Australian news and politics recap April 6: Labor extends lead after bumpy week for Peter Dutton

“I believe very strongly that this country needs an experienced hand,” he says.

“We live in uncertain times. We don’t know what’s around the corner.

“We have the experiuence and the expertise to manage the economy.

“W can get our country back on track on the third of May.”

He highlights the fact bulk billing has fallen under Labor while pushing his health credentials.

He says there have been “a lot of lies” coming from Labor on Medicare.

Mr Dutton says he wants to be “the Prime Minister for home ownership”.

He refers to the Aussie dream of owning a home and passing that asset onto your kids.

He says the Coaltion will build 500,000 homes and will “restore the dream of home ownership again”.

The Opposition Leader is walking the crowd through the Coalition’s funding announcements for the Apple Isle.

He’s highlighting an upgrade for the Bass Highway, the airport, and dealing with the salmon farming issue.

He even refers to the “great Government of Tasmania”.

Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff is in attendance.

Peter Dutton asks the crowd if they want cheaper fuel to which they respond “Yes!”

He then says the Albanese Government’s proposed tax cuts, which come into play in 2026, show how out of touch the Prime Minister is.

“Prime Minister: Get out of Canberra. Listen to the people,” he says.

It’s a day for bringing back the ghosts of the past.

Mr Dutton has referenced the Labor government of the 1990s, followed by the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years as those that racked up large amounts of government debt.

“Whatever happens after the next election, the government will have to deal with the next COVID, the next conflict, the next economic disruption.

“And that government will need to be prepared.”

Mr Dutton asks the crowd if they think Anthony Albanese or Adam Bandt are up to the task.

“No!” yells the party faithful in response.

“This is a period of uncertainty,” he says.

Everyone is watching what’s happening in the Australian ecnomy and the world economy “with great anxiety”, Mr Dutton says.

We’ll bring you all the latest as he speaks.

The Prime Minister’s speech was strong in parts, even though it was to a room of the party faithful. He’s hardly going to be heckled by this audience.

But Labor’s insistence on wheeling out the Mediscare campaign, when the Opposition Leader has agreed to the same funding Labor originally pledged, is surely starting to wear thin for some voters.

The Robodebt line was another interesting one.

That saga was a torrid one in our nation’s political history, in which some of the most vulnerable members of our country - Centrelink customers - were targeted by an automated system designed to recover debts. The system frequently got it wrong and put the onus on the clients to prove they didn’t accrue the debts.

Dragging that one up is an interesting tactic from the PM, and is in line with the Mediscare campaign. Mr Dutton apologised to the victims of Robodebt back in 2023 and has given no indication anything like that will be resurfaced.

It’s also worth noting that Dr Chalmers’ assertion that Mr Dutton was not in Brisbane for the floods is pretty outrageous. The Opposition Leader was literally trapped in his own home by flooding and had spent the days in the lead-up helping with local sandbagging efforts.

Finally, the other big theme (apart from Medicare) appeared to be uncertainty.

Mr Albanese is framing a vote for the Government as a vote for certainty in an uncertain world. Will the voters buy it?

We’ll find out on May 3.

“These are uncertain times but I am absolutely certain of this,” he says.

“This is not a time of cutting and wrecking, of thinking small, punching down, aiming low, or looking back.

“This is a time for building, building the stronger Medicare that Australians deserve, building an Australia where no-one is held back and no-one is left behind.

“Building on the strong foundations we have laid, building Australia’s future together.”

The crowd approves with wild applause.