1 week ago
Dutton claims ‘our policy has not changed’ on EVs
Next, Dutton is asked to clarify his position on scrapping the EV tax breaks, when he said two days ago that he wouldn’t repeal them.
Dutton says he’s been “clear” that the Coalition doesn’t support a tax on the Ford Ranger and other heavy petrol using cars.
That was the answer I gave and you referred to that we will not support the big tax on cars. I have been clear about that and clear in relation to policies on EV, our policy has not changed.
Asked if the Coalition repealing the EV tax break would be retrospective, Dutton wouldn’t answer.
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Albanese says critical minerals are an “element in demand”, when asked whether this was a bargaining chip to use in negotiations with the US.
King said earlier this morning that there was “no doubt” that the reserve would be helpful in dealing with the US.
Albanese repeats his line that the government won’t negotiate with the US on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, media bargaining code or bio-security.
We see it as just an element that is in demand. We know that our critical minerals are in demand…
What we do as friends is be prepared to engage in a constructive way.
He then makes a stab at Dutton over his stance to put defence on the negotiating table with the US.
WA announcements ‘game changers’ says King
Unsurprisingly, the WA premier, Roger Cook, is very happy to receive the announcements from the commonwealth. He says the critical mineral strategy will be “fundamental” to growing the resources sector.
The federal resources minister, Madeleine King, stands up next, calling the reserve a “game changer”:
The strategic reserve, alongside the production tax credits and the increase in the critical minerals facility, [is] together a real game-changers for the emerging critical minerals and [rare earths] industry.
King then points to the s’ candidate for Bullwinkel, Mia Davies, who has said that she supports the tax credits, which stands at odds to what the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has said.
Albanese promises support for WA rail freight network
Following that breakfast, Albanese is now standing up in front of reporters in Perth, standing with the resources minister Madeleine King, WA premier, Roger Cook, and others.
They’re in the new seat of Bullwinkel, which is a three-way race between Labor, the Coalition and the s.
He’s starting off promising support for the WA rail freight network, which he accuses the Coalition of “flogging off”:
The two significant announcements that we’ve made today in critical minerals and in the rail freight network, [are] very important for advancing the WA economy, but also important for advancing our national economy.
Albanese says falling off stage worst moment of election campaign so far
The PM has been at an event in Perth this morning, hosted by the West Australian.
Anthony Albanese acknowledged there that he did fall off a stage in Newcastle earlier on in the campaign.
Asked to name the worst moment of the campaign, the PM replied: “Probably falling off the stage.”
But before the PM got on to this stage, the West Australian’s editor, Chris Dore ripped into Albanese and Peter Dutton and called the election campaign “lacklustre”. Dore said the PM was following the “Graham Richardson” playbook:
Dabbling in a little bit of deceit, cycling through the spin, unrelenting, uncompromising, at times a little bit outrageous … you didn’t invent it but you are perfecting it.
Peter Dutton has been stuck in quicksand and in danger of becoming an asterisk in history.
Henry Belot
Analysis: Coalition plan would reduce size of Canberra’s APS workforce by 59% by end of decade
A few moments ago, Peter Dutton said the Coalition’s plan to reduce the size of the public service by 41,000 jobs would only impact Canberra-based positions.
According to the Australian Public Service Commission, there are 68,435 public servants based in the nation’s capital. That’s roughly one-third of the overall APS workforce.
Based on those figures, removing 41,000 positions from the Canberra based workforce - through a mixture of voluntary redundancies or natural attrition - would reduce its size by 59% by the end of the decade.
Dutton has previously ruled out cuts to defence agencies, which would likely also include intelligence agencies, and frontline positions that directly deal with the public. That would mean the impact would likely be more pronounced in other policy departments.
Dutton told the press conference the Coalition had been “very clear” that all the 41,000 positions would come from Canberra. He then added another detail:
Some of those positions of course have not even been filled yet so they are projected numbers.
When asked by a reporter “how many real positions would you cut?”, Dutton called for the next question.
Environmental protesters target Dutton venue in Hobart
Protesters from the Bob Brown Foundation are outside the venue where Dutton held his press conference in Hobart.
Dutton was inside the Catholic Care building to speak to reporters, after hosting a round table there on domestic violence. The protesters were heard shouting:
Our climate is under attack. What do we do?
No toxic fish farms! End native forest logging!
Save the maugean skate.
The group has been calling for an end to salmon farming in Tasmania. It’s a hot-button issue, with Anthony Albanese also stepping in with rapid legislation to protect salmon farming in the Macquarie Harbour.
Dutton won’t bite on question on trans women
A reporter tries to ask Dutton whether the domestic violence support also covers trans women, and whether he believes trans women are women.
We discussed gender as well and that is an important discussion as well and we can provide support through programs as we are seeing now.
Pressed on whether a trans woman is a woman, Dutton makes reference to the recent supreme court case in the UK, and says:
I think a woman is defined as as an adult female, and that’s the best, the definition.
Asked again by the reporter to define a woman, Dutton says, “I’ve answered that question”.
Dutton faces questions over public servant cuts if Coalition wins
Peter Dutton is copping a fair bit of heat in this press conference, and is pushed again on the Coalition’s public service policy. A reporter asks how many public servants would be sacked in Hobart if the Coalition wins: they say there’s currently 3,800 public servants working in the city.
Dutton says, “none”.
The Coalition has promised to cut 41,000 public servants over five years and Dutton’s now clarified that those will all be cut from Canberra.
Reporter: There’s 3800 Commonwealth public servants living and working in Hobart… how many of those jobs would you like to see go…
Dutton: None. We’ve been clear about that
Reporter: You have policy reducing the public service …
Dutton: In Canberra, we’re not reducing the public service …
Reporter: Only in Canberra?
Dutton: We’ve been very clear about that.
What did Peter Dutton say about EV tax breaks on Monday?
Things get a little stickier for the opposition leader on the EV tax break issue. Here’s what was said on Monday:
Reporter: Labor’s fringe benefit tax exemption for electric vehicles has blown out by hundreds of millions of dollars compared to what was first forecast. Would a Coalition government repeal the EV tax break?
Dutton: No, we’ve said that what we’re opposed to is the government’s big tax on hybrids.
Dutton says today that there’s been “no policy change”.
There has been no policy change, no discussion about that policy this week, it has been long-standing since we took the decision, I answered the question in relation to the tax.
Dutton says to the reporter,
I think we’re better off just to accept we have a difference of opinion but there’s been no change in policy.
Coalition will not support Labor’s critical minerals reserve
The opposition claims Labor’s critical mineral reserve announcement is a “refit and rehash reannouncement”. Dutton says the Coalition has supported critical minerals output “from the start”, but is calling Labor’s plan a “reannouncement with no delivery”.
We’re not supporting the plan because it is a refit and rehash and renouncement with no delivery.
Critical minerals are absolutely essential for us and for our partners and whether that looks like an off-take agreement or whether it looks like an agreement to stockpile it to work with the US in the UK in Japan, etc we will work all that detail and in government.
Earlier in the presser, Dutton was asked about what more he’d do to secure a deal with the US to avoid the latest round of tariffs. He said again the election was a choice between leaders and used the question to attack Labor’s critical minerals announcement today.
Pressed further, he brought up defence manufacturing again, but couldn’t say any more on how he’d use that to entice the US.
Dutton says PM ‘sleeps well at night’ despite living ‘not too far’ from Lucas Heights
Our reporter Sarah Basford Canales asks Dutton about his refusal to visit communities that live where the Coalition has proposed seven nuclear sites during this election campaign. That’s despite, she says, him visiting 13 petrol stations to talk about the fuel excise cut.
Dutton at first jumps on the mention of the petrol stations to spruik the party’s excise policy.
Basford Canales pushes back and asks whether he’s done that in the last 25 days (he hasn’t). Dutton says he’s been to “three communities”, including Collie in Western Australia.
Within those communities we listen to views and made [our] policy clear.
He then makes a strange reference to Anthony Albanese living near Lucas Heights (which is home to a nuclear medicine facility).
It is a proven technology accepted by the prime minister in relation to nuclear submarines and as you know the prime [minister lives] not too far from Lucas Heights. He sleeps well at night.
A quick google maps check says Marrickville and Lucas Heights are just under 30km apart.
