Australia’s ambassador to the US has taken aim at the proposal to put tariffs on screen productions. Follow today’s news live
Ben Raue’s predictions for Menzies, Bullwinkel and Bradfield
Analyst Ben Raue also predicted that Labor’s Gabriel Ng lead by 1,145 votes in Menzies, Victoria, will “grow slightly”.
Continue reading...Liberal candidate says he is ‘proud’ to represent electorate after being ‘written off’ three years ago. Follow today’s live news and reaction to the 2025 Australian federal election results
Max Chandler-Mathers on housing: Labor refused to negotiate then told media the Greens were blocking their bills
Asked about criticism that the Greens slowed down progress on housing on Triple J Hack, Max Chandler-Mather said Anthony Albanese was “basically saying that, and it just wasn’t true, but then the media repeated as fact”.
It was odd for me, I have to say, because I would be sitting in a negotiating room with the prime minister or with the housing minister, and we’d be privately saying we’re willing to give up everything on our side of negotiations if you just build a bit more public housing. And then they say, ‘Nah, no way, we’re not giving you a thing’. And then they go out into the media and say, ‘The Greens are blocking housing’.
In the house, a lot of those things didn’t get across that you were hoping or that you were promising, the rent freezes, the rent caps, the negative gearing changes, the doubling of capital gains tax … That stuff didn’t get across the line, but Labor’s housing policies still did.
I’ll be honest, one of the things I’m quite happy about at the moment is I don’t have to spend more time in the House of Representatives, because, like, basically every time I stood up, I got screamed and yelled at. In terms of a workplace, it was bloody awful, and frankly, a lot of the times miserable.
The only reason I kept going back because it felt like we were one of the few voices fighting for millions of people who feel really let down by this political system …
Continue reading...Many countries impose a form of inheritance tax on deceased estates, but does Albanese’s policy fit the bill?
Peter Dutton has described Labor’s plan to reduce tax breaks on superannuation balances larger than $3m as a “quasi inheritance tax”.
The description was made days out from polling day, as the major parties tore apart their opponent’s policies in a last-ditch effort to win votes.
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Continue reading...Coalition claims it will save $10bn more over four years compared with Labor. Follow today’s news live
Good morning and welcome to our live election blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Krishani Dhanji will take over.
Our top story this morning is on the “handshake” deal by the Nationals to move One Nation up its preference list that could help win the New South Wales electorate of Hunter. The deal has been made despite Pauline Hanson’s candidate being known for calling public health officials “little Hitlers” and promoting a conspiracy theory that the climate crisis has been used to control every aspect of people’s lives.
Continue reading...Nationals senator says working holiday visa, which supplies labour to regional areas, will not be part of Coalition’s planned migration cuts. Follow updates live
Peter Dutton is due to arrive any moment at a campaign rally in the Labor-held seat of Hawke in Melbourne’s west.
The opposition leader is expected to deliver an energetic sermon to the party faithful ahead of the Coalition’s last-week “blitz”.
Over the last three years, when defence comes to us, the independent strategic review identifies capabilities and assets that need to be bought, then we have put that in the budget. The biggest expansion in peacetime since World War II, you see defence spending growing as a share of the economy or GDP over the forward estimates and over the next ten years.
If more needs to be done, of course the prime minister has indicated we’re open to doing that.
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Albanese says climate change is an “economic issue, not just an environmental one”.
He is asked about the rising pressure of home insurance for families. The prime minister responds:
We’ll continue to do what we can there. One of the things that obviously is having an impact is the increased number of extreme weather events. That’s why climate change needs to be considered to be an economic issue, not just an environmental one. Because there are economic costs to it.
Everyone who is here has been through screening … Let’s be clear about the suggestions that have been made on a range of occasions, aimed at promoting division in Australian society and in Australian debate. They’ve been made by the Coalition. They simply just don’t stack up.
Continue reading...Polestar says Dutton’s move shows ‘a complete lack of understanding of the significant cost-of-living, climate and health benefits of EVs’
Electric vehicles would cost more under a Coalition government, after Peter Dutton confirmed he would scrap a popular tax break for EV drivers in an apparent backflip that has caused confusion and anger among clean car advocates.
The initiative, which was introduced by the Albanese government in 2022, has meant if a person buys an EV priced under $91,387 through a novated lease program via their employer (when a lease is paid off through pre-taxed salary deductions) they do not have to pay fringe benefits tax (FBT) – even if the car is only for personal use.
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Continue reading...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.
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Continue reading...The PM addressed a crowd of 500 people in Perth, spruiking new policies on housing and tax deductions, celebrating WA and invoking Donald Trump. Here’s what you may have missed
Labor’s election campaign launch in Perth was headlined by a $10bn housing pledge, a vow to help first home buyers and a new $1,000 “automatic” tax deduction for all workers.
It also featured a former prime minister, gags about rugby league and more than a few digs at Peter Dutton alongside Labor’s claims that he is copying Donald Trump’s political playbook.
Continue reading...The opposition leader is launching the Liberal party’s campaign at an event in south-western Sydney. Follow live
Albanese tells Australian UFC fighter to ‘go hard’ in message of support before headline match
Some Australians will be glued to a brutal fight between two battle-hardened competitors duking it out in a no-holds barred street fight televised today across the land. And it’s sure to get ugly.
I’m in my own title fight at the moment, but I want to wish you all the best for yours. I know you’ll dig deep and make Australians proud. You are one of Australia’s great sporting champions. When you enter the octagon this weekend, Australians will be cheering you on. Go hard.
Continue reading...Benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falls 2.4% after another sell-off on Wall Street overnight triggered by changes to the US tariff regime
The Australian sharemarket closed lower on Friday, ending a volatile week on a sour note as concerns about Donald Trump’s unsettling policy shifts and deteriorating trade relations between the world’s two biggest economies took hold.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.8% on Friday to 7,646.5 points after a sell-off on Wall Street overnight.
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Continue reading...US president says he will shortly announce the new tariff on pharmaceuticals but does not give any details
Donald Trump says the US will soon introduce “a major tariff on pharmaceuticals” designed to force more manufacturing giants to relocate to America, a move that could further strain relations with Australia.
His comments come hours after his trade representative, Jamieson Greer, said the US should be “running up the score” with Australia and using money generated by tariffs to address a broader $1.2tn trade deficit with the rest of the world. The US maintains a trade surplus with Australia.
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Poll points to risks in key seats for Labor
We’ve made it to a week into the election campaign. So who’s winning?
At the end of week one, it was clear that Albanese won more days than Dutton and therefore won the week. But there are still four more to go, and anything can happen in an election.
Continue reading...Golfer has been used before as a diplomatic bridge to US president. Follow today’s news live
Peter Dutton is in Western Australia for his first visit to the mining state of this campaign, and has come bearing a $600m announcement for roads which are critical to mining and agriculture.
He will spend the day in WA and Perth, before it’s expected he’ll return to the east coast late tonight or early tomorrow.
All candidates were made aware that if they were not coming tonight then they would be represented by an empty chair. This notice was given in advance.
The Liberals have failed to announce a 2030 or 2035 emissions target, committing only to net zero by 2050. The fate of the climate will be determined by cumulative emissions, so this lack of short or medium term targets is deeply problematic.
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Angus Taylor calls Labor’s energy bill rebate ‘Band-Aid on a bullet wound’
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, also says the Coalition will not “get in the way” of the government’s $150 energy rebate, announced last night.
We’re not going to get in the way of it. The starting point here though is very clear which is Labor’s failed on delivering its promise of a $275 power price reduction.
We’re not going to stand in the way of Labor cleaning up their own mess. This is putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. The solution here is to get a structural outcome which is a reduction in underlying electricity prices, which has not been achieved, of course. It’s gone the other way.
They are both supplied by the US with little to no sovereign input, are expensive and outdated. Like Aukus, this equipment is much more about signalling our loyalty to the US than defending Australia.
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Jim Chalmers was also up on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he was asked if there’s a reason the government can’t commit to more of the 20 recommendations.
He said it was committing to all of the recommendations “in principle” and, like earlier, that the government was working on some of them already.
The ACCC has handed down a 441-page report and not on any of those pages does it support the divestiture powers which have been proposed by our political opponents.
If you make one of the big chains sell in the community, there’s a risk that it’s just snapped up by the other big player in the supermarket sector and that would be counter-productive. Or if it chases supermarket options out of town in regional communities. It’s got hairs all over it, frankly.
We’re making the food and grocery code mandatory. We’re empowering the ACCC. We’re cracking down on mergers and acquisitions. We’re working to make it easier for new entrants to compete with the two big supermarkets in particular. These are all of the things that we’re cracking down on when it comes to the supermarkets.
We don’t want the supermarkets to be treating Australians like mugs.
Continue reading...On the issue of Aukus, the opposition leader said the Coalition is committed to increased defence spending. Follow today’s news live
‘Israeli government does not have a lot of palatable options’ – Sharma
The Liberal senator and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma was up on ABC News Breakfast earlier to discuss the latest strikes carried out by Israel on Gaza.
If any of us were in their position, we would be single-mindedly focused on the return of our loved ones. I can understand that. This is a politically contentious issue in Israel, there’s no walking away from that, but I don’t think the government has a lot of good choices.
Continuing the ceasefire was not going to lead to the release of further hostages, at least according to the mediators involved in the talks. Hamas had basically said they weren’t planning on returning any more. As I said, in that situation, the Israeli government does not have a lot of palatable options.
Continue reading...Election pledge part of Albanese’s focus on cheaper medicines as a cost-of-living measure that will also help reduce inflation
A re-elected Labor government would reduce the price of PBS-listed medicines to no more than $25 a script, in a major new election pledge to be included in next week’s budget that builds on Anthony Albanese’s focus on cheaper medicines as a cost-of-living measure.
With the formal election campaign to start within weeks, where Labor will focus strongly on health as a key issue, Albanese will on Thursday deliver a major speech promising that four out of five medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme would become cheaper under the plan which would cost the government $689m.
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Growing inequality erodes social cohesion – Leigh
In his speech, Andrew Leigh will say growing inequality is an issue because it erodes social cohesion.
When wealth is concentrated among a few, society becomes fragmented. Our sense of collective responsibility diminishes, and the fabric that binds us as Australians weakens.
This approach contrasts with our predecessors, whose tax policies disproportionately benefited the highest earners, widening the gap between rich and poor. By maintaining a fair and responsible tax structure, we can fund essential public services while ensuring that the most fortunate Australians contribute their fair share.
Yet since the 1980s, Australia has seen what economists describe as a ‘Great Divergence’, reversing the gains of earlier decades.
Today, the top 1% of income earners receive nearly 10% of national income, nearly doubling their share from 40 years ago. Wealth inequality is even more extreme, with the richest 10% owning more than 60 times the wealth of the bottom 10%.
Continue reading...‘Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price of defeating Hamas. It has now been two weeks since humanitarian aid last entered Gaza’ says foreign minister. Follow today’s news live
Labour-hire flight attendants to get pay boost
More than 750 domestic flight attendants funnelled to Qantas by labour-hire firms will get a hefty pay boost, AAP reports, in what is being hailed as a victory for “same job, same pay” laws.
Some of these crew will no longer need three jobs to make ends meet and put a roof over the heads of their families.
These are workers who wear the same uniform, do the same work, work the same rosters but have been paid significantly less than their colleagues. They do the same job and they deserve the same pay.
A crime scene has been established and an arson chemist will attend the scene [this] morning. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire remains ongoing.
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