What we learned, Friday 11 April
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.”
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
Updated
