Australia election news live: Albanese tours flood-hit Queensland; Dutton says Coalition gave heads-up to China on Port of Darwin sale
Key events
The prime minister has touched down in Longreach, about 1,000 km north-west of Brisbane, to visit Queenslanders impacted by ongoing flooding.
He headed to a sheep farm to meet Martin and Rebecca Eggerling, a couple that have been hard hit, and is expected to hold a press conference soon.
On the agenda will be the extension of a three-month disaster allowance after the commonwealth activated the special payment scheme.
We’re also expecting Anthony Albanese to provide a little more detail on the hunt for a buyer for the Port of Darwin he announced yesterday, despite the Chinese-owned company which holds the lease insisting it is not for sale.
Where’s the hope? Back to Back Barries on week one of the campaign
The federal election campaign was barely a week old when Donald Trump rearranged the world trading order.
And in Australia, the leaders covered a lot of ground. But in a campaign lacking inspiration, where is the promise of hope?
Tony Barry and Barrie Cassidy examine the impact of new tariffs on Australia just four weeks out from the election. They also debate Dutton’s plan to cut public sector workers, and wonder: is it too much to ask for some big ideas?
Listen here:
Independent Sophie Scamps launches re-election bid with free concert
The independent MP Sophie Scamps has resurrected her 2022 “Election Beats” concert, with Lime Cordiale and Le Shiv set to hit the stage today in the name of democracy.
The free community event on Sydney’s northern beaches, expected to attract about 3,000 locals, will formally launch the re-election campaign of Scamps.
She said traditional party politics “does not work for future generations”.
Millennials and Gen Zs will make up 40% of voters at this year’s election, and I’m hearing loud and clear they want real action on climate change, on housing affordability, an economy that works for them, and a future they can believe in.
The voices of young people are being drowned out in Canberra by the same old vested interests and lobby groups. Politicians need to listen and involve young people in policy decisions, rather than simply talking at them and making decisions that will ultimately create a more unequal future for young people.
Oli Leimbach from Lime Cordiale said the band were playing the gig to “encourage people to vote for Scamps”.
Sure, we care a lot about live music (and so does Sophie), but we’re also ocean lovers, environmentalists, and we stand for equality and integrity. That’s what the Northern Beaches is all about, and that’s why we’re voting for Sophie.
NT government backs Coalition plan to put Darwin port back in Australian hands
The Northern Territory government has backed the Coalition’s announcement to bring the Darwin port back into Australian hands.
The acting chief minister, Gerard Maley, who appeared alongside Peter Dutton earlier, said the ball was now in Anthony Albanese’s hands to detail his plans.
Prime minister Albanese has claimed he’ll directly intervene but has provided no details. Territorians need certainty, not vague statements.
Should Australians elect a Dutton Coalition government, we will work with them to ensure Darwin port is managed in the best interests of Territorians and the nation.
The Territory’s minister for logistics and infrastructure, Bill Yan, said he had been working “in good faith” with the commonwealth government since late last year but “we still don’t know what their plans are”.
At every stage of this, the CLP have been fighting for Territorians and that will continue under a Dutton Coalition in Canberra.
Have you been paying attention this week?
Myself and Elias Visontay have compiled an election campaign quiz that covers all the gaffes, the gags and the plain weird.
Who will win the federal election? We have no idea, but luckily that’s not one of the questions. See how you fare:
Albanese and UK’s Starmer discuss response to Trump tariffs
Global fallout is continuing over the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, including among the US’s major allies.
The UK has had the same 10% tariff rate as Australia imposed – the baseline rate being applied to all countries.
The ABC reports Anthony Albanese discussed the global response with the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, and efforts to ensure trade barriers don’t continue to escalate.
A spokesperson for the PM said he “reaffirmed support for free and fair trade and the need for leaders to ensure that there was not an escalation of trade impediments”, while Starmer’s spokesperson said “an all-out trade war would be extremely damaging and is in nobody’s interests”.
So where is Dutton heading next?
He told reporters at the conclusion of his press conference that there would be a picture opportunity later on today and “maybe a petrol stop”.
Dutton enthusiastically pumped the bowser during a visit to a service station in Carlingford, in Sydney’s north-west, yesterday, but perhaps Darwin’s servos have better lighting for pictures.
He also noted the press pack had changed somewhat as we entered the second week of the campaign, telling reporters during his presser that the pace was “too quick” for some.
Welcome to the new faces … Good of you to join us here. Burnt a few others out. Pace is too quick. They’ve taken a rest. Some have been subbed in. Well done.
If you’re wondering what exactly the Coalition’s work from home policy actually means, it’s understandable to be confused.
The shadow finance and public service minister, Jane Hume, introduced the policy on 3 March, stating all public service workers would have to return to the office if the Coalition won government. “Exceptions can and will be made,” she said, “but they will be made where they work for everyone.”
Since then, it has been walked back, with Dutton declaring it would only apply to public servants in Canberra.
Now, he says “flexibility continues”, and has appeared to indicate existing EBAs that allow staff to work from home would still apply.
So if you’re a public servant outside Canberra, or you have the ability to work from home embedded in your enterprise agreement, you would be exempt, which leaves a significantly smaller pool of people to be impacted.
The last question comes from Andrew Probyn, who you may recall became a TikTok sensation in 2020 when Scott Morrison said he didn’t “run the press conference”.
I know that bashing up the public service is a bit of a political sport and has been for decades, but you have added some complexion to your work-from-home policy. You are saying that it will only affect people who work in Canberra in the public service.
Two-thirds of the public service live outside of the ACT, so why is it fair for someone who works for the defence force in Perth, Mr Hastie’s town, that they can work from home, but not from Canberra?
Dutton says the “bulk of the public service is in Canberra”, to which Probyn interjects “a third of the public service”.
Dutton:
Under Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard, the public service, from that period until now, under this government, the way they have increased the number of public servants has increased threefold. In Canberra, there are different dynamics around travel and different dynamics in regional parts where public servants are working remotely … Flexibility continues, whether it’s in Canberra or whether it’s outside of Canberra, so the scare campaign that has taken place has been quite disingenuous, misleading and politically based.
Our argument is we want the most efficiency for our taxpayers who are working harder than ever under this government. So, people have, I think, a reasonable expectation to know that if their taxpayer dollars are contributing to the public service, that we’re delivering the public service in the most efficient way possible.
And he’s off!
Dutton is pointed to the fact women with children work in the public service in Canberra.
Yes, but I’ve said we are very happy for flexibility in that workplace as well … we have to make sure that where we have taxpayers’ money being expended on wages for public servants in Canberra that we’re getting the most efficiency for taxpayers out of that investment and I don’t think that’s controversial.
For the prime minister to be out there and Jim Chalmers and others trying to scare women in workplaces across the country, I think is a disgrace. I’ve said very clearly that where you’ve got existing arrangements, which happens in Canberra now in the public service, you have EBAs that are there that allow for work from home arrangements, we are not proposing to change those and that’s the reality.
On to other matters, Dutton is asked about YouGov polling released last night, which painted a dire picture for the Coalition’s plan to force public servants to work in the office.
“Will you reconsider your policy?”
He accuses the government of “scaring Australians”.
Their response in relation to Medicare, to suggest that we would cut money from hospital funding or Medicare when we are in government, it is a complete lie … Why do they want to scare women when the policy doesn’t affect anybody except for public servants in Canberra.
Two-thirds of public servants live outside Canberra.
Dutton continues to talk about Medicare.
I think people who are listening to the Labor party lies at the moment and the scare campaign that is under way, I would say why aren’t they talking about their record, if it’s so good? I think that’s important.
Dutton says he “strongly supports” work from home and the policy has no impact on the private sector or public sector outside Canberra, and accuses the prime minister of “lying to Australian women”.
Why he would go out there trying to deceive people, that’s a question you would have to ask him. But I think it’s actually pretty tardy and I think the prime minister has been caught out telling fibs a few times now and his record is starting to build up of somebody whose word I wouldn’t trust on some of these issues.
