LIVE

Thu 1 May

Australia Institute Live: Day 34 of the 2025 election campaign. As it happened.

Amy Remeikis – Chief Political Analyst

This blog is now closed.

Key posts

The Day's News

12.03 AEST

Albanese claims he is a reformist, not a revolutionary

Q: What do you say to voters who say you are offering lacks ambition?

Albanese:

We have put in place during our first term which has been a difficult time to be in government, we have inflation headline 2.4 underlying down 2.9, since we inherited it, there was a key task. Real wages have grown, on employment has still been low at 4.1, economists are out and I met one of them in the foyer of my hotel this morning writing articles in a national publication that said that you have to get a boost in unemployment. Y

ou have to see it in order to get inflation down, people need to lose their jobs. That’s not the web away and it’s not the Australian way. We managed to do is to that will be provided cost-of-living relief but I tell you what vision looks like, as it looks like the schools funding agreement. Better and fairer schools funding.

We didn’t promise that. That’s something that where we’ve exceeded expectations, we’re dealing with the transition to clean energy.

We’re continuing with cheaper child care and making a difference there, free TAFE, TAFE was on the verge of collapse in some places because of a lack of investment. We have put TAFE at the centre of the vocational education and training system.

And I will raise one more, because I raised the youngest Australians, the oldest Australians as well. Aged care, we have put in place the biggest reforms of aged care this century. Bar none. Making an enormous difference for older Australians to get the respect and dignity that they deserve in their later years.

When we came to office, the title of the interim report from the royal commission was one word – neglect. That’s what we were left with. They said we couldn’t get 99% of nurses – back in nursing homes 99% of the time. The coalition said it was a fantasy, couldn’t be done. We have done it. We’re paying aged care workers more, early childhood educators more. I don’t pretend to be a revolutionary. I’m a reformist. Putting in place sensible mainstream reforms in a mainstream government that’s making a difference for Australians. Working with business and working with unions, and working with civil society.

12.02 AEST

On emissions and the phase out of fossil fuels, Albanese says:

We all recall the gas-led recovery, remember that? Josh Frydenberg used to stand up every Question Time and go on about the Gasled recovery.

Why didn’t it happen? Well it was all about rhetoric because they could land a policy.

What our policy has done is have a 43% reduction by 2030, net zero by 2050, we are working with industry to do that. In areas like Gladstone and the Pilbara and the Hunter Valley and the Upper Spencer Gulf, the real opportunity that is the is for the mix, for renewables but backed with the firming capacity that gas brings.

That’s why me and this bloke (Roger Cook) are on exactly the same page.

When it comes to energy here in WA and right around Australia. 24 of 28 coal-fired power stations announced their closure under the former government. If Peter Dutton was brave enough and had the courage to visit one of the sites, you could visit the site in Queensland and what he would see is a coal-fired power station that isn’t operating.

Why is it not operating? Because towards the end of their life, there are issues with water, with ageing of these power plants and they are shutting down. They are unreliable. That is something that is impacting on reliability in the system and that is why our plan for energy was packed not just by the conservation groups but by the business Australian Industry Group and other groups as well

11.57 AEST

Q: Will it be compliant? You’re not answering the question.

Albanese:

You will see the legislation when it is done. What we will do is not preempt processes of consultation. We treat people with respect, that is what my government does. We engage with industry and I have a good relationship with the chamber here, have a good relationship with conservation groups as well. We will treat people with respect, engage constructively with the WA government and other state governments as well and we will produce an outcome that is very positive.

Albanese is answering these questions as if he has already won the election, which it seems he has. The only questions now are what will the senate look like (One Nation could win more seats there, at the expense of the Coalition) and will Albanese be in majority or minority.

11.56 AEST

Q: Will the new version of nature positive was become compliant and will you need to be upfront about that while you are in WA next to Roger Cook who called the previous bill a threat?

Albanese:

I said previously what we will have is in accordance with what was recommended by the Samuels review that was commissioned, I remind you by the Coalition what will have as a policy that is good for industry, I met with Rebecca already from the chamber, the minerals chamber here in WA, I had discussions with the Premier here and discussions with conservation groups. What I want is something that is good for business and good for sustainability and that is what they want as well.

11.55 AEST

Q: This election possibly more than many has been characterised by mistruths and accusations of lying all around. Is this why you didn’t pursue the truth in political advertising legislation as vigorously as the campaign finance office put it the same time and would like to have another crack at that truth in ads legislation?

Albanese:

I would. We tried to do a range of legislation which we didn’t have support for from the Coalition. .

11.51 AEST

Anthony Albanese press conference

He is in WA (called it yesterday – I know how these campaigns work in these days. Have done enough blitzes in my time!) with Richard Marles and Roger Cook talking schools, just so he can say this:

Albanese:

We will deliver $16.5 billion over a decade in the [education] agreement that has been signed by every state and territory government. I want to give credit to Roger Cook as the WA premier, being the first Premier to sign up to that agreement, making an enormous difference.

It means an extra $2.4 billion for schools here in WA. We are investing in these young people here, supporting the teachers in the work that they do. I noticed today we are seeing another backflip from Peter Dutton over school curriculum. I make this point.

The current school curriculum was put in place by the former government, not us. But they looked for culture wars in every corner that they can find one. Every Dark Corner is where they are looking and having said they would rail against the curriculum, that it wasn’t appropriate, now they are saying they won’t touch the curriculum.

If you can’t keep a policy for three days, if you’re going to an election saying we will tell you what the cuts are going to be after the polling date which is what Peter Dutton has explicitly said during the debates, then how can you be trusted to have a mandate over the next three years?

11.48 AEST

The reporters are not so sure and ask again why the Coalition has been largely absent from the Northern Territory after the Voice referendum.

Littleproud:

I’ve been here consistently. And that’s what I’ve proven to the people of Alice Springs that I continually come back, thus the respect that I show as potentially the next deputy Prime Minister of this country. I would have thought the people of Alice Springs are pretty happy to have the potential deputy Prime Minister of this country walking around listening to them and I haven’t seen the Prime Minister, I don’t have a big dance or people around me, I walk the streets, go to the pub, have a beer and listen to what people in Alice Springs are telling me, I’m not afraid to do that. I think they get better outcomes, that’s a practical solution for the NT and what National Party brings to Alice Springs and to Lingiari.

Yes Lingiari. You should feel pretty happy to have a potential deputy prime minister walking your streets. The potential deputy prime minister said so. Just ignore that they don’t have any policy and that the policy they have offered up is damaging, oh and that they were there very frequently during the Voice and then not at all. Don’t worry about that – not when you have the potential deputy prime minister there at your pubs!

11.44 AEST

Why isn’t Peter Dutton campaigning in Alice Springs? Especially considering how much time he spent there during the Voice referendum?

Well it’s because it’s David Littleproud’s territory apparently.

I’m the leader of the National Party, want to see the is its own party, I’m responsible for Lingiari. And that’s why I’ve invested my time continuing to be here.

I will be the one that sits beside Peter Dutton in determining the policies for this country, as the leader of the National Party. P

eter has been to Darwin…and my responsibility is to Lisa Siebert and to make sure that she is elected and that is the will of the National Party and the one I take very seriously and I have shown respect, I have shown respect of the people of Alice Springs in central Australia that are not about announcements, it’s about real solutions and you talk about we had a big vote back in October couple of years ago around the Voice, Peter Dutton are I were in the parliament the next week, moved motions to have a Royal Commission on child sexual abuse, move the motion to have a forensic order into the spending of Australian taxpayers money in Closing the Gap.

We made it clear because of the leadership of Jacinta Price about why we didn’t support the Voice, was about that should be about local elders and we want to give that ownership of expanding and giving local ownership of land councils rather than a couple of big ones controlling it all.

That is about leadership, resolution and that’s what I come back to Alice Springs, what I show is respect for the people of Alice Springs, I don’t come here and drop announcements and go, I have been here half dozen times this year alone.

11.40 AEST

What’s up with the Nationals?

The Nationals are not feeling confident of a great result this Saturday, which means the leadership issues are already starting to boil over, with people angling for the top jobs.

Bridget McKenzie is one of the names being put forward for leadership, but so is Kevin Hogan (Page MP)

Barnaby Joyce has been deliberately absent this campaign – he wants to make sure that it is completely owned by David Littleproud (who he doesn’t like) and that no one can blame him in any way for the result (according to some of the Nats)

A few Nats have pointed to the Nationals campaign, making the point to look at who is on tour away from Littleproud. Hogan has been getting out and about a bit, as has Darren Chester.

But Littleproud hasn’t had many friends. He is in Alice Springs today with CLP NT Senator Jacinta Price, who has also been pushed to the back this campaign, because it turns out that being the shadow minister for culture wars and an actual MAGA-hat wearing, slogan sprouting candidate isn’t that appealing when voters are making their choices.

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