Australian news and politics recap: Dutton targets ABC, Guardian as ‘hate media’ telling voters not to listen

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has defended Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for not visiting any of the Coalition’s proposed nuclear energy sites during the election campaign, saying local communities are excited about the plans.

Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, host David Speers pressed Senator McKenzie on the issue: “Why hasn’t Peter Dutton been to any of the nuclear sites in this campaign?”

McKenzie responded: “Well, I would ask the same question of Chris Bowen, who you can’t find Chris near an offshore wind site.”

Speers, then asked again: “Can you understand why he hasn’t been to a nuclear site?”

The Senator said the Coalition was proud of its decision to embrace nuclear energy.

“We’re very proud to be the generation that has actually made the tough decision, made the really ambitious visionary goal, not just to get to net zero by 2050, but to power our country. And make us energy secure into the next century,” she said.

Speers pointed out Mr Dutton hadn’t spoken to locals in the affected communities.

McKenzie replied: “I love that we’re focused on this. So the shadow minister, Ted O’Brien, has been to all sites, some multiple times. I’ve spoken to these MPs who are telling me their communities are excited about the potential.”

Senator McKenzie argued that the communities near the proposed sites were “highly energy literate” and looking forward to investment opportunities.

“These are highly energy literate communities who are looking forward to the opportunity of this type of investment in their community,” she said.

She also pushed back at critics of the Coalition’s plan: “I find it fascinating that those who don’t live in and amongst us, and who aren’t from these types of communities, think it’s such an appalling plan, but we’re very happy to have our backyards and communities carpeted with solar panels, wind powers, the minute we say let’s have a net zero solution to build our local economy...”

Mr Dutton has announced seven locations across Australia where the Coalition proposes to build nuclear power plants if it wins the election, but he has not yet campaigned at any of the specific sites.

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says a future Coalition Government would ensure all road users, including electric vehicle drivers, contribute to road maintenance, but would not introduce a new tax to do so.

Speaking on ABC Insiders, Senator McKenzie said it was unfair that Australians in regional areas were effectively subsidising wealthier electric vehicle owners in inner-city seats through policies like Labor’s fringe benefit tax exemption.

“We’ve been really clear about the EV exemption for fringe benefit tax. We don’t think it’s fair (that) people who live in places like Donnybrook and McEwen are subsidising those who can afford to purchase an electric vehicle,” she said.

Highlighting the worsening condition of roads, she said drivers of all vehicles needed to contribute to road funding, and the Coalition would work with the states on a solution in line with the High Court’s ruling on Victoria’s failed EV road tax.

“We’re going to make sure everyone who is using the roads contributes to the funding of the roads,” Senator McKenzie said.

“That includes our trucking industry as well, who also pay effectively a road user charge.”

Asked by host David Speers directly if the Coalition would introduce a road user charge, she stressed: “We’re not proposing any new taxes under a Dutton-Littleproud Government.”

Senator McKenzie said funding for inland rail and manufacturing initiatives such as biofuels would also help reduce emissions without penalising petrol and diesel car drivers.

“We want to make sure that Australians have choice,” she said.

“We think everyone who is using the roads in this great country of ours needs to contribute to their maintenance.”

Health Minister Mark Butler says Labor’s new 24/7 Medicare health hotline is not designed to disrupt GP practices or rattle their business models.

Instead, he says the service is intended to complement — not replace — a patient’s relationship with their regular doctor.

Speaking on ABC Insiders, Mr Butler outlined more details about the $204.5 million commitment to launch the after-hours GP telehealth service, known as 1800MEDICARE, which will connect patients to a registered nurse who can provide immediate advice or refer them to a telehealth GP or another appropriate health service.

“This is not intended as a substitute for your relationship with your usual GP but intended to cover circumstances where people need to be seen immediately, need some quick advice, particularly, for example, when your kid gets sick,” Mr Butler said.

“If you have (an) ongoing health condition, you should go back to your GP and the triage nurse will tell you that.”

When questioned about surveys showing many GPs still refuse to move to bulk billing under Labor’s broader healthcare reforms, Mr Butler acknowledged past resistance but defended the government’s investment in general practice.

“I know that these doctor groups have, right through the history of Medicare, resisted this sort of policy,” he said.

“No government invested more in general practice than this one — the bulk bill investments, three biggest increases to the Medicare rebate since Keating was Prime Minister.

“As a Health Minister, particularly as a Labor minister, I’m determined to get patient outcomes... I’m confident in the interests of patients. That is my primary focus.”

Health Minister Mark Butler says Labor’s new 24/7 Medicare health hotline will be integrated with patients’ medical records to allow for easier GP assessment and follow-up.

Speaking on ABC Insiders, Mr Butler outlined more details about the $204.5 million commitment to launch the after-hours GP telehealth service, known as 1800MEDICARE.

The service will connect patients to a registered nurse, who can provide advice or refer them to a telehealth GP or another appropriate health service.

Mr Butler stressed the service would differ from private telehealth models by being free, high-quality, and linked back to patients’ usual GPs through the My Health Record system.

“Firstly, this will be free, completely bulk billed. Second, very high quality. We will be determined to make sure the nurses (and) GPs are high quality,” he said.

“It will be looped back in with your usual GP through the My Health Records system.

“The GP will have access to your records, they’ll know your history, and your usual GP will be informed about what comes out of that telehealth appointment, whether it is an emergency script that you need, or some other advice about treatment.”

The Coalition has released a new round of political advertising with just six days left in the election campaign.

With millions of Australians already casting their ballots at early voting centres, the ads are a last-ditch effort to rally support at pre-poll and ahead of the May 3 election day.

One advertisement shows a family sitting around the dinner table before household items begin disappearing, symbolising the pressure of rising living costs.

It starts with food vanishing to illustrate growing grocery prices, followed by the daughter’s iPad to highlight school supply expenses. Then the family car keys disappear to represent transport costs, the nurse mother vanishes for an extra shift, and finally, the lights go out to depict soaring electricity prices.

In an email to party faithful, Federal Director Andrew Hirst said the messaging was the Coalition’s final push to highlight its cost-of-living plan.

“Our ads are running in tandem with messages highlighting our plan to deliver cost-of-living relief and a strong economy,” Mr Hirst said.

“Despite Albanese’s promises, Australians are clearly worse off under Labor.

Australia has had the biggest decline in living standards in the developed world.

With Labor’s recent budget revealing ten years of deficits, Australians will get even higher bills, debt and taxes.

However, Labor is making more promises they won’t keep, while spending millions of dollars, donated from Labour-affiliated unions, attacking Liberals.”

Labor would not strike deals with crossbenchers if voters deliver a hung Parliament at the election on May 3, Health Minister Mark Butler has confirmed.

Speaking on ABC Insiders, Mr Butler said Labor would continue to put its own plan for the country to Parliament, whether or not it secured a majority of seats.

“We’ll take the same approach we have taken with a majority. Putting our vision and our plan for the nation to the Parliament,” Mr Butler said.

“We are pushing very hard for a majority government. We think a majority Labor government will deliver the continuity, the stability, the certainty, the country needs in a very volatile global environment.”

Pressed by host David Speers on what Labor would do if it fell short of a majority, Mr Butler said the Prime Minister had already ruled out doing deals.

“The Prime Minister — that’s a matter for the Prime Minister. He’s made it very clear that there are no deals,” he said.

“We’re not a party of coalition, unlike the Liberal Party. We’ll be putting our plan to the Australian Parliament, whether we have a majority of seats, if we were delivered slightly less than a majority. That’s the Labor way.

“We have a plan. We’re confident it’s the right one for the country.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has issued a warning on what could happen if Labor is reelected, highlighting the Coalition’s “positive” policies.

“If Labor gets in and interest rates go back up because of their big spending, that is going to further hurt families,” Mr Dutton told Sunrise.

“In the last 12 months, there have been more small businesses closed than in any one year period in our country’s history.

“So we need to accept that we’re hearing the reality of people’s lives.

“What’s our vision for our country? It’s about providing short-term support. It’s about fixing up the energy system so that we can reduce the cost of groceries, the cost of building materials, etc.

“That’s how we can rebuild our economy and restore that hope.”

Mr Dutton admitted mistakes have been made over his campaign, noting many Australians don’t feel like they know who he is in the late stage of the Federal election.

Asked what mistake he would have handled differently, Mr Dutton again hit out at Labor.

“I think not calling out Labour’s lies on bulk billing (was a mistake),” Mr Dutton told Sunrise.

“They run this ‘Mediscare’ campaign each time.

“Bulk billing is actually down by 11 per cent. Australians are paying more to see a doctor. In fact, many Australians now, we know, are putting off seeing a doctor under the Albanese Government because they can’t afford the out-of-pocket expense.

“So the Prime Minister’s whole Medicare scam scare campaign is a lie.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has blamed Labor for his poor polling, but says Australias can “see through” that ahead of election day.

Asked why his personal approval rate was “tanking”, Mr Dutton told Sunrise: “Labor’s run this negative campaign. But Australians are happy to see through that.”

“Australians know that in their own households they’ve gone backwards and that they can’t afford three more years of (Labor), you know, groceries are up by 30 per cent, gas is up by 34 per cent, electricity is up by 32 per cent, and our plan is to provide support now.”

Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has accused Labor of relying on a “discredited” organisation in its criticism of the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan, labelling it costly and dangerous for Australia’s budget.

Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Mr Hastie said the $600 billion figure quoted by Labor was exaggerated.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed the construction of seven nuclear power plants across Australia to replace retiring coal-fired power stations.

“This is a lie. The $600 billion figure cited by Katy Gallagher is in fact a discredited figure from a discredited organisation which openly campaigns for the Labor Party, the Smart Energy Council,” Mr Hastie said.

Ms Gallagher earlier defended the Smart Energy Council, saying it had drawn from strong data sets and that the price tag reflected project costs seen overseas.

Sky News Australia’s political editor Andrew Clennell has asked her: “This nuclear $600 billion figure you’ve been running in your ads, it was an estimate by a renewables lobby group who found it could cost $116 billion up to $600 billion. Never mind their conflict on top, do you concede that’s a potential exaggeration?”

She responded: “The Smart Energy Council has used a number of different data sets in order to reach that number.”

“But also, if you look at examples around the world, and there’s one in the UK at the moment that’s being built 14 years late, one nuclear reactor is costing blown out to $90 billion and that’s where you’ve got a nuclear industry operating in that country.

“Peter Dutton wants to start a nuclear industry from scratch.”