Australian politics and news recap April 12: Anthony Albanese calls Jacinta Price’s Trump comment ‘strange’

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has spoken with South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and said it was a “welcome opportunity”.

“In uncertain times, our strategy is more resilience, more diverse markets and more engagement, especially in our region.”

“Australia’s not immune from all this global volatility but our economic plan and the progress we’ve made together in our economy puts us in good stead to weather it.

“We’ll continue to work closely with the Koreans and everyone with an interest in the free and fair trade which matters so much to jobs and opportunities here in Australia.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the Aukus submarine deal is crucial for Australia’s defence as the world becomes more volatile.

“We’re an island nation, so submarines are important for us because the submarines, if they’re the latest technology like the Aukus submarine, they can go deep into the water.”

“They can go far off our shores and an adversary who’s thinking about attacking Australia thinks twice because they don’t know where the submarines are.

“It’s different than a military base or a ship that’s sitting on top of the water. And that’s why it’s a really important capability for us to have.

“We negotiated Aukus with the United Kingdom and the United States and it is the best technology in the world, and it will be the underpinning of our security for the next century.

“I worry that the government’s taken about $80 billion out of defence at a time when the PM says, we live in the most precarious period since the end of the second world war.

“We’ve got Iran with nuclear weapons, North Korea, and we have to do everything we can to keep us safe.”

Peter Dutton has appeared on Weekend Today and spoken candidly about his family and their constant concern for safety.

“My family’s safe, and the AFP do a great job, so I’m very grateful for that, but it’s just the reality, I think, of public life now,” Mr Dutton said.

“There are people who become obsessed over the internet, and they can watch all sorts of videos and for me, it’s, you know, it’s about making sure that my family is safe and I feel safe with the Federal Police.

“I’ve had protection for a long time because I cancelled the visas of outlaw motorcycle gang members and rapists and organised crime figures, etc.

“But, you know, our country is a safer place because of that. So I don’t have any regrets in relation to having done that,” Mr Dutton added.

The US government has acknowledged that drafting dozens of parallel trade agreements with countries around the world within three months is an ambitious undertaking.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt admitted that it was a massive task but said the negotiations are a team effort and she praised US President Donald Trump’s trade advisors.

According to the White House, more than 75 countries have contacted the US government so far to work towards a negotiated solution in the international trade conflict.

More than 15 countries have already submitted concrete proposals.

China increased its tariffs on US imports to 125 per cent on Friday, hitting back against Trump’s decision to raise duties on Chinese goods.

Faced with significant turbulence in the stock markets, Trump recently backtracked in the international trade conflict and suspended certain tariffs that had just come into effect for 90 days - with the exception of China.

During this tariff pause, negotiations with the affected countries, including Australia, are expected to take place.

Read the full story here.

Anthony Albanese is continuing to tather momentuem with Labor surging ahead as favourites to win the Federal election a new poll has flagged.

YouGov’s latest Public Data poll reveals that Labor has extended its lead over the Coalition in the race for the upcoming Federal election, while Anthony Albanese has strengthened his position as preferred PM.

Labor now leads the Coalition 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent in the two-party preferred vote, marking a 1.5 per cent increase from last week’s public poll.

This result is YouGov’s highest two-party preferred vote for Labor in 18 months, slightly surpassing the Labor party’s winning result in the 2022 Federal Election.

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will formally launch their election campaigns this weekend as the major parties try to cement their pitches to voters before a slew of public holidays.

Labor’s formal launch will be in Perth on Sunday, while the coalition is expected to hold its event in Sydney on the same day.

Campaign launches tend to be held much later during the five-week race but the Easter long weekend is approaching, and the Anzac Day weekend follows at the same time as school holidays.

Up to half of voters cast their ballots early, and pre-poll centres for this election will open more than a week after the formal launches.

The steep increase in early voting revealed how little campaigns mattered overall, ANU political scientist Jill Sheppard said.

“The fact that they are going a little bit earlier this year suggests that they have something up their sleeve,” she said.

​Read the full story here.​

As Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton prepare for their campaign launches on Sunday there will plenty of news and views today, so stay up to date right here.