Australian news and politics live: Albanese deflects campaign lying claims by targeting Dutton’s record

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.”

On inflation, Angus Taylor warned of a potential resurgence despite expectations of a near-term rate cut: “It’s a widespread view that inflation is going to go back up. The IMF… is predicting it will go up to 3 per cent, well outside the target range.”

He emphasised “boosting growth and investment and cutting red tape” to counter “21… months of GDP per capita going backwards,” while avoiding direct commentary on RBA decisions: “I don’t get into commentary on the RBA, unlike some of my opponents.”

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor has insisted the Coalition’s election costings will reveal a “stronger Budget position than Labor’s,” but declined to specify exact figures when pressed on timing.

“We’ll release them in the next day or so… You won’t need to wait long, but I’ll give you a sneak preview. You’ll see a stronger economic position, a stronger budget position than Labor’s,” he told ABC News Breakfast on Wednesday morning.

He framed the delay as standard practice: “As did Labor at the last election. As is the convention.”

Taylor pledged to address both government and household budgets, stating: “There’s two budgets we’ve got to fix here… the household Budget and the Government Budget. You’ll see a stronger position from us on both.”

The remarks come as Labor intensifies scrutiny over uncosted Coalition policies, including nuclear energy and tax cuts.

Mr Taylor dismissed calls for urgency, stating: “We need to get updates on the latest economic position before we put out our final numbers.”

Peter Dutton has openly sledged the ABC in several radio interviews this morning.

While doing the breakfast radio rounds in Melbourne he was asked if he would stream the national broadcaster’s election night coverage at the weekend.

“I’ll not be watching it on ABC,” he declared.

Asked who would be in his “war room” on election night, the Opposition leader said: “Look, it’ll be family, it’ll be close advisors, and all of those, you know, sort of geeky analysts”.

He also joked about the ABC when addressing his poor AFL kicking abilities after a footy he kicked accidently struck a cameraman while in Darwin for a sporting announcement in week two of the campaign.

Mr Dutton had been having a kick-to-kick with local kids when his ball hit a cameraman, causing his forehead to bleed.

After NOVA radio hosts joked that it had been a cameraman from ABC, Mr Dutton joked: “That’s who I was aiming for but one from Channel 10 got hit.”

Dr Sophie Scamps, the Sydney MP backed by Climate 200, has apologised to the family of Keith Titmuss, including his mother Lafo, after her remarks linking climate change to health risks drew criticism.

“Of course, if there is any distress or upset… deeply sorry if there is any upset or distress. Our community was heartbroken for their family I must say… love and best wishes and deep apologies if there was any… well sorry, she (Lafo) is upset…” Dr Scamps said while being interviewed on Wednesday morning on 2GB’s Ben Fordham show.

Fordham interjected: “Yeah I was just going to say – you’ve said it a few times ‘if there was any upset’. Clearly she is really, really really upset.” Dr Scamps replied: “Yeah so – deeply sorry for that upset.”

However, the Mackellar MP then added: “I didn’t actually mention the young man by name nor did I say it was directly linked to climate change. The question was – what are doctors worried about with increasing temperatures. There is a concern from doctors all around the world… we had the hottest year on record last year… and the last 10 hottest years have been in the last 10 years. Whatever we have, we have a warming climate. It is very unfortunate that I’ve upset the family but it’s all about even healthy young people… our bodies are not adapted to dealing with humidity.”

When Fordham pressed her on why she hadn’t apologised earlier after the distress was brought to her attention by the Daily Telegraph, Dr Scamps responded: “I don’t have their number… it was great to have this opportunity today to say that I am deeply sorry to the family today.”

Peter Dutton has had a humorous debrief about mistakenly guessing the cost of a dozen eggs.

It was a question posed to him on Channel 7’s leaders debate held on Sunday evening.

The Opposition Leader was asked first and guessed $4.20, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese guessed $7.

Channel 7 presenter and moderator Natalie Barr corrected them both and said it was closer to $8.30.

But it can be higher than that, with eggs marked up to $14.99 at a supermarket Mr Dutton visited in Nowra on Tuesday.

Speaking on Melbourne’s NOVA fm on Wednesday morning, Mr Dutton shared a laugh about the clear fail.

When discussing his debate appearance, the host said: “The bloody price of eggs?”

Mr Dutton jokingly said “that’ll get you”.

“I think maybe we should have written it down on a piece of paper and then compared notes (with Mr Albanese),” he added.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has joked that media shadowing his election campaign “drinking and eating too much on the plane” prompted their bus to get stuck.

While speaking in a light-hearted radio interview on Fox FM on Wednesday, Mr Dutton was asked about the media’s bus delay in central Sydney on Monday morning.

The bus had got stuck on a median strip, with the driver having to wedge plywood under the tyres to free it.

“It’s a media bus, so it’s not… ours but the I just think (they’re) either drinking and eating too much on the plane,” he joked.

“So, there’s extra weight on the bus and that’s the only explanation, otherwise, Murray’s (bus service) is a great company.”