Peter Dutton is also in Melbourne – he is in the seat of McEwen, which Labor could lose to the Liberals.

He is also talking about small business and has a family who own a small business behind him as he says:

This is what the Liberal Party’s is about – making sure that we can give people choice and opportunity. Unfortunately, about 30,000 small businesses have closed under this government’s watch over the course of the last three years. And behind every one of those stories is a family. A family who’s lost their home. A family who’s lost their life savings, their dream, their job. And I want to make sure that we can run an economy and grow an economy that can give hope to future generations as businesses grow and as they pass down to generation after generation.

So I want to say thank you very much to our wonderful hosts here today.

As promised in the forward sizzle, Albanese and Labor are in Melbourne, where they are taking housing.

Here is the main message:

Under Labor, there will be more homes and smaller deposits. Under Peter Dutton, there’ll be fewer homes and higher prices. I want to help first-home buyers into home ownership, and particularly young Australians into home ownership. But I’m also a big supporter of social housing. And one of the things we did was to have a $2 billion social housing accelerator. The coalition pretend that houses aren’t being built. You’re here. This was one home. It’s been converted into three 1-bedroom dwellings with energy efficiency that will be as cheap to run as is possible, using everything from renewable energy to water-saving devices to proper insulation, making sure that these places, as well, are adaptable housing so that people can age in place in housing that is so important and fit for purpose.

This is a really important initiative that we have – just part of our $43 billion Homes for Australia plan. It’s one I’m proud of. It’s one we’ll continue to roll out over coming years. We want more people into social housing.

We want more people into private rentals through our build-to-rent scheme. We want more people to be able to own their own home through Help to Buy and through the initiatives that we announced on Sunday. This will make an enormous difference. It’s already making an enormous difference.

Not just here in Victoria, but I’ve been in homes right throughout the country that have been built through the social housing accelerator. In many cases, homes that were left without people living in them, getting them renovated, getting homes fit for purpose – there’s similar programs like this. I’ve been to Riverwood in New South Wales, I’ve been to South Brisbane in Queensland, I’ve been to Adelaide as well, in homes just like this, making a difference to building up supply, which of course is the key.

And the key difference here between the policies announced on Sunday is that we have a plan for supply as well as a supply for demand. The coalition just have a demand-side issue, which will do nothing to address supply, which we know is a precondition for moving forward in the direction that Australians want, allowing more people to get a roof over their head because that gives them security in life.

One of the reasons Labor wanted to push the election out is it was hoping that along with inflation coming down, an interest rate cut occurring (with more on the horizon) and the heat coming off the anger at the government over the cost of living – it was also hoping that the reality of Trump’s populist policies would start to become clear and turn people off.

And that gamble appears to have paid off. Dutton has overestimated voters anger at the Albanese government – which is what they based the campaign around – and now that voters are proving not as angry as first thought – and more worried about the populist policies Dutton aligned himself with, the Coalition is at sea.

But that’s still bad for Australia. This isn’t a contest of ideas, or even for the vision of what you want Australia to be. It’s small targets and small safe policies, when we actually need bravery.

Peter Dutton is also backpedaling faster than me that time I almost ran over a red-belly black snake while cycling, when it comes to his previous attempts to link himself to Donald Trump.

As the SMH’s David Crowe has reported today, there are reasons for it. Polling reasons, but also just the vibe.

This is why the Temu Trump label has taken off and why it is causing Dutton damage – he tried to link himself with a populist leader but ended up carrying the stink of it instead.

Given that the campaigns are being quite quiet at the moment, it might be worth re-upping this from last night:

Peter Dutton has begrudgingly answered the question he wouldn’t touch with a barge pole yesterday.

Yes, the multi-millionaire property developer Opposition Leader will help his kids buy a house.

After wheeling son Harry out to explain how hard it is to save a house deposit, Daddy Dutts looked like an epic tight arse when he refused to say if he’d help him break into the housing market.

Today, he was backed into a corner when asked – for the umpteenth time – if he’d dip into his millions to help Harry and his siblings.

We’ll help them with a deposit at some stage.

The Prime Minister and I might be able to help our kids, but it’s not about us. It’s about how we can help millions of Australians across generations realise the dream of home ownership like we did, like our parents and grandparents did.

It’s a different proposition today for young Australians.

Golfing while Rome burns

However well the 47th president hit ‘em in Florida, he cannot find a green with his tariffs.

On this episode of After America, Daniel James, award-winning journalist, and host of the 7am podcast, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the potential blowback against Trump’s tariffs at the midterms and whether the next federal government might introduce a little more transparency into Australia’s foreign and defence policy-making processes.

Peter Dutton has now bought fuel at ten petrol stations in every state and one territory.

Today’s visit to a BP in Rockbank, on the Western Highway between Melbourne and Ballarat, took him into double figures, making it 10 in 12 days.

The super snappers at AAP have captured every glorious, petrol pumping moment.

Today – Rockbank, Vic

Yesterday – Albion, Qld

Saturday – Redcliffe, WA

Thursday – Caulfield, Vic

Tuesday – Hoxton Park, NSW

Monday – Adelaide, SA

Sunday – Carrick, Tas

Saturday – Palmerston, NT

Friday – Carlingford, NSW

So, the only place the Opposition Leader hasn’t been photographed at the bowser, is the ACT.

If I was a servo owner in Fyshwick, I’d be very nervous about now.

Peter Dutton was in Melbourne, where he was still campaigning with his son, Harry.

(He is now at a petrol station – his tenth of this campaign. The power of Phil Coorey, huh?!)

How have the campaigns looked today?

Let’s check in with AAP. Labor was in Tasmania (and about to head to Melbourne) and Anthony Albanese is obviously feeling good.