What we learned today, Sunday 6 April
The sun is setting on another day on the campaign trail, and with that it’s time to wrap up the blog. Here were today’s top stories:
Peter Dutton announced that under the LNP, foreign student intakes would be cut by 80,000, in a plan aimed at reducing demand for housing.
Anthony Albanese formally launched Labor’s $2.3bn household battery policy at his first election rally in Queensland.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has called for a “full and thorough” investigation into the deaths of 15 humanitarian aid workers, after a new video emerged of the shooting in Gaza.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said the Coalition would “impose a charge” on gas exports until domestic gas supply is increased.
The Coalition dumped the Liberal candidate Ben Britton, who was running as the candidate for Whitlam in NSW, after he said women should not serve in ADF combat roles.
Tony Rundle, the former premier of Tasmania, has died aged 86.
A man has been charged after allegedly attempting to open a plane door on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney.
Updated
Labor’s $2.3bn household battery pledge will “slash power bills”, Smart Energy Council says
Labor’s $2.3bn commitment to slash the cost of household batteries by 30% has been welcomed by the Smart Energy Council.
According to the council, there are 77 solar batteries on the Australian market, starting at around $4,000 for a 5kWh battery.
The Smart Energy Council chief executive, John Grimes, described Labor’s commitment as “the most important development in consumer energy since Australians first gained access to subsidised solar panels”, adding:
[It] will not only slash power bills for 10 million Australians with solar but also ensure all Australians are at least $1.3bn better off in 2030 through
reduced wholesale electricity costs …“Four million Australian homes have solar and this policy will help them store that energy for later when it will be at its cheapest. Ten million Australians are already producing solar power,
now they can store it …Less demand on the energy grid means fewer price peaks.
Other experts have said the upfront cost of purchasing a battery has been a barrier to entry for many homeowners. The Clean Energy Council estimates that the average battery costs around $14,000.
Updated
