What happened today, Sunday 13 April
And that’s where we’ll wrap things up today. Thanks for joining us for a big day on the election trail with the official campaign launches for the Labor and Liberal parties and pitches to first home buyers. These were the key events:
Labor launched its campaign in Perth, with prime minister Anthony Albanese plugging the government’s achievements over the past three years, pointing to real wages growing, interest rates falling, more than 1m jobs created, new urgent care clinics and full funding for schools.
Labor announced a $10bn plan to help build 100,000 new homes nationwide for first home buyers and an expansion of the first home guarantee program to all first home buyers. Albanese also announced a reelected Labor government would create a new $1000 instant tax deduction for work expenses. It would more than triple the existing benchmark of $300 without receipts.
On the other side of the country, Peter Dutton launched the Liberal campaign in Sydney, saying the election outcome would “define the decades to come”. He touted the Coalition’s policies on gas, nuclear and migration.
Dutton unveiled the Coalition plan to allow first home buyers to deduct interest payments on up to $650,000 of their mortgage from their taxable income. He also promised a one-off tax refund of up to $1200 for low and middle income earners.
The Greens responded to the major parties’ pledges on housing, saying they were only acting “after years of Greens pressure”. The party said it would not stand in the way of Labor’s proposed changes to the first home guarantee scheme or further investment in housing construction. But the party reiterated its call for changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.
Albanese, Dutton and the NSW premier Chris Minns paid tribute to the victims of the Bondi Junction Westfield stabbings one year on from the tragedy.
Thank you for joining us today. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
Updated
Vending machines dispense 20,000 free tampons and pads packs in Victoria
The Allan government says Victorians have accessed to more than 20,000 free packs of pads and tampons across metropolitan Melbourne through its free pads and tampons program.
The minister for Women, Natalie Hutchins, said the installation of the first vending machines across 30 sites was now complete and that the program was expected to help Victorian women save thousands of dollars.
The new vending machines are smart machines equipped with inventory-monitoring technology, and there is a plan to expand to more than 700 sites across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Hutchins said it built on the government’s work delivering free menstrual products in government schools.
Access to period products is a right, and nobody should be without the essentials. We’re helping Victorian women struggling with the cost of living by providing free access to pads and tampons across Victoria.
Updated
