Australian news and politics recap: Anthony Albanese forced to defend spending, foreign diplomacy

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Catch up on all of today’s political news by scrolling through the live blog below or by reading tonight’s edition of The Nightly.

We’ll be back with our live coverage first thing tomorrow morning as we head into the final days fo the election campaign.

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Mr Dutton says Liberal Jewish voters should “keep the faith” as they head into the final days of the election campaign.

To those undecided Jewish voters, he said they should remember how poorly the Albanese Government had treated the anti-Semitism crisis and how Mr Albanese had been too slow to support the community in Australia over the past 18 months.

“The Prime Minister should be held accountable for that. This is the time to hold him to account.”

Peter Dutton has told Sharri Markson that there’s a “long way to go” this election.

He said ultimately people would vote in what they believed was their best interests but he believed the numbers showed the Coalition could win.

Peter Dutton has slammed the media shadowing his campaign saying many are “activists” and have “bias”.

Speaking on Sky News on Monday evening, he was asked about the “interrogation” he received by travelling media at his daily press conferences.

“I just think they’re so biased and many of them are activists and not journalists,” he said.

“I think the left wing media by polling day will be counter productive in what they’re doing.”

Anthony Albanese is asked about an old quote from Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who told Parliament in 2017 while attacking the Turnbull Government that negative gearing and capital gains tax were the “most meaningful lever when it comes to dealing with housing affordability”.

The PM is asked if he was wrong.

To which Mr Albanese says Dr Chalmers is a “terrific treasurer” but that’s not the view of the Party now.

“We took a policy to the election in 2019, and the Australian people had their say,” he said.

“What we’re concerned about is supply… And if you simply do a measure of changing negative gearing, there are two problems with it: One is the issue of supply.

“But the other thing that you’ll do as well, and something that I’ve

been absolutely determined to do - I have two mantras. No-one held back, no-one left behind. No-one left behind is about looking after the vulnerable.

Can the PM then rule out any changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax as long as he’s PM?

He says “the evidence is in”.

The PM is asked about Labor’s promise to spend $10bn building 100,000 houses for first time buyers, and sidesteps questions about how many will be built by the end of the decade.

“We want to get it going. We haven’t passed the legislation yet,” he said.

But he must have a projection for the houses, he’s asked.

“We do,” he says, but again notes the legislation hasn’t passed and he won’t get ahead of himself.

It’s then put to him that there are concerns the expansion of the five per cent first home guarantee scheme would increase demand. Would be he forced to intervene and lower prices?

The PM says Labor is increasing supply. Asked numerous times if Labor is looking at policies to bring house prices down, the PM insists the focus is on supply.

The PM is asked about the promise Labor made before the 2022 election to cut power bills by $275, and what guarantees he can give that energy prices will be lower at the end of the year when the temporary rebates end.

He avoided the question, as he did a question about whether he regrets promising to cut power bills before the last election.

He says renewable energy will bring down prices.

“We have put forward in this election, practical policies, including the subsidy for batteries that will assist households, but they’ll do more than that as well. Because it will take pressure off the grid,” he said.

It’s a question he has repeatedly dodged throughout this campaign.

Cost of living is the number one issue this election.

It’s put to the PM that there are lots of families and households struggling - many of whom are living in marginal electorates. If Mr Albanese loses this Saturday’s election, will that be the reason?

Mr Albanese says cost of living pressures are “real”, and that’s why Labor have acted. He nominates tax cuts, energy bill relief, cheaper childcare and free Tafe, as well as strengthening Medicare, as policy areas tackling the issue.

He then goes on to talk about how his Government have overseen inflation coming back under control.

Anthony Albanese says Peter Dutton has “darkened his own brand” when asked if Donald Trump had come to the PM’s aid during the campaign in “darkening the brand of hard man leaders”.

“Peter Dutton… has made a career out of promoting division. About punching down on vulnerable people. About seeking to divide the community, engaging in culture wars,” he said.

“What I’ve done is try to bring people together. That’s a part of who I am.”

He said Mr Dutton “seems to think that bluster and yelling and interrupting and being rude is strength”, as he argued that those were not positive qualities in a leader.

“One of the things that you have to do as a leader is show kindness and compassion to the vulnerable. That’s part of who I am,” he told ABC’s 7.30.

“That’s part of my character. That’s not weakness. Strength is having the capacity to go to the National Press Club, as I did, and say ‘we are going to change the tax cuts that have been legislated’ … That’s strength.”

He’s then asked about culture wars, specifically about Welcome to Country ceremonies, and whether he thinks they should continue.

“I don’t want to engage in fighting culture wars,” he said.

“I want to engage in fighting for the Australian people.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Labor’s “off budget measures”, as he faces a grilling on ABC’s 7.30 over the costings, released on Monday.

He’s asked whether Labor’s spending is putting Australia’s Triple A credit rating at risk, and for more details about the off budget measures.

Mr Albanese nominates the National Reconstruction Fund, the NBN, and the Whyalla steelworks, as examples of off budget measures working for Australia.

“It can only be off budget if, essentially, it’s going to produce a profit for the government,” he says.

What about student debt, Sarah Fergus asks. How does that get a return?

To that, the PM says it’s “a benefit”.

“That’s about intergenerational equity,” he said.