Australian news and politics recap: NSW father camps outside Albo’s mansion after desperate TV housing plea

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has reiterated Labor’s stance against altering negative gearing or capital gains tax, declaring the party “could not be any clearer” about excluding these reforms from its housing agenda.

“We’ve made clear that negative gearing is not part of our policies. We’ve got a housing plan, negative gearing is not part of it, nor are changes to capital gains. I don’t think we could be any clearer than that,” Mr Marles said on Sky News.

He also dismissed speculation about future negotiations with the Greens.

“We’re not doing any negotiations with the Greens in relation to any policies. And I think we could not be clearer about the fact that we are not going to be doing policies in relation to negative gearing and capital gains tax, and that’s been made abundantly clear by both the prime minister and the treasurer.”

When asked if Labor would rule out changes, Marles pointed to the government’s existing housing policies.

“That’s what we’re going to be doing going forward, and that’s the policies that we’re taking to this election. And negative gearing and changes to capital gains have no part in that at all.”

Australia’s jobless rate has edged up slightly to 4.1 per cent despite another strong month of employment growth in March.

About 32,000 people found work across the country in the month, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Thursday.

Both the employment and unemployment figures increased slightly because more Australians were participating in the labour market.

Almost 67 per cent of working age Australians were either in jobs or looking. That figure has increased over the long-term driven by rising participation of women.

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Billionaire Clive Palmer has just ended a sprawling 50 minute press conference in Perth, where he unveiled his Trumpet of Patriot party candidates for WA.

Asked who he thought would win the upcoming election, Mr Palmer would only say it would become clear when he revealed the party’s preferences in Canberra this afternoon.

“I’m very disappointed in Peter Dutton,” Mr Palmer said.

“I’m disappointed he hasn’t captured the opportunity to create some issues.

“I’m not attacking the individual, I’m just disappointed that this is such a boring election.

“Albanese says something, and what’s the response from Dutton: ‘I’ll match it’.”

Standing alongside Victorian Senator Ralph Babet, Mr Palmer, who has sought to capitalise on Donald Trump’s style of politics with his latest political venture, said he supported the US President’s tariffs.

“I think they’re a good thing, in a sense,” he said, but then added: “That will be a good headline for you (that will) make sure we don’t get any votes.”

He said he had spent as much as $70 million on the Federal Election campaign to date, and was on track to spend upwards of $100m.

Mr Palmer also released new policies, including an 80 per cent cut to immigration rates in Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered a warm Easter message ahead of the holiday, especially to people of Christian faith.

He recognises that Easter is a significant time for Christians, especially with Orthodox and Catholic Easter falling at the same time this year.

“I just wish everyone a very happy Easter,’ he said.

“Easter is a particularly important time for Christians this year.

“I’m aware, being the representative from Marrickville, we have orthodox Christian Easter at the same time as Catholics and others celebrating and commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday.

“It’s an important time of the year and I hope people get to spend time with their loved ones and that it is a happy and holy time.

“Of course, for the young ones, I hope they have success in their Easter egg hunts and don’t eat too much chocolate.”

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have been quizzed at a Brisbane press conference this morning over whether they’re preparing to make changes to negative gearing.

The question came up after the issue was raised during the ABC’s leaders debate last night when the PM said he hadn’t commissioned Treasury modelling around what the economic impact would be.

His response prompted Opposition leader Peter Dutton to laugh and accuse him of lying.

The accusation seemed to be based around remarks Dr Chalmers made last year, where he hinted he had received Treasury advice on negative gearing before.

The PM’s debate response also drew criticism from Opposition campaign spokesman James Paterson, who accused Mr Albanese of making a “bold-faced lie”.

On Thursday a journalist asked:“How can you say that.. no modelling was commissioned?”

Instead of responding himself, Mr Albanese let his Treasurer step up and respond.

“When it comes to negative gearing, we have made it very clear that that’s not something that we are proposing,” Dr Chalmers said.

“We have got a housing policy. It’s not in that. We got a tax policy. It’s not in that.

“Now, when it comes to the advice we get from the Treasury Department, I said last year when you asked me lots of times, I said last night when some of you asked me lots of times… that from time to time we get advice from the Treasury on issues that are in the public domain.

“There is a difference between commissioning modelling, which is what the PM was asked about last night, and getting advice from the Treasury.

“In this case, that’s an important distinction.

“So, what makes what the PM said last night, what I said last night, and what I said last year, consistent is that we have been very upfront, we have said all along that from time to time we get advice, we get views from the Treasury.”

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has torn down Peter Dutton’s claims he’s a leader like John Howard, instead claiming the opposition leader “is worse”.

Speaking in Brisbane on Thursday about how Mr Dutton responded to questions on climate change during last night’s ABC leaders debate, he insinuated that the Liberal leader is a climate change denier.

“I thought John Howard wasn’t great on climate change, I got to say that, but this guy is worse,” he said.

“Two decades later, the Coalition has gone backwards from where John Howard was on climate change.

“Just extraordinary - at a time when the economic benefits of acting through renewables.. it is beyond my comprehension.

“I think Peter Dutton’s comments speak for themselves.”

Throughout the campaign, Mr Dutton has on multiple occasions pinned himself as a leader like John Howard.

The Nightly’s Latika Bourke has asked a seemingly confident Prime Minister if he feels he has been “underestimated” ahead of the federal election campaign.

Anthony Albanse initially seemed a bit taken aback by the question.

“I have said before a number of times - I have been underestimated from time to time,” he said.

“I am captain of an extraordinary team... We’re putting forward our record which we’re proud of.

“But the truth is that it’s hard to win a second term.

“We’re trying to climb a mountain. We’re a few steps up that mountain, it’s a long way to get to the peak.

“No Prime Minister has been re-elected since John Howard in 2004.”

The Prime Minister appears tight lipped today about his management of the Australian-Indo relationship after the Russia aircraft reports.

He has moved past questioning by The Nightly’s Latika Bourke around when he first heard of the report. He also cut off her follow up question before it could be asked to say “The premise of the question is wrong”.

Both sides were sent into a spin after reports were aired on military published site Jans on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again declared he won’t negotiate with the Greens and his confidence he can achieve a majority government.

He has also hinted to his schedule while in Brisbane today, saying he will be travelling to a Greens-held seat he wants to see Labor flip at the May 3 poll.

“The Greens, I’m not negotiating with the Greens. We make it very clear,” he said.

“Later today… I’ll be going to a seat that’s held by the Greens. We intend in getting Labor candidates up in the three Green seats here in Brisbane.

“That’s our challenge. So it’s somewhat amusing to me sometimes that people who are very hostile to the Greens seem so obsessed by talking them up and talking up their influence.

“The truth is we are aiming for majority government, that’s our objective.”

The PM has been asked if his government has any ambitions to index income tax brackets.

Anthony Albanese didn’t directly answer initially, instead talking up Labor’s policy of the instant tax deduction, saying it will make a difference.

After he was asked a follow up question, the PM referred to Treasurer Jim Chalmbers to answer, who has joined the PM for his Brisbane press conference today.

“We’re not going down this path because we found a better way to return bracket creep. We found a more appropriate, more responsible way to return bracket creep and give every taxpayer a tax cut,” Dr Chalmers said.

“I acknowledge that from time to time… the crossbench in the Parliament, they make this suggestion to us, there are some countries in the OECD that do it that way, most countries don’t. Most countries do it our way.

“Our job is to continue to manage the budget and the economy in a responsible and considered and methodical way.”

Indexing the income tax bracket, also known as bracket creep, means adjusting them automatically over time, usually in line with inflation, so that people don’t end up paying more tax just because their income has risen slightly.