Given Peter Dutton’s complaints there, let’s take a look at this research from Bill Browne, Director of The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program:

Almost nine out of 10 Australians (89%) support  Truth in Political Advertising laws, according to new research released by The Australia Institute today.

As early voting for the federal election opens today, rival claims of misleading advertising from both sides of politics are the inevitable consequence of the absence of Truth in Political Advertising laws – because, in this election, it is still perfectly legal to lie in a political ad at a federal level. 

Key Points:

• Nine in 10 Australians (89%) support Truth in Political Advertising laws, including two in three who strongly support such laws (64%).
• There is overwhelming and consistent support for Truth in Political Advertising laws from Labor (93%), Coalition (88%), Greens (87%), One Nation (92%) and Independent/Other voters (79%).
• Truth in political advertising laws have operated successfully in South Australia for 40 years.
• At the end of 2024, the Albanese Government introduced legislation to Parliament to implement Truth in Political Advertising laws federally – but this legislation was not passed.
• Independent MP Zali Steggall introduced a private member’s bill for truth in political advertising laws.
• South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws since the 1980s; the ACT Legislative Assembly passed similar laws prior to the 2020 ACT election with tri-partisan support.

“At a federal level, it is perfectly legal to lie in a political ad, and it shouldn’t be,” Browne.

“Political advertisements that are deceptive and misleading interfere with the public’s ability to make informed decisions. Without action, we risk election campaigns sliding into a free-fall of fake news.

“Earlier this year, Labor and Liberal politicians voted to give political parties tens of millions of dollars more in public funding. Without Truth in Political Advertising laws, there is every danger that taxpayer money will be spent lying to the public.

“Corporations are already prohibited from making misleading or deceptive claims – Australians should be able to expect the same or higher standard of honesty in politics as in trade and commerce.

“Truth in Political Advertising laws have transformed campaigning in South Australia, leading political party directors to scrutinise all political ads for accuracy. Australians are entitled to the same rigour and honesty in national political advertising, but currently there is no guarantee they will get it.

“With trust in government distressingly low across Australia, all sides of politics should take the opportunity to restore some public faith in politics and the representatives they elect to Parliament.”

Asked about the polls which show that Peter Dutton himself, the person, is the reason that people don’t like the Coalition, Dutton says:

I won’t go into the priority polling, but you will see where the  government is spending money at the moment in their defending seats at the moment. They are not on the offence.

…Australians are hurting.  That is the reality. People are  going backwards and we’ve what a  household recession for nearly two years for families. The question is how can we help people after three years of this government?

…We have a chance to course correct to get the country back on track and that is what we  are concentrating on. 

Q: Are you saying that your internal polling is saying that your internal polling is saying something like you can win here? 

Dutton:

No question about, that Nat. I suspect the internal polling in the Labor Party is doing the same. Look at ‘The Australian’ today where they are spending money, they are  defending seats and that is the  reality. In Victoria, people have  had enough of Labor at a state and federal level. The government has  pulled money out of infrastructure, brought in 1 million people which  created a housing crisis. 29-30,000 small businesses have gone broke and tragically sadly behind every one of those businesses is a story where someone has lost their home or their life savings.

I think there are a lot of quiet Australians who are not that  interested in politics, but no the reality of their own lives the past few years or their neighbour or  sister or brother or someone in  their family and they know it is not been an easy time.

It is not a beauty contest.

Peter Dutton spoke to Channel Seven’s breakfast program a little earlier this morning, where he blamed the poll results (which have him behind) on ‘Labor lies’.

Today is not the day for big politicking, but obviously, the government has threaten mud and they have spent $20 million of  negativity over the course of the last few months.

Most based on a  lie, frankly, in relation to the  Medicare campaigning. The bulk- billing rates have dropped under  this government. A complete  fabrication. I think people realise what the government is saying is  built on a lie. But if you throw mud in the game and put $20 million  behind it, it has an impact. For me, I am a truthful, independent person. I am the truthful, independent person I have always been, during the course of this campaign and the course of my career Ike will stand up for what I believe in.

Sometimes you can make some people unhappy, but I truly  believe, as we said yesterday, that crime and law and order is a serious issue and I want to do more to keep our country safe and help families  who are really struggling at the  moment and our 25 cent a litre cut to fuel will help families straight away and young people in  particular get in homes.

So that is what the election will be contested on, not the  personalities and mud being thrown by Labor. 

That’s it for the morning campaigning – both sides are now reducing their campaign events today.

We will go through some of the morning interviews and bring you some snippets.

Asked if the Pope’s death will have any impact on the campaign, Anthony Albanese says:

Oh, people will, I think, separate these things and can make their decisions about the election on 3 May. I think it’s very important that we have a secular democracy in Australia and… But people will, of course, for particularly people of Catholic faith, they will take time to reflect over coming days, coming so soon after Easter commemorations. And the commemoration of the resurrection just the day before. It’s a very significant time.

Asked to speak about his own faith, Albanese says:

Look, I try not to talk about my faith in public. I say I was raised with three great faiths, I’ve said that a number of times. And at times like this, I think what people do is to, they draw on who they are. And certainly my Catholicism is just a part of me. And one of the things about the Holy Father is that he, for so many Catholics, I think his humility for the way that he embraced the poor, the way that he embraced the social justice message that I see as the message of Jesus Christ, is really important for so many Catholics. And he was someone who I personally admired as well, as someone who his values that he put forward, he had a great deal of courage as well. He was very much a modern leader in the way that he conducted himself.

Anthony Albanese is speaking in Melbourne:

The Holy Father Pope Francis’ compassion embraced all humanity. His kindness, humility and devotion were admired by people of all faiths and people of none. That’s why his loss is being mourned not by just over one billion Catholics around the world, but people from all walks of life. He was the first Jesuit Pope and the first to take the name of that great champion of the poor, St. Francis of Assisi. In the truest sense of the words he practised what he preached. The Holy Father was one of the most consequential leaders of this century and of our lifetime. He was indeed the people’s Pope. He was tireless in advocating for the powerless, campaigning against poverty, for the rights of working people and for protecting our natural environment.
 
Pope Francis stayed true to his origins. As Pontiff he never rose above small acts of kindness and compassion. What we saw in him was an abiding spirit of humility. There was a gentleness about him, but it was a gentleness that contained such inner strength. The Holy Father was devoted to his faith and found expression of that through his devotion to humanity. Tributes we have seen from all over the world speak for people’s genuine sense of connection to Pope Francis, the qualities they recognised and admired in him. When I attended St Patrick’s Cathedral last night and then attending mass this morning, speaking to parishioners who have been deeply moved by the life and the legacy of the Holy Father.
 
I will pause my other campaign related events this morning. Today, flags will fly at half mast on Commonwealth buildings right around Australia as a mark of respect to the Holy Father

Looks like both major party leaders will be suspending official campaigning today, out of respect for the Pope.

We are still waiting to hear if tonight’s scheduled debate will go ahead.

Anthony Albanese is expected to speak very soon.

When one company exports more than is consumed in NSW, Victoria and South Australia combined, there is clearly no gas shortage.

A lot of gas is exported from Australia. To demonstrate this, the chart above compares the amount of gas that is used in all of NSW, Victoria and South Australia with the gas that is exported by just one company, the Japanese giant INPEX.

INPEX’s gas terminal in Darwin exports around 9 million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) each year, which in energy terms is approximately 441 petajoules (PJ).

The Australian Energy Statistics estimate the gas consumption of each state – Victoria 215 PJ, NSW 134 PJ and South Australia 75 PJ, a total of 424 in 2022-23.

INPEX is just one of many multinational companies that export Australian gas. The fact that INPEX alone exports more gas than is used by all households and businesses (including electricity generators) in three states demonstrates that there is no gas shortage in Australia. Instead, Australia has a gas export problem.

As acknowledged by all sides of politics, any problem with Australian gas supply or price could be fixed rapidly by diverting some gas for exports. The next Australian Parliament has a great opportunity to fix Australia’s gas export problems.

Adam Bandt will hold a short press conference at a pre-polling booth in the electorate of Wills, which the Greens look like taking from Labor (at this point).

He’ll also talk about the passing of Pope Francis.

(And Will, we forgive you for the pre-coffee errors this morning – goodness knows I make a million a day, no matter how many coffees I have had)