.8% margin. These type of outer suburban, mortgage belt seats are exactly the type of electorates that Dutton needs to win if he stands any chance of electoral victory.
We’re at a home in a new estate out in the suburbs. There’s a pretty impressive bed of tall sunflowers in the front garden. We’re told the young family in this home is working multiple jobs to make the mortgage payments.
Dutton will be joined by McEwen candidate Jason McClintock.
ShareBenita Kolovos
Victoria’s upper house sat until almost 4am this morning to pass anti-vilification legislation, with new safeguards added to the bill to secure the support of the Greens.
The justice legislation amendment (anti-vilification and social cohesion) bill will expand Victoria’s existing legal protections against vilification, which currently only cover race and religion, to cover disability, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation.
It will also make serious vilification – such as incitement of hatred or physical threats – offences punishable by up to five years’ jail.
Under the amendments secured by the Greens, police and the courts will have to consider the social, historical, and cultural context when making decisions about vilification in both civil and criminal cases.
The bill will also retain third-party oversight in criminal prosecutions by limiting police power by requiring them to obtain consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) before proceeding with charges.
The Greens also successfully negotiated to add the phrase “address systemic injustice and structural oppression” to the purpose of the bill and to narrow the expanded religious exception to “prevent the vilification of LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised groups under the guise of religion”.
The bill will return to the lower house later today to pass the changes.
Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri said:
We’ve ensured this bill protects people against hate speech with safeguards in place to prevent these laws from being misused, especially against marginalised and overpoliced communities.
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Dutton won’t rule out cutting ABC
Staying on Dutton’s interview with ABC radio Melbourne, Raf Epstein asks whether Dutton’s cuts to the public service include the ABC.
He won’t rule it out, and says where there is waste or ineffective spending, “we don’t support that”.
I think where we find waste and we find ineffective spending, then we don’t support that
I think there’s a lot of very good work that the ABC does, and if it’s being run efficiently, then you would keep the funding in place.
If it’s not being run efficiently and there is waste, then I think taxpayers, who pay for it, and who are working harder than ever just to get ahead, would expect us to, you know, to not support the waste.
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Updated at 18.37 EDT
Dutton faces ‘PM for Sydney’ accusations on Melbourne radio
Peter Dutton’s admission he’d move into Kirribilli House in Sydney is continuing to bite.
He’s on ABC radio Melbourne, and listeners have accused him of “wanting to be the prime minister of Sydney” and that he does more Sydney media that Melbourne media.
Dutton says that’s not true and says he’s spent time doing commercial Melbourne radio and national commercial media.
There are many I know this city, many other mediums I do know this city. I’ve been coming to this city for the last 25 years, and I love Melbourne. It’s a great, great city, and I have lots of friends and family here. I have lots of support here…
I want to make Victoria a safer place. I want to work with whoever is the premier in this state to make sure that we can address what I think is some pretty significant failings in the economic settings here in Victoria.
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Updated at 17.59 EDT
Josh Butler
Coalition nuclear scheme would shutter aluminium smelters around country, Labor says
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan would see the closure of aluminium smelters in Tasmania, NSW, Victoria and Queensland, Labor has asserted, pointing to changes in electricity demand assumed under the Coalition’s energy modelling.
Smelters at Bell Bay, Tomago, Portland and Boyne would close before 2030, Labor claims, because the Coalition’s plan assumes lower electricity demand than Labor’s plan does – spelling trouble for the energy-intensive aluminium sector, the government has said today.
This is a complicated story – with lots of detail about modelling, assumptions and the power grid – but we’ve stepped it out in an article earlier this week:
Dutton visited Tomago earlier this week and denied this sort of claim, saying this argument was a “misinterpretation” of his plan, and claiming the shortfall in demand was because renewables required Labor to “overbuild” the system.
But Labor is continuing this argument today, and say the nuclear modelling doesn’t have enough power to keep energy-intensive industries running.
Dr Dylan McConnell, an energy systems expert at UNSW, told Guardian Australia earlier this week:
The version of the future that the Coalition is relying on is one that has aluminium smelters closing. It assumes a big reduction in large industrial loads.
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Updated at 17.46 EDT
PM ramps up campaigning in Melbourne battlegrounds
Dan Jervis-Bardy
With Labor needing to sandbag seats in Melbourne, Albanese starts today on the offensive, campaigning in the eastern suburbs electorate of Deakin, held by Liberal frontbencher Michael Sukkar on a razor-thin margin of 0.02%.
The latest YouGov poll published on Sunday showed Sukkar on track on lose the seat to the Labor candidate, Matt Gregg.
Albanese will visit a childcare centre in Croydon South with Gregg and the employment minister, Murray Watt, to talk up Labor’s push for a pay-rise for low-paid workers – including early childhood educators.
As we reported earlier, Labor’s submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review calls for an above-inflation pay rise for 2.9 million workers.
Albanese has fronted press conferences with the popular WA and SA premiers in recent days but it doesn’t sound like Victorian leader Jacinta Allan will be present at this morning’s event.
That’s telling.
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Updated at 17.49 EDT
