Australian news and politics recap: Anthony Albanese flails on bills and Peter Dutton fails to land knockout
Scroll down for the day’s news and updates as they happened.
Key events
16 Apr 2025 - 08:25 PM
Wrapping up
16 Apr 2025 - 07:13 PM
Top take-aways from a dull debate
16 Apr 2025 - 07:03 PM
Election is a ‘real choice’: Albanese delivers closing statement
16 Apr 2025 - 07:00 PM
Peter Dutton’s closing statement
16 Apr 2025 - 06:59 PM
Leaders can find bipartisan support on national security
16 Apr 2025 - 06:58 PM
‘Would it be a disaster if the other guy won?’: Speers
16 Apr 2025 - 06:56 PM
Albanese says failure to close the gap ‘breaks my heart’
16 Apr 2025 - 06:55 PM
Dutton comments on failed Voice referendum
16 Apr 2025 - 06:51 PM
‘No contingency plan needed on AUKUS’: PM
16 Apr 2025 - 06:50 PM
Dutton confident on ability to get Trump deal
16 Apr 2025 - 06:46 PM
PM pressed for detail on critical minerals reserve
16 Apr 2025 - 06:46 PM
Dutton asked whether he ‘trusts’ Trump
16 Apr 2025 - 06:44 PM
PM says he trusts leaders of US, China
16 Apr 2025 - 06:42 PM
PM slams Dutton for ‘extraordinary double-down’
16 Apr 2025 - 06:41 PM
Dutton admits comments on Russian airbase reports ‘a mistake’
16 Apr 2025 - 06:36 PM
Albanese says science ‘very clear’ on climate change
16 Apr 2025 - 06:36 PM
‘You can see there’s an impact’: Mr Dutton on climate change
16 Apr 2025 - 06:32 PM
Albanese won’t say when power bills will come down
16 Apr 2025 - 06:30 PM
PM says some renewables concern ‘not real’
16 Apr 2025 - 06:30 PM
Dutton defends water policy for nuclear sites
16 Apr 2025 - 06:27 PM
Dutton walks into Albanese’s trap
16 Apr 2025 - 06:27 PM
Albanese says renewables are the future
16 Apr 2025 - 06:25 PM
Dutton says energy will be his one big reform
16 Apr 2025 - 06:24 PM
PM attacks Dutton over public service cuts
16 Apr 2025 - 06:23 PM
Dutton dodges repeated questioning on cuts
16 Apr 2025 - 06:19 PM
Young Australians on the hook for debt
16 Apr 2025 - 06:17 PM
Dutton says he’s willing to support ‘sensible reform’ on rentals
16 Apr 2025 - 06:16 PM
PM grilled on giving renters certainty
16 Apr 2025 - 06:13 PM
Dutton says Albanese has a ‘problem with the truth’
16 Apr 2025 - 06:11 PM
Why won’t the major parties consider tax breaks?
16 Apr 2025 - 06:10 PM
Dutton deflects on housing policy question
16 Apr 2025 - 06:08 PM
PM forced to defend housing policy
16 Apr 2025 - 06:05 PM
PM says Australia must seize opportunities
16 Apr 2025 - 06:05 PM
Dutton talks cost of living in opening pitch
16 Apr 2025 - 06:02 PM
Leaders debate kicks off
16 Apr 2025 - 05:59 PM
Pro-Palestine rally gathers outside debate venue
16 Apr 2025 - 05:31 PM
PM, Dutton to go head-to-head shortly
16 Apr 2025 - 03:40 PM
ANALYSIS: Is it over for Peter Dutton?
16 Apr 2025 - 03:04 PM
Greens MP takes to OnlyFans to sway young voters
16 Apr 2025 - 01:49 PM
Second leaders’ debate: Albanese and Dutton head to Sydney for ABC head-to-head
16 Apr 2025 - 12:27 PM
Top take-aways: Housing clash marked by sledging and hidden modelling
16 Apr 2025 - 12:05 PM
Closing shots fired in National Press Club housing debate
16 Apr 2025 - 11:52 AM
‘The numbers don’t stack up’ both housing frontbenches label each other liars over policy
16 Apr 2025 - 11:43 AM
Housing frontbenchers ask each other questions during press club housing debate
16 Apr 2025 - 11:37 AM
Sukkar says Labor are treating voters like ‘mugs’ with set targets
16 Apr 2025 - 11:28 AM
Housing Minister says Coaliton’s housing policy could exacerbate gender inequalities
16 Apr 2025 - 11:17 AM
Neither frontbench puts figure on sustainable growth but says wages need to go up
16 Apr 2025 - 11:10 AM
Sukkar suggests Labor prioritising ‘yoga instructors’ over tradies in overseas migration
16 Apr 2025 - 11:03 AM
Sukkar vows to build more homes than Labor if Coalition elected
16 Apr 2025 - 11:00 AM
O’Neil admits more needs to be done and housing woes aren’t solved in three years
16 Apr 2025 - 10:51 AM
Housing Minister says Labor has ‘boldest’ housing agenda since the post-war period
16 Apr 2025 - 10:45 AM
Shadow housing minister Michael Sukkar slams Labor in opening address
16 Apr 2025 - 10:36 AM
Housing debate: Clare O’Neil and Michael Sukkar face off at National Press Club
16 Apr 2025 - 09:33 AM
Dutton says he doesn’t have security concerns.
16 Apr 2025 - 09:31 AM
Dutton asked about plan for female-dominated industries
16 Apr 2025 - 09:20 AM
What would Dutton do differently on Indonesia?
16 Apr 2025 - 09:16 AM
Coalition ‘wants to see NDIS grow’
16 Apr 2025 - 09:13 AM
Dutton skirts questions about whether he made a mistake
16 Apr 2025 - 09:12 AM
Is Dutton pushing the Pacific nations towards China?
16 Apr 2025 - 09:11 AM
Dutton defends Russia-Indonesia comments
16 Apr 2025 - 09:04 AM
Was Mr Dutton ‘irresponsible’ over Russia, Indonesia comments?
16 Apr 2025 - 09:01 AM
Peter Dutton is speaking now
16 Apr 2025 - 08:02 AM
PM showcases government’s ‘eye to the local community’ on Melbourne site
16 Apr 2025 - 07:58 AM
PM visits Forrest Hill construction site in key Deakin electorate
16 Apr 2025 - 07:49 AM
Dutton packs ‘buddy bags’ to support kids escaping family violence
16 Apr 2025 - 07:45 AM
Dutton pledges $6m to boost online safety for kids in Melbourne visit
16 Apr 2025 - 07:41 AM
Albo says he ‘has faith in AFP” after lobby confrontation
16 Apr 2025 - 07:38 AM
PM coy on assurances from Indonesia
16 Apr 2025 - 07:34 AM
Is the PM ready for tonight’s debate?
16 Apr 2025 - 07:30 AM
How is Australia countering Russia’s Indo-Pacific efforts?
16 Apr 2025 - 07:29 AM
PM has ‘clear evidence’ Urgent Care Clinics are working
16 Apr 2025 - 07:29 AM
Albanese can’t say if Russian request was actually made
16 Apr 2025 - 07:28 AM
Chalmers says Dutton’s comments was ‘disqualifying moment’
16 Apr 2025 - 07:23 AM
Dutton ‘verballed Indonesian President’: PM
16 Apr 2025 - 06:08 AM
Wong blasts 'reckless‘ Dutton over Russian airbase in Indonesia
16 Apr 2025 - 05:07 AM
Senator snaps at TV host amid message cut through struggle
16 Apr 2025 - 04:53 AM
Labor crunches numbers in latest Dutton attack
PM pressed for detail on critical minerals reserve
Speers asks what the Government has offered to the US, noting suggestion of a deal on critical minerals being on the table.
“We’ll engage diplomatically not through TV interview,” the PM says.
“A critical minerals reserve is just that. It’s a reserve of the critical minerals and rare earths which Australia has an abundance of.”
Speers presses him for more detail but without success.
Dutton asked whether he ‘trusts’ Trump
Mr Dutton said he had not met the President yet.
“We trust the US, and I don’t know the President, I’ve not met him, the Prime Minister obviously has been able to,” he said.
“I don’t know Donald Trump is my point. My point is who I trust is the Australian people.”
Mr Dutton did not give a yes or no to whether he trusted the Chinese President but said he “didn’t have a reason to distrust” him.
“I believe strongly in the relationship that we have with the President of China for the reasons the Prime Minister outlined,” he said.
“It’s important for our economic stability and sovereignty.”
PM says he trusts leaders of US, China
Albanese says he has no reason not to trust Donald Trump. He says during the last discussion with the US President they agreed on “a series of words that he would give consideration.
“Great consideration was the words he used. And he did that,” he says.
“In the end he made a decision as part of the US administration to put these tariffs on every country. We got the lowest amount. But we made it very clear that was an act of self-harm by the US.”
He says the same for China’s President Xi Jinping.
“I have no reason not to either,” the PM says.
“China’s our major trading partner. One in four Australian jobs depends upon trade. It’s in Australia’s national interest to have a good economic relationship with China.”
PM slams Dutton for ‘extraordinary double-down’
Speers asks whether the Albanese is concerned about the expanding defence co-operations between Russia and Indonesia.
He starts by criticising Dutton for having a crack at Indonesia over the reports, saying: “That’s an extraordinary double down from the alternative Prime Minister of Australia who verballed the Indonesian President yesterday.
“Indonesia will be the fourth largest economy in the world. They are an important partner of Australia,” he says.
“The fact that we just saw a double down on it as if there’s nothing to see here, just shows there’s no understanding of the need for diplomacy.”
Dutton admits comments on Russian airbase reports ‘a mistake’
Peter Dutton has admitted he made a mistake over comments he made about the Indonesian president on reports of a Russian military deal with Indonesia.
Mr Dutton said he made a mistake.
“It was a mistake, and I’m happy to admit that,” he said.
“What we got from the Indonesian authorities in the reports, and the Prime Minister commented on these reports yesterday as well, was that the sources inside the Prabowo government confirmed that that was the case,” he said.
This is the first time he’s conceded he got it wrong on this one.
Albanese says science ‘very clear’ on climate change
Speers says many Australians are concerned about the impact of climate change on their insurance premiums. How will the Government help those people?
Albanese says the science is “very clear” but not every weather event is the result of climate change.
“It does mean the science told us the events would be more extreme and they’d be more frequent. That is what we are seeing playing out, whether it be increased bushfires, flooding, extreme weather events that are having an impact,” he says.
“When we talk about the costs, this is one of the costs. The cost to our economy as well as the cost to our environment and not acting on climate change. Not being a part of the global solution are severe.”
‘You can see there’s an impact’: Mr Dutton on climate change
Mr Dutton has refused to say if he thinks the impacts of climate change are getting worse.
He said he’d leave it up to the scientists.
“I think you can see there’s an impact,” he said.
“In my home state you made reference to floods and natural disasters and events and we were out in Thargomindah and that is part of the history of our state of this country.”
Albanese won’t say when power bills will come down
The PM maintains renewables are the cheapest form of power, but can’t say when bills will come down.
“What we need to do is roll out renewables, make sure there’s energy security, make sure it’s backed by batteries, by hydro and gas,” he says.
“Not using taxpayers’ money to fund something that they never put forward the entire time they were in office.”
PM says some renewables concern ‘not real’
Whales have entered the debate.
Speers asks Albanese about locals who are concerned about the rollout of the Government’s renewables plan.
He argues some of the concern is “not real”, “RE whales being unable to steer their way around in the vast Pacific ocean around a wind tower. That’s not right.”
Dutton defends water policy for nuclear sites
Peter dutton has been pressed for detail on his nuclear policy, especially on the requirement for water.
Mr Dutton said there was already allocations for the sites.
“There are already water allocations to each of the seven sites we located,” he said.
“Coal fired generation uses a lot of water.”
Despite being pressed a number of times for detail, Mr Dutton declined to give it.
