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

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.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.

Peter Dutton has repeated that there will be no change to the Coalition’s stance on an electric vehicle policy.

The Coalition on Wednesday revealed it would halt the $3bn tax break for motorists who buy electric vehicles, two days after Mr Dutton said it would go ahead.

Asked on Thursday to confirm whether any repeal of Labor’s EV tax break would be retrospective, Mr Dutton said “there is no change to the policy, and we have been clear”.

He said he’s been “clear” that the Coalition doesn’t support a tax on the Ford Ranger and other heavy petrol-using cars.

“That was the answer I gave, and you referred to, that we will not support the big tax on cars. I have been clear about that and clear in relation to policies on EV, our policy has not changed.”

Peter Dutton has been forced to clarify what the Coalition’s migration policy is, after his pick for minister created some confusion this morning.

Dan Tehan told ABC Radio this morning the Coalition would cut skilled migration to 150,000 places per year - above the current intake of 130,000. Does that mean the Coalition is in fact proposing an increase?

The Opposition Leader said they would cut permanent migration by 25 per cent.

Does that mean Mr Tehan misspoke? Mr Dutton didn’t answer that question.

Is it concerning that his pick for immigration minister doesn’t know the current migration settings? Mr Dutton says he hasn’t seen the comments.

“I tell you, in terms of our policy, 25 per cent cuts are required,” he said.

“We have a great migration story in our country, but it must be a well-managed migration program.”

Peter Dutton was asked about a news report on social media posts made by the Labor candidate in his seat of Dickson that include sharing a fake image depicting the Liberal leader as a Nazi.

Labor is running Ali France in the marginal outer-Brisbane seat for the third time.

News.com.au reported on Thursday morning Ms France shared an image in 2017 depicting Mr Dutton and then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in Nazi uniforms.

Mr Dutton didn’t bite back.

“I haven’t seen the comments,” he tells reporters in Hobart.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is in Hobart today, where he’s announced the Coalition’s $90 million domestic violence strategy.

He visited Catholic Care earlier, with his deputy and shadow minister for women Sussan Ley, before holding a press conference with Michaelia Cash and Kerryne Liddle

Ms Ley said their announcement today was “really, really important funding”.

“The scourge of family violence reaches into every corner of this country and into every cohort of Australian society,” she said.

Under the Coalition’s plan, they would establish a national database of domestic violence offenders.

They would also create new laws to crack down on perpetrators who use a mobile phone to cause a victim fear, whether it be via spyware or engaging in coercive behaviours.

The Coalition will also increase the threshold for fast-track property settlements in the family court from $550,000 to $1.5m.

A helpline to support victim-survivors would also be funded by the Coalition.

The strategy, they say, is focused on prevention, early intervention and crisis response.