Australian news and politics live: Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg won’t rule out return to politics

“I think the contrast you’ve seen between the way in which Labor’s managed the Budget and the way we manage it is chalk and cheese,” Coalition leader Peter Dutton told the press conference in NSW.

“A Liberal Coalition government will always manage the budget more effectively. We’ve put in place supports which don’t have recurrent spend year after year, locking that spend in.

“We’ll always manage the economy more effectively and Labor will always spend more.

“When you do that you drive up inflation which will drive up interest rates and interest rates will always be cheaper under a Coalition government.”

Peter Dutton wants Australian’s to trust in him to ‘crush’ organise crime if he is elected as Prime Minister after May 3.

“We’re investing into our crime-crushing policy,” Mr Dutton said.

“The $750 million which will keep people safer in their communities by dealing with the gangs and with the organised motorcycle gangs, etc, who are peddling drugs to our kids.

“I want to make sure that we can get our country back on track and that’s exactly what we intend to do at the next election.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is in the southern highlands of NSW to spruik their fuel tax rebate policy and cost of living relief measures.

“It’s about helping families right now, immediately after the election with a 25 cents a litre cut in fuel, $1,200 back by way of tax rebate,” Mr Dutton told the gathered press.

“That’s tax you’ve paid, giving it back to you. We want to manage the economy to bring down the inflation rates and therefore bring down interest rates.

“I want to make sure that I’m the Prime Minister for housing and I’m absolutely passionate about making sure we can get young Australians into housing which is why we’re going to cut migration and why we’re going to stop foreign buyers from competing against young Australians.

“We’re also going to keep our country safe and our communities safe, safe from crime and safe from any strife in our region and that’s why we want to invest into defence.”

Australians are voicing their outrage as Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots candidates use an Australian Electoral Commission loophole to hammer voters with spam text messages trying to garner support ahead of Saturday’s Federal election.

Social media is awash with complaints about the influx of messages being sent to people’s phones, with questions being raised as to how the candidates are able to access potential voters’ personal information.

Trumpet of Patriots Senate candidate in Queensland, Harry Fong, has become the face of the social media rants after his campaign team managed to send multiple text messages to millions of Australians encouraging them to show their support ahead of the Federal election this weekend.

But according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, sending political text messages during local, state and territory or federal election campaigns is exempt from most spam and telemarketing rules.

Read the full story here.

Monday saw the busiest day at early voting centres across the country, with 830,000 Australians casting their ballots.

The rush of voters after the long weekend brought the total across the first five days of voting to 3.23 million.

Add in the now 776,000 returned postal votes brings the total ballots returned to more than four million - or 22 per cent of all enrolled voters.

The Electoral Commission expects more than half of Australians to cast their vote before Saturday.

The Prime Minister stood face-to-face with Labor’s opposition at a pre-polling booth today handing out flyers and voting advice to punters in Queensland.

Anthony Albanese is in the sunshine state to ram home the Labor message leading into Saturday’s election and interacted with The Nightly’s Latika Bourke and People First Senator Ross Vasta.

When asked about having the PM handing out voting advice today, the current Member for Bonner said he had a good relationship with the PM.

Mr Albanese chimed in saying his presence was “nothing personal”, he just wants Labor candidate Kara Cook “to win”.

Ellen Ransley reports that the PM has stopped for a flying visit at a pre-poll booth at Wynnum, in the LNP marginal electorate of Bonner.

Mr Albanese spent time cuddling a Labor volunteer’s baby before meeting with voters lining up to enter the centre.

A Libertarian volunteer heckled him as he was shaking hands, asking the PM “what’s a woman” and “what are you going to do about the price of housing Albo”.

The PM ignored him and posed for a few selfies.

Anthony Albanese said earlier that Labor could “certainly win” the seat of Dickson – currently held by one Peter Dutton.

The Opposition Leader’s seat is the most marginal in Queensland, held by a slim 1.7 per cent or 3363 votes at the last election.

It’s the tightest margin for any Opposition Leader’s seat since John Curtin heading into the 1937 election (Mr Curtin increased his margin but Labor lost the election).

Labor candidate Ali France is having her third crack at the seat.

This time, there is also a Climate200-backed independent in the mix, Ellie Smith.

Throughout the campaign, Labor has sent its supporters multiple messages using the tight contest in Dickson to generate donations.

Ahead of the campaign proper, though, party insiders said they thought Mr Dutton would hold on, especially since he has had a higher profile over the past term as the Liberal leader.

If Mr Dutton were to lose, it would throw the Coalition into turmoil since the Liberals would have to find a new leader.

That would be even more so should the Coalition form a majority government.

However, this is a highly unlikely scenario since the swing towards the Coalition needed for such a victory would almost certainly mean Mr Dutton keeps his seat.

Sportsbet has Mr Dutton the favourite to retain the seat, paying $1.52 to $2.80 for Labor and $9.50 for Ms Smith.

Anthony Albanese is doubling down on claims Peter Dutton plans to build a nuclear reactor in his seat, despite there being no plans to do so.

During a press conference today, both the Prime Minister and Treasurer Jim Chalmers made the claim that Mr Dutton was going to build a nuclear reactor in his Queensland seat of Dickson.

“Ali France is committed to the electorate and what’s more, Peter Dutton is now saying he wants a nuclear reactor and that electorate as well,” Mr Albanese said, with Mr Chalmers repeating the statements.

While Mr Dutton said he would be happy to live near a nuclear reactor during the final Leaders Debate on Channel 7 on Sunday, Dickson is not among the seven sites proposed for the reactors by the Coalition.

Three unionists dressed as nuclear power workers have prompted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to axe his planned press conference in the seat of Gilmore.

Armed with measuring tapes, the men pretended to measure up a local sporting oval for a nuclear reactor site in Sanctuary Point, where Mr Dutton was expected to make a funding announcement to upgrade facilities.

“Don’t be scared. This is what the future looks like,” one man said.

“Get used to the face mask. Get used to the radiation suits. This is the energy in Australia under a Dutton government,” he said.

They were asked by a reporter if it “was a Labor scare campaign” and “if it was fair on the kids” who were expecting a funding announcement today for their junior footy club St Georges Basin Dragons.

After the men interrupted, Shoalhaven City Councillor Selena Clancy, who was also attending, encouraged local children to yell at the men.

“We want a new skate park,” one yelled. Another played along and said he could sense the radiation too.

A football club official confronted the men and called them “muppets” for interrupting the funding announcement aimed at supporting kids sports.

“We represent the workers that Mr Dutton (is expecting) to subject themselves to danger in servicing, building and running these (nuclear) plants,” said Secretary of the South Coast Trades and Labour Council Arthur Rorris.

“We’re just doing him a favour but letting everyone know. This could become a reality.”

Police were called, but only monitored the protest and didn’t intervene.

Media were called back to the bus several times by Liberal staff shortly after.