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

Peter Dutton has attacked Penny Wong’s comments on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, after she hinted on a podcast the issue had not yet been put to bed.

The Opposition leader said people would be opposed to that stance because they had already “sent a very clear message to the Prime Minister” by rejection the proposal in the 2023 referendum.

“I know there are a lot of Australians who really feel that this government – even though they were Labor voters and probably they voted Labor all of their life – that this government has really let them down,” he said.

“You see Penny Wong out there at the moment talking about the fact that the Voice is inevitable.

“So under a Labor-Greens government, we see the secret plan to legislate the Voice and Penny Wong’s let that cat out of the bag.”

Peter Dutton goes on to say he would not back any type of legislated Indigenous Voice body.

He claims twice that legislating a Voice, treaty and truth-telling “would be one of the first items of business for a Labor-Greens government”.

Mr Albanese has insisted the Voice was “gone” as a proposal.

“Say no to Labor because they didn’t hear it the first time when people voted against the Voice,” Mr Dutton said.

Peter Dutton has been asked about how to tackle the scourge of mental ill health among young men and whether masculinity social media influencers should come under closer scrutiny.

“I think it’s a really good question, and I think there’s many parts to it,” Mr Dutton said.

“There’s certainly an influence through gaming and the violence and the sexualised nature of some of that content.

“Algorithms and big media companies have a lot to answer for in relation to this as well.”

Mr Dutton says he has spent much of his career “fighting back against Facebook and others for the content that they allow kids to consume online, both young boys and young girls.”

He adds that everybody, including parents, has a responsibility “to make sure we can educate our children to deal with online.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has confirmed that none of his proposed cuts to the public service will come from the nation’s security services.

Labor has repeatedly said his pledge to reduce the public service by 41,000 will impact national security by targeting intelligence agencies including ASIO and the ASD.

Asked if this was the case, Mr Dutton said a blunt “no.”

He sidestepped a question about whether spending on private consultants for government would be higher or lower under the Coalition, replying that, “what we’re going to do is spend taxpayers money wisely.”

Mr Dutton pointed to Australians being forced to work second and third jobs.

“I want to make sure that their tax dollars that they’re working hard for are spent wisely, and we’ll do that in relation to all aspects of government expenditure.”

The latest inflation figures are due to released in a little over half an hour, updating how much prices rose by in the quarter and year to March.

Yesterday, Peter Dutton was asked if he knew the current inflation rate and he cited the trimmed mean number from the last monthly CPI release, rather than the headline rate the Government prefers, which is lower.

Today he’s asked if a CPI figure lower than the 2.4 per cent of the December quarter would vindicate Labor’s economic success.

“Well, let’s hope that CPI comes down, because interest rates have risen on 12 occasions under the Government, they’ve only come back once,” he replied.

“And we know that a big-taxing Labor-Greens government, if they’re elected on the 3rd of May, that will be a disaster for the economy, because I want to deliver our positive plan, which will bring interest rates down, because we’ll be able to bring inflation down, because the Liberal Party is always a better economic manager.”

Peter Dutton is kicking off this press conference with his overarching election pitch, listing reasons why people should vote 1 for their local Liberal or National candidate.

“I’d say to Australians today who are thinking about the last three years, are you better off today than you were when Mr Albanese first got elected, and for most Australians, the answer is no,” he says.

“The better alternative is to make sure that you vote for your Liberal or National candidate.”

He refers to the temporary petrol tax cut, the one-off tax rebate, plans to scrap the fines for car companies that breach fuel efficiency standards and his “$750 million package to crush crime”.

The Prime Minister has attempted to quash the suggestion the failed Voice referendum would be resurrected after the Foreign Minister hinted on a podcast that the issue had not yet been put to bed.

Senator Penny Wong suggested in her debut podcast interview on Betoota Talks that people would one day look back on the 2023 referendum in a similar way to marriage equality and wonder why it had been so controversial.

“I think we’ll look back on it in 10 years’ time, and it’ll be a bit like marriage equality, don’t you reckon?

“Like I always used to say, marriage equality took us such a bloody big fight to get that done,” she said.

“And I thought all this fuss, it will become something like, people go, did we even have an argument about that? Kids today, or even adults today, barely kind of clock that it used to be an issue.”

Senator Wong, who tied the knot last year with her partner of two decades Sophie Allouache, argued internally for years to shift Labor’s position on marriage equality but stuck publicly with her party line before it favoured the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Read the full story here.

The Liberal leader met with several volunteers during the walkthrough and asked them what drives them to volunteer.

The Dutton’s and Mr Conroy helped Ms Davies pack a food support box towards the end of the visit.

“Not your first rodeo? You’ve moved house a few times before?,” Ms Davies asked when Mr Dutton was packing a box with ease.

“Kirilly loves moving house,” Mr Dutton responded.

Ms Davies is the only paid employee at the charity, which has relied on volunteers to operate for the past eight years.

Dunkley in Melbourne’s south east is considered a key seat the party is hoping to win after Labor’s Jodie Belyea on the March 2024 by-election.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton and wife Kirilly have toured crisis support charity MSFIN in the seat of Dunkley.

The Seaford-based charity provides essential material aid like clothes, prams, nappies, food, and household items to vulnerable families.

The Duttons were joined by Dunkley Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy for the tour before helping pack a few support boxes.

The charity receives 10-12 referrals a day and has already helped 3000 individuals since the start of the year.

Manager Charlotte Davies said the grassroots organisation, which started in a garage, is in desperate need of funding as referrals increase amid rising cost-of-living pressures.

They charity is sustained through community donations and philanthropy.

“We are struggling to keep up,” she told Mr Dutton while walking through the warehouse.

“We only rely on donations to fill our shelves. It’s a really hard time for our charity.

“(There are) more and more dual income families needing support.

“We feel enormous pressure to respond.”

Picking up a small children’s jacket in the warehouse, Mr Dutton reminisced with his wife about when their kids were at that “cuddly age”.

After learning more from Ms Davies about the financial hardship families are experiencing Mr Dutton said: “Really confronting stuff when you think about it”.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has detailed his beauty regime while speaking on breakfast radio this morning.

Speaking with Fox FM on Wednesday morning with three days to go of the election campaign, Mr Dutton was asked how his skin looks so young.

Radio host: “I look at you every time you are on the TV. You’ve got great skin. You look so young. All other politicians look old but your skin. Do you moisturise? What do you do?”

Dutton: “When people ask me, and they do in interviews, you know, what’s the highlight of the campaign so far? This could be the moment because no one’s ever said that to me. I wish it were true, mate, I’m 54, I look like I’m 64.”

Radio host: “You’re glowing. What do you use?”

Dutton: “I put some basic moisturiser on that’s the extent of my beauty regime.”