Q: Will defence spending head nuclear. 2.5% of GDP in the forward estimates or have you had to delay this aspiration until at least 2030 partly because of big spending election shortage heads?

Dutton:

What we have always said as we to additional funding a defence and you cannot live in the world we live in at the moment.
It is not surprising because it is what Labor did under the Rudd-Gillard government and it is what they always do because they tax and spend. We always will have a better bottom line in Labor but we will invest into defence and we will make announcements in that regard.

Dutton is using the same method here that Labor uses to say that the Coalition cut funding in health and education. Yes, it increased but not as much as it was forecast to increase. The same with defence and Labor – so yes it increased, but not as much as forecast, but Labor also diverted money to Aukus which makes Dutton’s line on Defence spending very hard to sell.

Dutton is asked why he is avoiding nuclear – he is not talking about it, he is not visiting potential sites – you get the idea.

Dutton:

It is something we have done a lot of work on and we have spoken about it because the hydrogen dream will not eventuate. The Prime Minister pretends that you can just rely on solar and wind*, it does not happen.

…We need to have the latest technology in the system, we need to have gas as an interim, which we have said clearly to the Australian people that we can bring more gas exported at the moment into domestic use, and if we bring more supply we can lower the cost of energy and we lower the cost of wholesale gas by 23%, bearing in mind, never forget, that gas is a big ingredient in the creation of the generation of electricity.

That is what brings down the cost of steel, the biggest manufacturers of steel in our country are embracing of our policy because it brings the cost down. If there cost comes down the cost of the roof on this house comes down, the cost for the food manufacturer, the farmer, the IGA, although comes out, and nuclear is a key part of the policy.

We do not shy away from it. The government is out there talking about the cost, the cost of our plan is $263 billion left than the Labor Party plan.

We have a prime minister who does not want to talk about the past three years because his government has been a disaster for Australian families. We have been prepared to take tough decisions that are in our best interests are in relation to energy, housing, economic management, and we will cut the fuel tax by 25 cents a litre, give $1200 of money back to the people to help to the cost-of-living crisis and we will implement an energy system that will stand us in good stead for the next century.

*Labor is not relying on renewables only and unfortunately also says gas will be part of the plan until 2050 and beyond

Q: On Anzac Day, the Greens Party in WA will be holding a dance party fundraiser at a venue in Perth in Anzac Day. Is that an appropriate day, in your view, to mark that day?

Albanese:

Anzac Day is a day of respect for the men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice – but also for us to respect the men and women who wear our uniform historically, but today as well. I think it’s not a day for normal business as usual and, on Anzac Day, I’ve said – I’ll be in Canberra at the National War Memorial, that’s something that I’ve done both as Opposition Leader and as Prime Minister. I must say, it’s an incredible honour and privilege on that day, and I know that Australians, in their millions, will pause on that day to say those three sacred words – “Lest we forget.”

Albanese on the bottom line talk (the never ending bottom line talk)

What we’re not doing – what we’re not doing is one-off sugar hits, which is the big difference between the tax policies. We have a policy of decreasing income tax making a difference, and then also reform so that people – 5.7 million, current numbers, but it’ll probably be up to 6 million because of the growth of the workforce – will receive that instant tax deduction.

That’s also an efficiency measure. It will allow the ATO to also concentrate on other areas, because it will remove the need for the bureaucracy to deal with all of small measures that they have to deal with with income tax returns for PAYE taxpayers.

So, look – we will continue to be responsible. You’ll see all of our bottom lines, and you’ll be able to make your assessments. But I make this point – we turned a $78 billion deficit under the Liberals into a $22 billion Labor surplus. We turned a deficit in excess of $50 billion into a $15 billion surplus under Labor. And, this year, we’ve almost halved the deficit.

Q: In terms of the Treasury advice on your 5% deposit scheme, will you be releasing that advice? What is the definition in dollar figures of “significant”?

Albanese:

We don’t release Cabinet papers.

Q: But what’s the definition of “significant”, for voters who want to know how much house prices could rise under that policy, what does “significant” mean?

Albanese:

I’m not saying that house prices will rise.

Q: But the Treasury advice says the price rise won’t be significant. We don’t release Treasury documentation. You have the figure.

Albanese:

The idea that they put a precise dollar on something is not You said a month ago, Prime right.

Frank Yuan

It is not just elections that decide who forms government.

In Australia’s Westminster system, governments depend on MPs for support – and MPs can be replaced part-way through the term or change their minds about who to support.

Since Federation, the governing party changed eight times due to non-electoral events, most recently in 1975 with the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government.

While in 1975 it was the Governor-General who forced a change, the other seven were caused by MPs changing their minds about who to support or governments failing to get their agenda passed through the parliament.

A government can also lose its parliamentary majority outside of a general election but hold on to power.

In 2018, when Malcolm Turnbull quit Parliament and independent Kerryn Phelps won his seat, the Morrison Government fell into minority. The government survived, although legislation to allow for medical evacuation of sick refugees and asylum seekers became law despite the government’s opposition.

At the state level, since 1992 there have been three times when crossbenchers have forced a change in premiers or ministers, without bringing down the rest of the government – most recently in Tasmania last year.

Crossbenchers can demand the old convention of ministerial responsibility is upheld without threatening the survival of the government as a whole.

Q: During the pandemic, you spoke a lot about heeding the advice of experts. You spoke a lot about people shouldn’t dismiss the advice of experts and so forth. On housing, why are people like – you’ve been relatively dismissive of people like Chris Richardson and Saul Eslake for their assessments of the housing program yesterday. How is it that they’re wrong and you’re right?

Albanese:

I’m not sure that I’ve they’ve looked at all of the detail, frankly. Because some of the things that they’ve spoken about don’t match what we’re actually doing. What we’re doing – we have $10 billion, for example, and of that, $2 billion is in grants to be matched by state and territory governments. $8 billion is for loan and equity. Some of that money will then come back to the Commonwealth.

On Parramatta Road and Pyrmont Bridge Road, what you’re going to see this afternoon, to give you a preview on where you’re headed – you’re going to Melbourne, and you’re going to see houses that have been built as a direct result of the social housing accelerator where I brought forward $2 billion in immediate payments to states and territories not because of the Greens or the coalition in the Senate – in spite of them.

Because they were blocking the Housing Australia Future Fund like they blocked the Help to Buy Scheme until December of last year. And then they go, having said – I mean, the hypocrisy of the Coalition…they say, “Oh, you haven’t built enough homes fast enough.” Well, there’s 28,000 under the Housing Australia Future Fund, under social housing, that are either under construction or in planning – awaiting approvals. That would have been a lot more, and things would have been completed a lot more, if they hadn’t have held it up for month after month after month. Actual passing motions in the Senate to say, “The Senate cannot consider this until” – some future date. And THEN, the Senate sitting again and doing the same thing again. So the coalition, or the no-alition, as I call it – Peter Dutton speaks a lot about the Greens. He’s happy to vote with them all the time to block supply. That is what they have done.

Albanese then explains his press conference style:

I do a gender thing….I’ve been doing it for three years. I go boy-girl, boy-girl.

Reporter: Do you really?!

Albanese:

Yeah. Have you just… ..everyone else has noticed it in the gallery. Because otherwise, what happens, you might have noticed, is it’s the blokes who yell out first. So, as a commitment to equity – something that has been noticed by many of your colleagues – I’ve done that for three years. And I’ll continue to do it.

This is the press conference of someone in cruise control.

Q; Prime Minister, on the Greens – they’re spruiking their plan for school lunches today. Is that something that your government would support? And Forgive me for this one – an Australian cafe owner in Canada has had their Vegemite banned because apparently it doesn’t meet Canadian standards. What’s your message to Canada and this Aussie cafe owner?

Albanese:

I stand with the Aussie cafe owner…! (LAUGHTER) I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite. And, indeed, I actually put a lot of Vegemite on my toast when I ate bread. (LAUGHTER) So, I love Vegemite. It’s a good thing. I did hear the report on that. It’s rather odd that they’re letting Marmite in – which is rubbish, frankly. (LAUGHTER) Let’s be clear here. Pro-Vegemite, anti-Marmite. That’s my position.

Q; And on the Greens – they’re also spruiking free lunch boxes is. That something you…

Albanese:

The Greens don’t have to add anything up, ever. We’re a serious party of government. And I put forward serious policies based upon everything adding up. Here.

Q: PM, around the country, there’s been a push to build more houses – a tendency to take away space from public golf courses and turn them into public land. Do you have a thought on that? And in Sydney, the Coalition have committed $1 million to retain Moore Park as an 18-hole golf course by building a new sporting facility there. Considering you stepped in that time to help save Marrickville Golf Course and keep that 18 holes, do you think that Moore Park Golf Course should remain 18 holes as well?

Albanese:

Well, Marrickville Golf Course will be there for as long as I’m the local member and as long as there’s a Labor-controlled local council. It is a multipurpose facility. Not only do people play golf – there’s… at the risk here of really going down a, ah, a cavoodle hole – Lewis the cavoodle holds his birthday party there Every Sunday, there is drinks on the first fairway.

I used to, when I was in Marrickville, walk Toto there. People engage. I What It’s a real hub for the community.

Well, I am responsible, as a local federal member. I’m very pleased that the redistribution has put Royal Marrickville back in my ‘hood, because it is an important part of the local community. As for others – well, that’s not in my electorate. As for other golf courses – that’s up to local considerations.