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

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agains dodged questions from reporters, this time about his government’s pre-election promises.

His response again involved redirecting scrutiny onto Peter Dutton’s healthcare policies amid accusations of campaign misinformation.

A journalist said: “Before the election, you said power bills would reduce. They didn’t. You said you wouldn’t change super. You’re trying. You said we’d have cheaper mortgages. We don’t. You said on election night you’d commit to the Uluru Statement in full. You haven’t. You said when you’d messed up, you’d admit fault. You haven’t. Now, Peter Dutton is promising to match your bulk-billing funding. In some of your ads, you’re saying he’s going to basically abolish Medicare.”

“My question is... ..why you have to exaggerate in this campaign. Why can’t you win this election bytelling the truth?

Mr Albanese again dodged the question by talking about Peter Dutton:

“He tried to abolish bulk-billing. He tried and then he tried, to introduce a tax - a payment - every time people visited a hospital.

“He ripped $50 billion out of hospitals. This is a matter of record.

“Peter Dutton said that, if you want to look at future performance, look at past performance.”

The Prime Minister has sidestepped a question about whether Australians are better off than three years ago, a central proposition of the Coalition.

He was asked: “He (Peter Dutton) asks daily that voters consider - are you better off now than you were three years ago? Are Australians better off now than they were before you were elected?”

Mr Albanese responded “Australians would be $7200 worse off if Peter Dutton had got his way,” Mr Albanese said.

”You can’t say – there’s an issue with cost of living – and then vote against every cost-of-living relief measure. That is what Peter Dutton has done.

”A coherent, cohesive set of policies that we want to implement, cutting student debt, cutting people’s taxes, making a difference for first-home buyers, making a difference for energy bill relief, cheaper childcare, the cheaper medicines that we’ve put in place.

“Peter Dutton’s plan that has not a single offer of anything that lasts more than 12 months going forward, and then jacking up everyone’s taxes.

”And that’s before you get to the $600 billion that he needs to pay for his nuclear reactors.”

Anthony Albanese has insisted Australia has strong regional trade relationships amid global uncertainty and his failure to get Donald Trump on the phone to do a deal on tariffs.

“We have very strong trade relationships in our region. And we’ve built on them as well through the work that we’ve done with ASEAN, hosting every ASEAN leader in March last year in Melbourne,” he said.

“I’ve hosted Prime Minister Modi here. I’ve hosted the Premier of China here as well, our most important trading partner.

“The US tariffs need to be put into perspective. Exports to the United States are under 5 per cent of our total exports.

“Australian producers are opening up greater opportunities of exporting even more to China.

“What will emerge, I think, is - yes, some challenges, but also some opportunities for us. And that is what I’m optimistic about, and that is what I mean by ‘serving our national interests’.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for not appearing at the National Press Club during the final week of the election campaign.

Mr Albanese claimed during different parts of his speech at the NPC that Dutton was avoiding scrutiny because he lacked confidence in his policies and team, and was unwilling to be held accountable by the Australian public.

“I can only assume that’s why my opponent is not coming here this week. Because he doesn’t have faith in his plan or his team,” the PM said.

“Because he doesn’t want to share the facts about his agenda or what it will cost.

“Either that, or the man who spends so much time telling everyone how tough he is, the person putting himself forward to lead the nation for the next three years, is unwilling to face-up to the scrutiny of the National Press Club.

“Instead, he prefers to accuse journalists of being ‘activists’ and labels the national broadcaster, ‘hate media’.

“Outbursts that, frankly, say more about his temperament than anything else.

“For a leader, being here in the last week of the election campaign is more than a matter of respect for tradition.

“Standing here is about taking responsibility for your plans.

“Being here is about being accountable, to the people, to the democratic process.”

Albanese has concluded his address by framing the election as a stark choice between two very different visions for Australia’s future.

“Because the choice you make on the 3rd of May is not between two competing plans that strive for the same goal,” he said.

“This election is a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the direction Australia should go.

“Serving as your Prime Minister is the greatest honour of my life.”

Anthony Albanese has criticised the Coalition’s approach to working from home, gender equality, and their lack of clarity on key policies.

“But the Liberals want to drag us back down their dead end road,” he said.

“Just look at their proposal to ban Working from Home.

“Last month, Peter Dutton said that women who couldn’t be in the office 5 days a week should just ‘job share’.

“A statement that is so out of touch with the lives of modern families and the flexibility that working from home gives parents in particular.

“On defence, on climate change, on their cuts to health and education. The Liberals cannot agree with themselves.

“Their answer to every question boils down to: ‘We’ll tell you after the election’.”

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.”

The caption was accompanied by a photo-shopped image of Exotic and Mr Albanese both in frame, with the words “Albanese for Prime Minister Australia” splashed in colourful letters.

One user was quick to ask Exotic how much he was paid for the post.

“Some of his people reached out,” Exotic replied.

“The others could do the same,” he added.

Although many asked how much Labor paid Exotic, the Tiger King did not reveal if he was paid or not.

Read the full story.

Anthony Albanese has accused the Liberals and Nationals of negativity and failing to offer solutions to Australia’s challenges.

“The Liberals and Nationals have spent three years raging about problems that their decade in office created,” he said.

“With not a word to say about solutions.

“No proposals of their own, just militant opposition to our cost of living measures and mindless negativity.

“Talking Australia down, to try and build themselves up.

“The Liberals have not learned, they have not changed.”

Mr Albanese has highlighted Labor’s plans to reduce student debt and make the education system fairer for future generations.

“That’s why we will cut 20 per cent off student debt, saving 3 million Australians an average of $5,500 each,” he said.

“And we have made the system better and fairer for the future, because we don’t want to see student debt grow faster than wages ever again.”

The Prime Minister says Labor is promising to ease cost-of-living pressures, including energy bill relief and tax cuts for all taxpayers.

“Under Labor, every household and small business will receive another round of energy bill relief, another $150 off your power bill,” he said.

“And all 14 million taxpayers will get two more tax cuts, next year and the year after.

“We will lower tax rates for every taxpayer, permanently.

“With our top-up tax cuts delivering an average benefit of $2500.

“We’re cutting taxes –but we’re also boosting wages.

“Helping people earn more – and keep more of what they earn.”