What we learned, Monday 7 April
Many thanks for joining us on the election blog, as the second week of campaigning kicked off. Here are all the main takeaways from today:
Both leaders visited electorates they each need to hold – with Anthony Albanese in McEwan, Victoria today and Peter Dutton in Sturt, South Australia.
The Coalition announced it would “enshrine” workplace flexibility as it back flipped on its previous policy to force more public servants to return to the office. Dutton apologised and said the party had “made a mistake”.
The government repeatedly took aim at the Coalition over the backflip, with the PM saying they had “gone from defending to pretending that they weren’t”.
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, ruled out any changes to the Coalition’s nuclear policy, amid the WFH backflip.
The Australian share market recorded its biggest one-day fall in almost five years, wiping $100bn of value from local stocks.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said Australia is “uniquely placed” and well prepared to deal with any fallout. Treasury also isn’t expecting a recession in Australia.
The deputy PM, Richard Marles, said the government was looking for a commercial option to get the Port of Darwin back into Australian hands – but “we do have powers here and if need be we will exercise them”.
Business and industry leaders have lashed the Coalition’s proposal to cut at least 80,000 new international students from Australian higher education institutions.
Krishani Dhanji will be back with you first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, take care and enjoy your evening.
Updated
Research paper warns of growing risks to Australia’s food security
A new research paper warns Australia must take urgent action to address growing risks to its food security from geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and climate-related shocks.
As AAP reports, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute paper says the issue has been “taken for granted” and must be elevated to the same strategic importance as national defence.
If national security and defence organisations are preparing for potential conflict, then Australia’s agriculture sector and food system stakeholders should also be preparing for this period of strategic uncertainty.
The paper, written by strategic policy specialist Andrew Henderson and ASPI’s John Coyne, calls for a co-ordinated, whole-of-government, and industry-led approach to strengthening resilience and securing Australia’s food future.
More than 30% of households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2024, the report said, with a system-wide approach needed to address inefficiencies in the food supply chain – particularly food loss and waste mitigation.
If not addressed, such challenges will lead to more hunger, particularly at times when natural disasters or other crises are affecting a city or state.
Updated
