Coalition promises crackdown on ‘drugs and thugs’ as polls continue to favour Labor

Opposition expected to use final two weeks of the campaign to focus on the traditionally safe grounds of national security, crime and defence

The Coalition would crack down on “drugs and thugs” with a new policy pledge including tougher narcotics laws and a new disclosure scheme to help parents “unmask” sex offenders who may be in contact with their children.

Peter Dutton said an elected Coalition government would spend $750m on its so-called Operation Safer Communities plan, to include tightened border security and safety laws, extra funding for police and investigators, and detection of illicit drugs.

Continue reading...

‘Propaganda’: Albanese mocks Russia’s ‘you have no cards’ warning to Australia

Incendiary letter by Moscow’s envoy says Australians should be more concerned about US bases on their soil than a Russian base in Indonesia

Russian warnings to Australia that “you have no cards” to stop Russian military activity in the Indo-Pacific have been mocked by Anthony Albanese, who has dismissed an incendiary letter from an ambassador as authoritarian “propaganda”.

The unsubstantiated spectre of a proposed Russian military airbase on Indonesian territory has loomed over the past week of Australia’s federal election campaign, with the opposition accusing the government of obfuscating and dodging questions, and the government responding that the opposition had misrepresented the Indonesian government and actively fanned Russian propaganda.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Nine-year-old boy dies at popular NSW holiday spot amid spate of drownings over Easter long weekend

The child died after becoming trapped between rocks at South West Rocks on Sunday afternoon

A nine-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped between rocks at a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales mid-north coast, amid a spate of drowning deaths over Easter.

Police and other emergency services tried to free the boy from the site at South West Rocks on Sunday afternoon but he died at the scene.

Continue reading...

Labor vows to consider strengthening Australia’s animal welfare body after shocking abattoir revelations

Exclusive: Guardian Australia investigation into export abattoirs brings ‘necessary and commonsense’ commitment back to the spotlight

Labor will consider strengthening Australia’s independent animal welfare body following shocking revelations of welfare breaches and oversight failings in the nation’s export abattoirs.

A Guardian Australia investigation revealed on Saturday that government-employed veterinarians working inside the nation’s export abattoirs had repeatedly blown the whistle on “profound problems” with the system.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

‘Bordering on incredible’: Coalition under fire for planning to scrap Labor climate policies and offering none of its own

With Peter Dutton’s views on climate change in the spotlight, the focus has turned onto whether there will be any policies to reduce emissions in the next decade

The Coalition is refusing to say if it will introduce any policies to cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade as it pledges to unwind most climate measures introduced under Labor.

Peter Dutton’s position on the climate crisis came under scrutiny last week after he gave contradictory answers on whether he accepted mainstream climate science. Asked during a leaders’ debate on the ABC whether extreme weather events were worsening, the opposition leader said: “I don’t know because I’m not a scientist”.

Dropping a Labor goal of 82% of electricity coming from renewable generation by 2030 and slowing the roll out of solar and wind farms, in part by scrapping a “rewiring the nation” fund to build new transmission connections. Instead, it says the country would rely on more fossil fuels – coal and gas-fired power – until it could lift a ban on nuclear energy and build taxpayer-owned nuclear generators, mostly after 2040.

Abolishing fines for car companies that do not meet targets to cut the average emissions from the new cars they sell.

Not supporting Labor’s 2030 emissions reduction target. Former diplomats say lowering the target would put Australia in breach of commitments made in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Opposing a joint Australia-Pacific bid to host a major UN climate summit in Adelaide next year.

Continue reading...

As Dutton faces a last-minute policy inquisition, Albanese seems to be on top – and he knows it

An increasingly confident prime minister has bounced back from his campaign missteps while a nervous-looking opposition leader is running out of time to make a comeback

Two weeks until the 3 May election day, and Anthony Albanese is cracking jokes about Star Wars.

Every profile and sketch of the prime minister during this campaign – which is now past its halfway – speaks of the confidence and even swagger Albanese projects as he travels the country. It is one of the starkest differences to his 2022 campaign, which was dominated by missteps: forgetting key economic figures, then his untimely Covid diagnosis and images of being chased out of a press conference by journalists.

Continue reading...

Trumpet of Patriots faithful told Australia needs ‘many’ Trump-like policies as Clive Palmer launches campaign

Billionaire tells crowd of 400 that ‘uni-party’ of Labor and Coalition are ‘dumb and dumber’ as hats with ‘Make Australia Great Again’ slogan given out

Billionaire Clive Palmer has made his pitch to party faithfuls after launching the Trumpet of Patriots campaign at his own resort.

Palmer hopes his Trumpet of Patriots can bring “common sense” back to Australian politics after launching the party’s campaign in front of a strong crowd at his resort.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Australia to advocate for Melbourne man charged by Russia after fighting for Ukraine

Oscar Jenkins reportedly faces 15-year jail term on charges of fighting as ‘mercenary’

Australia will use “whatever avenues” it can to help Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins, who faces a 15-year jail term in Russia for fighting with Ukrainian troops.

The prime minister said on Saturday that the government would “continue to make representations to the reprehensible regime of Vladimir Putin” to release Jenkins, 33, a former teacher who fought with Ukraine’s armed forces against Russia’s invasion.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Man in custody after late-night chase in Bondi that saw police car allegedly rammed and shots fired

An officer fired at the car but there were no injuries, police say

A man has been taken into custody after allegedly ramming a police vehicle with a stolen Audi in Sydney’s eastern suburbs after an early-morning pursuit during which police fired at the car.

Police officers patrolling in Bondi began following a “suspicious” dark-coloured Audi A1 about 4am and a pursuit began, but ended the chase a short time later due to the speed, detective superintendent Jodi Radmore said.

Continue reading...

Albanese claims victory in Vegemite fight as Canada concedes spread poses ‘low’ risk to humans

Prime minister said his government had lobbied Canada to reconsider ruling that cafe could not import Vegemite

Anthony Albanese has claimed victory in Australia’s “Vegemite-gate” trade stoush with Canada, which has relented and allowed a Toronto-based cafe owner to sell the spread after initially ruling it did not comply with local food laws.

Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Saturday morning, holding up a jar of Vegemite, the prime minister declared he had achieved a “win for Australian industry” after his government’s discussions with the Canadian government.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Dutton pledges tax breaks for business startups and meets alpaca who sneezed on King Charles

Opposition leader also says his migration plan would prioritise tradies and not yoga teachers

The Coalition says it will introduce tax offsets to help an extra 350,000 small businesses get going if it is elected.

On Saturday morning, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, announced an “entrepreneurship accelerator” which would see new businesses receive tapered tax offsets and tax deductions for tech upgrades.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Coalition’s claim that fuel efficiency standard would raise prices based on car no longer on sale

Questions arise over election proposal to axe penalties for high-emitting cars after revelations Toyota RAV4 model used in analysis has been discontinued

The Coalition’s claim cars will be more expensive as a result of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) has come under scrutiny because at least one of the opposition’s headline figures is based on a car no longer on sale.

The revelation casts doubt on a key Coalition election proposal to eliminate penalties for cars that emit CO2 beyond regulated limits, to ensure “Australians save thousands when buying a new car”.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

How a Sydney scientist became enamoured with the ‘Ferraris of the crustacean world’ – and discovered a new shrimp species

Prof Shane Ahyong discovered ‘brutish’ mantis shrimp so unusual it needed its own new genus

When Prof Shane Ahyong was seven, his mum came home with a bag of prawns from the fish shop – but one of those things was not like the others.

“It just looked different,” said Ahyong.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Woman dead and man missing after being swept into sea in Victoria as four die in separate incidents on NSW coast

One woman managed to get back to shore after three washed into water near George Bass coastal walk south of Melbourne

A woman has died and a man is missing after they were swept from rocks near a popular coastal walk in Victoria.

A further three people have also drowned in separate incidents in New South Wales.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

‘Level of violence unheard of’: police suspect body in burnt-out car in Sydney was allegedly kidnapped woman

Woman’s two sons in hospital with one in induced coma, as police say they ‘strongly believe’ kidnapping was targeted

Police fear a body in a burnt-out car in Sydney’s south overnight is that of a Bankstown woman allegedly abducted from a home on Thursday, in what they have called a “horrendous” crime of “unprecedented” violence.

Emergency services attended a residential street in Beverly Hills at about 11.30pm on Thursday night, after reports of a car fire.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Zoe Daniel says team had nothing to do with Climate 200-backed robocall criticised by Coalition

Liberal senator says voters in teal seats receiving aggressive ‘push polling’ calls, but company behind poll says it complied with guidelines

The independent MP Zoe Daniel has said her campaign team had nothing to do with a phone survey the Coalition has criticised as “push polling”, a criticism rejected by the company responsible for launching it on behalf of Climate 200.

Nine Newspapers has published the audio of a robocall authorised by the polling company uComms, which provides a favourable overview of Daniel’s record in parliament before asking how a person would vote on 3 May.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Australia to woo US’s ‘smartest minds’ disfranchised by Trump research cuts

New talent program aims to attract academics fleeing US as administration slashes higher education funding

The “smartest minds” in the United States will be beckoned to Australia with a new talent program aiming to capitalise on academics disfranchised by the Trump administration’s research cuts.

The Australian Academy of Science announced the global talent attraction program on Thursday, warning the nation needed to “act swiftly” to capitalise on the opportunity.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Sydney hospital where two children died recently is at risk of failure, scathing report finds

Report accusing Northern Beaches hospital of not taking sufficient actions to stop risks comes as parents of baby who died after waiting for caesarean speak out

A controversial hospital where two children have recently died is accused of failing to meet healthcare standards and is at risk of failure.

In a scathing report from the New South Wales auditor general, the operators of Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital are accused of not taking sufficient actions to stop clinical safety risks.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Embattled Creative Australia boss served angry letters from staff and 600 literary figures amid Sabsabi fallout

Letters from staff expressed ‘complete lack of confidence in your ability to lead this organisation effectively’ and fears over participating in external inquiry

The embattled head of Creative Australia has been served with two letters of complaint collectively written by staff, and a third signed by more than 600 Australian literary figures.

The fallout over Creative Australia’s decision in February to withdraw the artistic team of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino from next year’s Venice Biennale continues, with its chief executive, Adrian Collette, now on leave and an inquiry under way into the circumstances surrounding the selection and subsequent sacking of the pair as Australia’s representatives.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Adelaide becomes fifth Australian capital where median house value exceeds $1m

Across Australia, home prices grew at slowest rate in two years and unit prices fell in March, Domain says

Million-dollar houses are now more common than homes costing less than seven figures in five of Australia’s capital cities.

Adelaide’s median house value passed $1m in March, even as unaffordable costs and high interest rates saw home prices grow at their slowest rate in two years and unit prices fall.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...