Is a pretty straight-forward question – sadly, it doesn’t get a straight-forward answer:

Gas is an important part of providing stability, providing stability so that businesses like Rio Tinto and Gladstone, this is not theoretical, this is what is happening, whether it is Rio Tinto at Gladstone or the facility in New South Wales, the largest energy user, so they can have that confidence of moving to renewables but backed by defending capacity that gas provides. We already have in the policy that was put forward in December 2022. We have strengthened the code of conduct to make it mandated. We made sure that … we can intervene to guarantee domestic supply. We of course reduced gas prices from $30 when we came to office down to $13. It was a direct result of the policy that we have put in place. All the opposition have is not a policy, they have gas lighting of the Australian public.

Is our strengthening relationship with China harming our chances of a tariff carve out?

No-one has a better deal than Australia at 10%. President Trump has announced another change in policy overnight. We have of course got a better deal than any other country on the planet in the announcements that President Trump made just last Thursday morning. Last Thursday morning I described this as an act of economic self-harm. It is quite clear from the response of the markets that the announcement is doing harm to the United States, it is doing harm to its prospects of employment, inflation, all the key figures as well. We will continue to advocate that Australia’s tariff rates should be zero. We do not impose tariffs on US goods into Australia. We have a free trade agreement with the United States and we expect that the sort of language that we saw from the US trade representative, where he spoke about … building up a buffer, when Australia currently imports US goods, twice as much as we export to the United States. We do not think it is an act of a friend, as I said last Thursday. We will continue to advocate strongly for Australia’s interest.

The presser moves on to the subject of China. The PM is asked about North Queensland’s links to trade with China and how the region benefits from Chinese tourists. Should the relationship be strengthened in light of Trump’s tariff nonsense?

Our trade relationship with China is an important one. Trade represents one in four of Australian jobs and China is, by a long distance, our major trading partner. We, of course, restored in excess of $20 billion of trade exports to China, where there were impediments. I think there is a lot of opportunity to grow tourism in particular from the Chinese market. The statistics show that Chinese visitors to Australia are big spenders. They tend to come for a longer period of time.

The Prime Minister is asked about what he can do for local Indigenous communities, which feel let down after the failure of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Indigenous communities, overwhelmingly, voted Yes. And that’s not surprising. Because this is an idea that came from Indigenous communities at the First Nations constitutional convention that was held at Uluru in 2017. We took up the gracious invitation of First Nations people to put that proposition to a referendum. It wasn’t successful. And we respect the outcome. So what we have been doing – and I’ve met with people like Noel Pearson from the Cape York Institute, of course – who’s done such an extraordinary job. There are wonderful examples, including here in the Cape, of improving the lives of First Nations people and closing the gap across a range of areas. We’ll provide practical measures going forward in closing the gap on education, on health, on housing. These are the measures that we’ve put in place through proper funding in our budgets going forward of – how do we make a difference so that the gap, which is far too wide, and, in some cases, is widening. It is a national issue and all governments have not done well enough. That is the truth. We’re committed to doing better in the future and, we’re committed also to engaging with First Nations people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking at Green Island in Queensland.

He’s wearing his Bunnies hat.

Health Minister Mark Butler is with him, as always … along with Queensland Senator Nita Green.

They’re announcing $10m in funding for the Great Barrier Reef.

These are bite-sized factoids about the election and our voting systems that may surprise you.

I’ll have a fresh one shortly, but here’s a reminder of what our credibly talented team have come up with so far this week:

https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/election-entree-not-all-party-candidates-make-it-to-election-day/

https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/election-entree-electorates-are-bigger-than-ever/

Thanks Amy. Top of the morning readers.

I watched the Chalmers-Taylor debate last night.

I love Ross Greenwood. Brilliant broadcaster. Incredible brain.

But, as a referee (sorry, moderator), I wish he’d taken a step back and let the combatants go at it.

I predicted a bit of (metaphorical) blood on the walls.

Sadly, it was like a three-way high school economics debate.

Was there a winner?

Dunno. I switched off as soon as they wrapped up their closing statements, desperate to avoid another feature-length Clive Palmer ad.

I am going to hand you over to Glenn for the next little bit – see you soon!

Speaking of Melbourne independents, Kooyong independent Monique Ryan is calling for a review of Aukus.

Ryan said there needs to be a parliamentary review of Australia’s commitments under Aukus, given the rise in community concerns.

AUKUS is a vital partnership between Australia and our two closest defence allies. The AUKUS agreement has now been in place for three years. It’s an appropriate time for Parliament to consider whether the assumptions which underpinned the partnership in 2023 hold true, and whether there are any threats to the success of AUKUS,” said Dr Ryan
The UK Parliament recently committed to a review of the AUKUS arrangements: the next Australian
Parliament should do the same.
A long-term national commitment this big and this expensive should be the subject of regular reviews.

We’ve already spent more than $800 million on AUKUS and are committed to spending 400
times that much again. It would be foolish to assume that changing geopolitical and economic circumstancesmight not affect its delivery. We should consider all contingencies and alternatives in detailed strategic planning of our mid – and long-term defence capacity – to be sure that we’re investing enough on national security, and that this investment is being well spent”.

Looks like it is target seat morning.

Anthony Albanese is in far north Queensland where he is hoping to get the seat of Leichhardt.

Peter Dutton is in Melbourne (this is his third trip I think) where he is hoping to get a few seats into the Liberal ledger. At this point it looks like Aston will go back to the Coalition after flipping at a byelection.

Dunkley is still line ball. So is McEwen. Labor is working both, very hard.

Chisholm looks ok for Labor at this stage, but Wills could go to the Greens. Macnamara is still a bit of a hard one, but Labor thinks that Josh Burns will hold on. In Cooper, Ged Kearney looks like being re-elected.

The teal seats are a little harder to judge, but so far, all teals look like retaining their seats. At this point.