Australian news and politics recap April 30: Albo deflects campaign lying claims by targeting Dutton’s record

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Scroll back through for all the Federal election campaign trail updates, as Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton head into their final days of campaiging, before voters hit the polls on Saturday.

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Anthony Albanese on Wednesday marked a small victory - surpassing Gough Whitlam’s time in office.

The Prime Minister said he was determined to become a leader with a long legacy.

“The problem (with Whitlam) was that yes he introduced Medibank, but he wasn’t there long enough and a lot of his reforms disappeared,” Mr Albanese said, as he ducked and weaved volunteers around the local polling booth.

“A long term Labor government, like (under) Bob Hawke, his reforms entrenched a lot of change.”

Anthony Albanese has promised to keep visiting WA 10 times a year if he remains prime minister.

The PM made a flying visit to a prepoll station in Midland, which is in Hasluck but is also taking Bullwinkel votes.

Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence and Labor’s Bullwinkel candidate were also on hand, along with Senate President Sue Lines.

They were greeted with adulation and jeers from the various party volunteers, and bemusement from voters queued up to cast their ballot in the hour before the booth closed.

Things got off to their usual start with the prime minister cooing at five-and-half-month -old Annabelle as mum Kyra lined up to cast her vote.

“It’s an enormous privilege to meet you,” David Leith said as Mr Albanese greeted queuing locals.

One woman lining up to vote told Mr Albanese as she shook his hand that she “believed in his values”.

“It’s all about that, what you say, no one left behind and no one held back,” she said.

Mr Albanese quipped that she had evidently watched his National Press Club address earlier that day.

But the situation quickly devolved.

Liberal volunteers began yelling “keep the sheep”, kicking off a chain of chants from party supporters.

Labor’s army began repeating their party name and using their campaign posters to block the Liberals, and a lone Greens supporter yelled “stop AUKUS” repeatedly.

This is his 33rd trip to WA and, asked if he would continue to make 10 visits a year, Mr Albanese said, “You bet.”

Backdropped by Tina Turner’s 90s classic “Simply the best”, Peter Dutton has filled up his Aston candidate Manny Cicchiello’s Holden at a BP in Scoresby this afternoon.

It marks his 15th fuel station stop for the campaign and third visit to a Labor-held seat on Wednesday.

While filling up at the bowser with $1.79/l petrol, Mr Dutton addressed comments made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his National Press Club address on Wednesday.

Peter Dutton has warned voters that a Labor minority government would try to bring back the rejected Voice to Parliament.

With just three days left until polling day a furore has erupted between the major parties on the Voice to Parliament referendum after comments made by Labor frontbencher Penny Wong.

Senator Wong had appeared on an episode of the Betoota Talks podcast, which was released on Monday, and hinted that the Voice was still on the cards for Labor.

“I think we’ll look back on it in 10 years’ time and it’ll be a bit like marriage equality,” Senator Wong said.

“It’ll become something, it’ll be like, people go ‘did we even have an argument about that?’

“He’s not a pull the pin kind of guy.

“Yeah, (Anthony Albanese) thought it was the right thing to do and, you know, a lot of First Nations leaders wanted the opportunity.”

Mr Dutton said the election was a referendum, “not on the last few weeks of this campaign but on the last three years of his government”.

“I think Penny Wong had let the cat out of the bag,” he said.

“If you want to understand what this government would do with the Greens if they get elected. They would introduce the Voice by legislation.

“We will block it.

“So if you want to vote for Labor and the Greens you get the Voice.

“This is not some backbencher. This is Penny Wong the most important confidant of the Prime Minister.”

Just moments before the leader arrived at the stop, a Labor attack radio advert had been playing over the station’s speakers.

Peter Dutton has used his stop at a Victorian petrol station to hit back at Anthony Albanese’s commnets made at the press club earlier in the day.

“He can’t look the Australian people in the eye and tell them they’re better off, because they’re not,” the Opposition Leader said.

“And if the Prime Minister can’t be straight with the Australian people then I will be.

“Australians are worse off under this government.

“You’re paying more for fuel, you’re paying more for electricity... groceries and insurance.

‘Everybody’s worse off under this Prime Minister and only by voting for your Liberal and National candidates will you get rid of a bad government and make sure that we get our country back on track.”

Peter Dutton has marked his 15th visit to a petrol station at a BP in Rowville in the federal seat of Aston.

Mr Dutton is expected to spruik his fuel excise policy which promises to deliver a 25 cent reduction per litre for petrol and diesel in the first year of a Coalition government.

The policy has been come the Opposition Leader’s headline cost-of-living measure ahead of the May 3 poll.

Netflix star Joe Exotic has issued a prompt follow up statement after he endorsed Anthony Albanese in the Australian Federal election in an attempt to end speculation around possible payment.

“No, Anthony Albanese did not pay me,” Exotic wrote on social media from prison.

“I made a public offer to work for their (Australia’s) zoo for free for 6 months or any other wildlife conservation if he would call President Trump and ask for me to be released based on the American government’s witnesses (having) admitted to perjury.

“Will make the same offer to President Trump or the President of Mexico,” Exotic added.

Read the full story.

Peter Dutton has spent over an hour at a Chinese restaurant in the Labor-held marginal seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

The Opposition Leader shared yum cha with members of the Chinese community alongside wife Kirilly and Liberal candidate Katie Allen.

More than half of the electorate are born overseas, with a large Chinese diaspora.

Around a turntable at Imperial Chinese Restaurant in Glen Waverley, Mr Dutton had a tea alongside a succelcent Chinese meal.

“There are many, many leaders here today from the Chinese community, and I want to say thank you very much for being with us,” he said in a short speech at the restaurant.

“We’re all here, of course, to enjoy each other’s company, but.. also (in) celebration of Chinese heritage and culture. (It’s) Incredibly important to the Liberal party. I’ve spoken a lot about our great migrant story in this country, and how I think we need to spend more time on celebrating the success of the migrant story.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on Labor’s push for majority government during a tense final exchange at the National Press Club, dismissing hypotheticals about minority rule while framing the election as a binary choice between stability and “chaos.”

Facing repeated questions about post-election negotiations, Albanese insisted Labor alone could deliver certainty in uncertain times, refusing to entertain scenarios involving crossbench deals on core policies like AUKUS.

“We’ve got 78 seats. We’re aiming to hold every single one of them and we’re out there campaigning hard in Coalition-held seats and in Greens part-held seats as well. It’s as simple as that.”

“Will there be the sort of agreements that we saw previously? No… We’re campaigning each and every day to secure a majority government, and I think that is in Australia’s interests.”

On AUKUS negotiations with independents: “No.”

The Prime Minister has been asked whether Joe Exotic was paid to endorse him.

Joe Exotic, star of Tiger King and current inmate at Federal Medical Centre Fort Worth, has issued a personal endorsement for Australia’s election, hoping Aussies vote to keep the country ‘safe and awesome’.

Taking to Instagram, the Tiger King, whose real name is Joe Maldonado-Passage, wrote: “Keep Australia safe and awesome.”

“All of my friends in Australia vote for @albomp.”

When asked if he had met Joe or whether he was paid, Mr Albanese didn’t directly answer the question, instead saying: “I have a very passionate, ah, support for one particular animal - Toto - and I’m looking forward to voting with her on Saturday.”

“He’s in jail. Isn’t that the question? I wasn’t even aware of. I think the point of that question was to ask the question rather than to get a serious answer, I hope.”

The Prime Minister’s office has confirmed the Labor party had no role in the endorsement from Joe Exotic, nor has anyone had any contact with him.