Australian news and politics recap: Anthony Albanese brushes off concern about superannuation cyber attack

The PM has made his first announcement of the speech, spruiking a $120 million investment to establish full maternity services at the new hospital at Rouse Hill.

“Our investment will enable women in Northwest Sydney to give birth close to home, and help take some pressure off Blacktown Hospital,” he says.

The funds will be used to provide safe birthing services, including surgical theatres, birthing rooms, maternity beds, and special care nursery beds for babies who need additional support.

“It will be an important and timely addition to the region,” says Mr Albanese.

The population of Blacktown LGA is expected to grow by more than half a million by 2041.

“What a wonderful vision that is. All those brand new little Western Sydneysiders – future generations born right here, and growing up here,” says the PM, who loves cuddling babies on the campaign trail.

The Prime Minister is campaigning in his home city of Sydney for the first time and will shortly drop into a Western Sydney Future Forum to give a speech.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will also be attending the forum, but the two leaders will not be going head to head.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the PM will commit to giving struggling small businesses and tradies a lifeline for another year by extending the instant asset write-off if re-elected.

But the paper reports that Labor will still fall short of the Coalition’s offer to make the instant asset write off permanent, at an asset cap of $30,000 for small businesses with a turnover of up to $10m.

Anthony’s Albanese’s pledge is to allow small businesses and trade workers to deduct $20,000 in essential purchases off tax.

Amid concerns over America’s position as a reliable ally, opposition leader Peter Dutton has said Australia needs to buy more defence assets from the US.

Speaking in western Sydney, Mr Dutton reiterated his confidence that he could have struck a deal with the Trump administration in their sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs agenda.

While he wouldn’t reveal what compromises he would make to secure better deals for Australia if elected, Mr Dutton said AUKUS would be at the heart of negotiations.

“In relation to where I think the opportunity is… One is that the international agreement that we arrived at, that we negotiated, with the US and the UK for AUKUS,” he said.

“There’s opportunity there for us to purchase more from our allies, including the United States, and for them to purchase more from us.

“There are weapons systems, obviously, that we can purchase from the United States.

“I want to go ahead with more.

“That’s why I think there’s a mutual interest to be found in the discussion with the United States.”

But Mr Dutton said AUKUS would “underpin” Australia’s national security for the next century.

Mr Albanese praised the school’s teachers, and paid tribute to Education Minister Jason Clare and Labor’s candidate for the seat of Fowler, Tu Le.

“Study hard, dream big. That is really important,” the prime minister said.

He asked if there were any South Sydney Rabbitohs supporters in the class. Two pupils somewhat reluctantly raised their hands.

The class recited the school’s motto for the prime minister: ”Aim high. Dream big. Strive to succeed.”

Anthony Albanese has told pupils at Cabramatta Public School to study hard and be determined, saying in Australia, young people can achieve anything they dream of.

The Prime Minister met pupils from grades 5 and 6 on Friday morning, and was asked for his message for children around the country.

“Make the most of it while you’re at school, enjoy yourself,” he said.

“In this country, you can be anything you want to be. So study hard, create an opportunity for yourselves.

“All your parents will want more for you than what they had. That’s the Australian way.

“When I was your age, there was just me and my mum, and we lived in a council house in Camperdown, in the inner the west, and no one would have believed that I could be the prime minister.

“But in Australia, you can be anything you want to be, if you study hard and work hard.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is at a fuel station in Parramatta this morning to spruik his fuel excise policy.

Announced in his budget reply, the Liberal leader is hoping it’ll pump up his chances after a poor performance in a YouGov poll this morning.

He’s joined by Senator Bridget McKenzie and local candidates Katie Mullens.

During the visit, Mr Dutton met with local car service staff, pumped fuel into a car and chatted with the cashier.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was given a raucous welcome by about 500 screaming schoolchildren at the Cabramatta public school in western Sydney.

The PM played with the kids at the and asked their names at the outdoor shelter before touring inside. “I’m really excited to see him,” said one little girl.

“He’s so kind.”

The Prime Minister at one point lifted one child up into the air.

Peter Dutton’s approval rating among voters has plunged to its worst level since becoming opposition leader, polling shows.

The first YouGov poll since the federal election was called for May 3, provided to AAP, shows Mr Dutton’s satisfaction rating plummeting to minus 15.

His net satisfaction among voters slumped by 10 points in the two weeks since the last YouGov poll was released on March 21.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal standing among voters remains in negative territory, but his satisfaction level has improved from minus nine to minus six.

It’s the first time since June 2024 the prime minister has had a higher net-satisfaction rating than the opposition leader.

As the first week of the federal election campaign wraps up, Labor maintains its slim overall lead over the coalition, ahead 51 per cent to 49 on a two-party preferred basis.

Opinion ratings for Mr Dutton had dropped substantially since he unveiled policies, YouGov’s director of public data Paul Smith said.

“Peter Dutton’s personal satisfaction ratings have sunk like a stone to his lowest ever in YouGov’s public data poll since he tied himself to Trump-style policies of banning work from home and sacking 40,000 public sector workers,” he said.

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The Prime Minister is visiting Cabramatta Public School in the electorate of Fowler, along with Education Minister Jason Clare and Labor candidate Tu Le.

The PM wants to promote a deal with NSW Premier Chris Minns’ Government and the Federal Government to fully and fairly fund New South Wales public schools.

This will see an estimated $4.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to New South Wales public schools over the next 10 years and represents the biggest ever new investment in New South Wales public schools by the Australian Government.

Labor hopes to win back the former safe seat, which was lost to popular independent Dai Le in 2022.

Mr Clare attended the school as a child and will meet his former Year 1 teacher Cathy Fry. Will she give him a report card?

Prime Minsiter Anthony and Opposition Leader Peter Duttin might be hoping to avoid an awkward run-in on Friday, as the pair are both set to speak at a conference in Sydney.

Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton are scheduled to address a Future Western Sydney summit, with each set to deliver a speech.

It is expected Mr Albanese will pledge to extend the instant asset write-off that allows small businesses and tradies to deduct $20,000 in essential purchases off tax for another year, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Mr Dutton has already promised to make the write-off permanent and increase the limit to $30,000 if he is elected.

It is anticipated he will on Friday announce a $231m funding package for the region’s new airport and roads, which combined with commitments announced prior to the election takes the Coalition’s pledged funding for Western Sydney infrastructure to more than $1.7bn.

Mr Dutton is expected to tell the summit the total pledged investment would be a “game-changer” for the region.

Western Sydney is home to about 10 per cent of Australia’s population, and is considered a key battleground area in the 2025 Federal Election.

There are 14 electorates in the region, 10 of which were held by Labor.