What we learned: Sunday 30 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you tonight, and for this week. Here’s a snippet of what we learned today:
Anthony Albanese promised that a re-elected Labor government would make price-gouging illegal in Australia, promising heavy fines where supermarkets step out of line.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, says Labor has been copying Greens’ policy with its announcement.
The supermarket giants have pushed back against Labor’s pledge on price gouging, saying the ACCC’s inquiry had not concluded they were engaging in the practice.
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson said the Coalition would also support a ban on price gouging, saying “we’re happy to make it illegal”, while Peter Dutton attacked Anthony Albanese as being “weak as water” on the issue.
Albanese says his government has “been continuing to engage constructively with the US administration” on the tariffs issue.
Labor has lifted its electoral fortunes but remains set to fall one seat short of a majority government, according to a new YouGov poll.
Dutton refused to commit to Australia hosting a future COP on the issue of climate change, saying Australia can’t afford it right now.
Greenpeace responded to Dutton’s comments ruling out a Cop, saying it’s a “betrayal of the Pacific”.
The Reserve Bank is expected to leave rates on hold at its next meeting despite the expected negative impact of more US tariffs on Australia’s economic growth.
A series of flood warnings remain in place on Sunday for vast areas of Queensland and NSW after days of rain, while WA residents are urged to remain alert as ex-Tropical Cyclone Diane moves inland bringing heavy rainfall.
A search continues for an elderly man washed into flood waters after he drove a caravan into a flooded causeway.
See you back here again, bright and early tomorrow morning, for more live news. Look after yourselves until then.
Updated
Albanese campaign touches down in Perth
Anthony Albanese’s campaign has touched down in Perth for his first visit to WA of the federal election campaign.
WA has been a Labor stronghold ever since former premier Mark McGowan closed the border at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering Albanese four extra seats (Swan, Pearce, Tangney and Hasluck) at the 2022 election.
Although McGowan has retired and pandemic-era politics are now a distant memory, his successor Roger Cook’s thumping state election victory showed the Labor brand remains strong.
In contrast, the Liberals – which were almost wiped off the map at a state and federal level – continue to struggle, winning just seven of 59 seats at the 8 March state poll.
The question for Albanese and opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is how much of the state result will translate to the federal election.
Dutton’s best hopes of gaining ground in WA are in Kate Chaney’s seat of Curtin, the Labor-held seat of Tangney and the new electorate of Bullwinkel.
Updated
