Australian news and politics recap: Albanese hits out at Dutton for lack of detail, Coalition says it's clear

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Thursday skirted the question of whether pre-polling rules needs to be reformed amid unprecedented numbers choosing to vote early.

Some 1.13 million people had already cast their votes by the end of the second full day of pre-polling on Wednesday, taking advantage of a rule that seeks to assist people who cannot make it to a voting station on the actual day of the Federal election.

A total of 542,000 people rushed to early voting centres on Tuesday, compared to 314,000 for day one in 2022, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

The rising trend means that millions are expected to cast their ballot before parties have fully fleshed out some of the policies or presented their full budget costings to the electorate.

Senator Gallagher said while there was already an offence to use a carriage service to menace another, Labor always considered “adapting” their FDV response — particularly when new offending trends emerged, such as the changing use of technology in abuse.

“I said in my speech — when we announced the extra effort — that we want to put into domestic and family violence, that you have to continue to adapt… responses to Domestic and Family Violence, because the use of technology is changing the way that violence is perpetrated,” she said.

“So, this is all work that we have underway. It’s either being implemented or is part of our next approach.”

Senator Gallagher said she hoped any further actions on the “important” policy area would attract bipartisan support.

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher signalled Labor would be open to creating new domestic violence criminal offences around perpetrators installing spyware on victims’ devices.

Her consideration came in response to questions at a Canberra press conference on Thursday around what measures Labor would support within the Coalition’s latest plan to tackle domestic violence.

Creating new offences was just one of a string of measures Opposition leader Peter Dutton has proposed today while in Tasmania as part of a $90 million pledge.

Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash was with Mr Dutton in Hobart on Thursday morning for the policy announcement and explained what the new offences would aim to target.

“We will create two new offences in the Criminal Code in section 374,” Senator Cash said.

“Those measures are intended to ensure that a person who uses, for example, a mobile Phone or another computer device to make an intimate partner or family member fear for their safety… will be able to be prosecuted under that offence.

“Also we will create an offence that means if you are installing, for example, spyware to track someone that will also become an offence under a Peter Dutton government.

“Enough is enough.”

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher claims Labor has already been on the front foot of several of the measures announced in the Coalition’s latest investment into tackling domestic violence.

Speaking in Canberra on Thursday morning, Ms Gallagher was asked if Labor supported the suite of measures proposed by the Opposition, including a national DV perpetrator register and new criminal offences.

“Opposition that hasn’t done the work over three years or hasn’t paid attention to all the work that has been done in ending violence against women and children,” he said.

“There’s the national criminal intelligence system.

“We put $100 million into that in the 2425 budget, precisely so that that system (can be) used by police across jurisdictions.

“That national register that they’ve (Coalition) announced today is already being funded and enhanced through the national criminal intelligence system.”

The Opposition Leader has been asked for his definition of a woman, and whether a trans woman is a woman.

“Do you think trans women are women and what protection will you afford them?” a reporter asked him.

In response, the Opposition Leader says: “I think a woman is defined as an adult female”.

Asked for further clarity about trans women, Mr Dutton brushes the question aside and moves on.

A reporter tells Peter Dutton there are 3800 Commonwealth public servants working in Hobart, 500 more than at the previous election, and asks how many of those positions would go under his plans.

“None,” Mr Dutton replies. “I’ve been clear about that.”

The reporter interrupts: “But you have a policy of reducing the public service by 41,000?”

“In Canberra,” Mr Dutton says.

He goes on, “We’re not reducing the public service” – presumably meaning the Hobart bureaucrats from the first part of the question.

About 70,000 of the almost 200,000 Commonwealth public servants are based in Canberra, the latest statistics show.

The Coalition has repeatedly said it would cut 41,000 public service jobs, although it has shifted position from proposing redundancies to saying the workforce would be reduced through natural attrition and a hiring freeze.

It says the measure will save $7 billion annually, although the reduction in numbers will happen over five years.

Mr Dutton says he is still banking the savings, saying the Coalition has “done work with the PBO in relation to that”.

Mr Dutton got into a back-and-forth with a journalist over why the Opposition Leader couldn’t clarify he’d made a mistake on the EV tax break.

It’s put to Mr Dutton whether there is confusion, and what that says about his team’s preparedness.

“There has been no policy change, no discussion about that policy this week, it has been long-standing since we took the decision, I answered the question in relation to the tax and I’ve been clear in relation to the policy,” Mr Dutton said in resposne.

There’s some more back and forth, but Mr Dutton repeats there’s been no change to the policy.

He denied changing his stance.

Here’s what he said on Monday:

QUESTION:

Labor’s fringe benefit tax exemption for electric vehicles has blown out by hundreds of millions of dollars compared to what was first forecast. Would a Coalition government repeal the EV tax break?

PETER DUTTON:

“No, we’ve said that what we’re opposed to is the Government’s big tax on hybrids. For example, on a Toyota RAV4 almost $10,000 additional people will be paying if Mr Albanese is re-elected, for a Toyota hybrid. It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s $14,000 on a Ford Ranger. I want people to have choice.”

“If people want to buy an EV, that’s fantastic. If they want to buy a Ford Ranger or a Toyota Hilux or whatever it might be, that is a choice that they should have and the Government whacking a new tax on those people who are in the market over the next few years to buy a car.

“I think a lot of Australians would be shocked to know that Anthony Albanese is proposing a $14,000 tax on a Ford Ranger, one of the most popular cars in the markets so we don’t have any proposals to change those settings otherwise.”

Peter Dutton has accused ALP president Wayne Swan of “belling the cat” on defence spending, after the former treasurer said the $21bn Coalition pledge was “not needed”.

The Opposition Leader said the boost, part of getting defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, was needed.

“It is a window into the true discussion behind the scenes in Labor, they do not support our defence budget, they do not support the men and women in uniform by pulling $80 billion out of defence,” he said.

The Coalition is sceptical about Labor’s critical minerals strategic reserve, with shadow resources minister Susan McDonald blasting it as “a telling admission that Labor has dithered on national security, trade and resources policy”.

Peter Dutton labels it a “reheat, rehash and a re-announcement” and says he won’t back the plan.

“We support making sure the critical minerals output for our country is a very positive one. Now, we’re not supporting the Government’s plan.”

Asked what he would offer Donald Trump to secure a carveout from the universal 10 per cent tariffs the US has imposed, if not critical minerals, the Opposition Leader points to the defence industry.

“Well, we’ve been clear in terms of our very strong view that Australia has so much more to contribute to the world in terms of our exports on defence manufacturing,” he says.

“The opportunity here for us to grow as an export nation to the United States and elsewhere is obvious.”

Dutton has dodged questions about whether he plans to visit any of the seven proposed nuclear sites.

The reporter puts to him that he’s visited 13 petrol stations so far this election but not a single nuclear power site - is he worried the plan is losing votes?

Mr Dutton talks up the Coalition’s petrol policy again. Pressed on nuclear, he said they’ve been to three communities.

It’s pointed out to him that he hasn’t been to the towns directly impacted by the proposal in the last 25 days.

“We listen to views and we’ve made a policy clear,” he said.

He went on to attack Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s objection to nuclear power, despite championing the AUKUS nuclear submarines and living close to the reactor at Lucas Heights.

Mr Albanese’s home in Marrickville is 30km away from Lucas Heights, but the PM’s main residence is at The Lodge in Canberra.