Albanese calls Dutton’s Aukus comments ‘irresponsible’ – as it happened (2025)

Well, we’ve officially made it to the end of week two on the campaign trail! Here were all the main takeaways throughout today:

• Peter Dutton visited his seventh petrol station in eight days, and confirmed the Coalition would scrap penalties for high-polluting cars under the current vehicle efficiency standards.

• Anthony Albanese labelled this plan “nonsensical” from an opposition whose main campaign pitch is to lower fuel costs.

• The prime minister visited Darwin, where he announced $60m for up to 120 new aged care beds in the Northern Territory.

• James Paterson said the Coalition would put voluntary redundancies back on the table for its public service cuts. At a press conference hours later, the opposition leader dodged questions on this and the Coalition’s stance remains unclear.

• The employment minister Murray Watt denounced the policy as a “lucky-dip policy that changes day by day.”

• Dutton praised the AFP after an alleged terror plot on his house was foiled.

• The opposition leader claimed Joe Biden initially “didn’t want” to sign the Aukus agreement, and said he had “huge concerns” for the deal under Albanese. The PM later said his comments were “irresponsible.”

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• Dutton said he doesn’t “carry a candle” for nuclear before outlining why he backs it anyway.

• Labor MP Josh Burns confirmed he will run on an open ticket for the crucial Melbourne seat of Macnamara, meaning he will not preference the Greens at the federal election. Greens leader Adam Bandt accused Labor of capitulating to the Coalition and betraying progressive voters, warning the deal could backfire.

• Police have removed two offensive and homophobic banners targeting Labor MP Julian Hill that were hung over a major Melbourne highway this morning, with further banners discovered.

• The latest YouGov polling shows Labor has gained ground to forge ahead 52.5% to 47.5% over the Coalition in the two-party preferred vote.

• 98.2% of eligible Australians have enrolled to vote for the election, the third election in a row where a record has been set.

The live blog will continue over the weekend, so make sure to pop back for all the latest on the campaign. In the meantime, take care and enjoy your weekend.

Burns’ decision on preferences ‘genuinely shocking’, Chandler-Mather says

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather has also weighed in on Labor MP Josh Burns’ decision to run on an open ticket for the crucial Melbourne seat of Macnamara – meaning he will not preference the Greens at the federal election.

Chandler-Mather said in a post to X this afternoon:

This is genuinely shocking from Labor. By refusing to direct their voters to preference the Greens ahead of the Liberals they genuinely risk handing a seat to Dutton. While voters decide their preferences this decision will absolutely increase the chances the [Liberals] win. Bizarre

Victoria police has confirmed the existence of more offensive banners in and surrounding the federal electorate of Bruce, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

Earlier today, the force confirmed it had removed two offensive and homophobic banners targeting Labor MP Julian Hill that were hung over a major Melbourne highway this morning.

One of the signs displayed in the city’s south-east, stated:

Julian Hill MP – more worried about his husband than his constituents.

Hill is a gay man who is in a relationship, but not married. He said whoever had displayed the signs had resorted to “these sorts of smears as they’ve got nothing positive to say”.

A Victoria police spokesperson, who earlier described the banners as an example of “hate-based behaviour” that would not be tolerated, has now confirmed the existence of more signs in the area.

Officers attended Hemmings Park bridge overpass, which runs over Princes Highway, and processed the scene, with the banners removed. Following that, police have been advised of further incidents where banners have been displayed in various places including Casey and Cardinia local government areas.

The spokesperson did not comment on the contents of the banners, which have also been condemned by Peter Dutton and the Greens.

TLDR election: the week of debates

We’ve reached the end of week two of Australia’s election campaign, so what happened?

Well, three separate debates, each underwhelming in their own way, and a slew of new announcements from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, while Adam Bandt brought negative gearing back into the mix.

Krishani Dhanji is here in her latest instalment of TLDR: Election 2025:

Spender says it would be ‘great for leader and opposition spokesperson to be on same page’ about public service reduction policy

Allegra Spender was also asked about the Coalition’s public service reduction policy but said it was difficult to comment, given “we’ve heard three different versions of this policy in the last week or two.”

I genuinely don’t know what it is. If you’re trying to reduce head count, voluntary redundancy is one way to do it, but the reality is the one thing they need to commit to is what are the service levels provided to the Australian people, and what is their plan in relation to the public sector workforce?

Because again, it would be great for the leader and the opposition spokesperson to be on the same page on this, and until we know what that is I don’t think I can really comment.

Spender condemns Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency standards as ‘bad policy’

Allegra Spender also said the Coalition’s promise to axe fines for car companies in breach of vehicle efficiency standards was “short-sighted” and “seems to be on form” for the party.

Spender won her seat over the Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma at the 2022 election.

She told Afternoon Briefing:

I won my seat last time because I cared about long-term economic reform, I cared about climate action – you know, in this decade, not the future – and I thought that we should have equal female and male representation in parliament.

I saw some stats today saying female and male representation for the Coalition will well and truly stay male, given who they’ve pre-selected. And in the last week, they’ve showed their climate credentials where they’re saying ‘we may or may not come out of Paris’ … [and] they’re getting rid of fuel efficiency standards …

This is a bad policy, I think, and it’s really disappointing to see the Coalition do this.

Spender seeking ‘process of tax reform’ in first year of parliament

Allegra Spender said that in the event of a minority government, she would “provide confidence and supply to either of the major parties”.

[But] I will treat each piece of legislation on its merits, look to the evidence, look to the experts and my community and proceed on that basis.

She was asked about the Greens’ conditions for support – reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax – and said:

Just picking off a tax here and a tax there is not tax reform. That’s tax fiddling, which we’ve seen a lot of recently. [And] secondly, I don’t think this is how to negotiate or create the reform we need, and part of that is it’s really important that Australian people are on board with any fundamental changes to the tax system.

Spender said she is seeking a commitment to have “a process of tax reform within the first year of parliament.”

Because that’s a chance to talk to experts and engage with the community about trade-offs that would be required to change the tax system.

Spender backs independent review into Aukus deal

The independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, says that since the beginning of the Aukus deal there hasn’t “been enough transparency with the Australian people”.

Also speaking with ABC Afternoon Briefing, she was asked about calls from other independents for a review into Aukus, and said:

I think it would be valuable. The UK parliament has just undertaken a review of this and given how important it is as part of our defence strategy, I think it is appropriate to have that sort of parliamentary review, as I think it’s important to have greater parliamentary scrutiny on defence more broadly.

And, if you need it, here’s an explainer:

Homophobic banners targeting Labor MP ‘real indictment on our political debate’, Watt says

Murray Watt was also asked about news that police have removed two offensive and homophobic banners targeting Labor MP Julian Hill that were hung over a major Melbourne highway this morning.

Watt said it was “disgraceful” and that neither “he nor his loved ones should be subjected to that kind of vile abuse.”

It’s a real indictment, I think, on our political debate that people think they can make those kind of remarks and get away with it. I’d encourage authorities to take a good luck at this, I think they are. I feel for Julian and his loved ones when that sort of abuse is being metered out. We should have a cessation of that kind of thing going forward.

Asked if Australia takes issues around homophobia seriously enough, Watt said this remains a “real issue in our community unfortunately.”

We have made some really great strides forward, I think, as a country in recent years, with marriage equality existing … Many in the community have taken a strong stand against homophobia, but these kinds of things show it’s not completely stamped-out yet and there’s more work still to do.

Watt said working arrangements can be negotiated ‘without a government saying it must be one way or the other’

Murray Watt was asked what the difference is between the Coalition’s WFH policy, and similar comments from the NSW Labor premier Chris Minns asking public servants to go back to the office?

The employment minister said Minns had “encouraged” people to return to the office while Peter Dutton said it would be a “directive [for] five days a week.”

There’s a difference between asking people to return to the office or encouraging them to do so, compared to a ban on working from home which was version one of the constantly changing work from home policy.

Asked for his personal policy on work from home, Watt said he encourages “working arrangements that work for employers and employees.”

These things can be agreed without a government saying it must be one way or the other.