It is Jane Hume who has been sent out early for the Coalition campaign (remember when this was James Paterson’s job?) Does she think that Welcome to Country ceremonies are going to be used as a political football after her leader said he thought they were “overdone”?

Hume:

I think the real issue that Australians are talking about is the cost of living and their standard of living has gone backwards so far in the last three years. Backwards by about 8%. So it’s not as if you’re – all in your head, you know, you’re not just feeling poorer, you, in fact, are poorer. That’s what’s playing out at the polling booths that I have been going to in the last week. People know that they need cost-of-living relief right now.

That’s why we have offered 25% – sorry, 25 cent cut in fuel excise for the next 12 months, that will kick in immediately if a Dutton Coalition Government is elected. At the end of that 12 months, there’ll be $1200 back for around 85% of workers. We get the budget under control, sustain inflation at a lower rate and then, of course, make sure we bring down the cost of energy. That’s how you manage an economy effectively. Manage it so that a cost of living is not an ongoing issue. It shouldn’t be part of a feature offer Government as it has been under Anthony Albanese.