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

“Our Government has chosen to deal with these global challenges, the Australian way,” The Prime Minister says.

“Not stepping back and leaving people to go it alone – but by stepping up.

“Helping Australians under pressure, while building for the future.

“That includes cutting taxes, energy bill relief, boosting bulk-billing and cutting the cost of medicine,” the Prime Minister added.

“Our cost of living support is designed to make a meaningful difference here and now while also delivering a long-term economic benefit.

“This is the deliberate and balanced approach we have taken, across the board.

“And today because of Australians’ hard work, our economy is turning the corner.

“Inflation is down. Wages are up. Unemployment is low. And interest rates have started to fall.”

It didn’t take long for Anthony Albanese to address the world’s uncertain times.

“Throughout this campaign, we’ve all been reminded that this is a period of significant global uncertainty,” he said.

“That is the reality our nation has had to manage for the past few years - not just the last few weeks.

“Because the world has thrown a lot at Australia in recent times.

“The worst global inflation since the 1980s. The biggest international energy crisis since the 1970s. Conflict overseas and natural disasters here at home.

“All of this has had an impact on our economy and on people’s cost of living.”

The West Australian’s editor in chief Christopher Dore has made sure to not understate the importance of WA while in front of Anthony Albanese in Perth.

“Many in this room are not convinced that a re-elected Albanese government will not turn its back on the companies and the jobs that go with them that make WA so resilient and our state such a reliable wealth creator for the rest of the country,” he said.

“Has WA forgiven Mr Albanese for The Voice? Is their confidence it will not unleash a round of unscripted and unnecessary environmental and industrial relations policies that will further undermine our standard of living and way of life?

“Anthony Albanese stands on the verge of making history, ushering in a new era - an unheard of extended term office. What’s he going to do for the next three years? What will be his legacy?”

The West Australian’s editor in chief Christopher Dore has opened the Leadership Matters forum where the Prime Minister is soon set to address the room.

“Mr Albanese is hoping to make history by breaking the prime ministerial voodoo,” Mr Dore said.

“Seven elections in 20 years and not one PM has successfully contested the second term and won.”

But, Mr Dore said Mr Albanese was “shameless” in his want to win - touting his policies with confidence across the country.

Health Minister Mark Butler has slammed claims from doctor groups that Labor’s $8.5 billion Medicare commitment won’t cater for appointments longer than six-minutes.

While speaking on ABC News Breakfast on Thursday morning, co-host Bridget Brennan raised concerns doctor groups have raised around the quality of appointments under their $8.5 billion Medicare pledge.

Brennan said doctors have told the ABC that the additional funding won’t make all appointments, just shorter sessions.

She said: “They say that we’re still going to be relying on what they call ‘six-minute medicine’, where longer consults still are really difficult to get.”

Mr Butler said he was aware of criticisms but said he wouldn’t cave to pressure from GPs wanting the financial support without “strings attached”.

“I recognise that doctor groups want to arm wrestle with me a bit to get this investment without strings attached, but I’m simply not willing to do that. I want an outcome for patients,” he said.

“The calculations that we’ve done to show that practises will be better off are not based on ‘six-minute medicine’.

“They’re based on exactly the type of consults that GPs are delivering right now.

“I know what doctors’ groups have been calling for, which is investment without strings attached. “We’ll continue to work with them but I’m confident we’ve got these calculations right.”

Resources Minister Madeleine King has insisted the strategic reserve of critical minerals is “an Australian asset being built in Australia’s national interests” rather than being targeted for the use of any other particular country.

She pointed to Japan’s investments in Lynas after bans were placed on rare earths imports used in Japanese advanced manufacturing, and said South Korea had been “a very reliable investor” in Australian industry.

But she did concede that “there is no doubt it could come in helpful for negotiations with the US administration” over easing the 10 per cent tariff it slapped on Australia.

“This obviously will be one of those assets that Australia brings to the table when it negotiates with other nations (and) their government lending organisations to participate in the supply chain and making it more secure and also providing an alternative supply chain to the one that exists at the moment,” Ms King told ABC Radio National.

She reiterated the Government was disappointed the US has put tariffs on Australia.

“But we will keep working on that, as one would expect. Critical minerals will be one of the tools, one of the things that we know the world needs,” she said.

She promised there would be extensive consultation with industry about the new strategic reserve, including which of the 31 critical minerals are included.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is back in WA and is set to announce plans central to Labor’s effort for ‘Building Australia’s Future’.

Mr Albanese will take the stage shortly at The West Australian Leadership Matters Forum in the same city he launched his offical 2025 Federal election campaign.

The Coalition is vowing to drastically cut the intake of immigrants to take pressure off the housing crisis, but is aware this may limit the intake of skilled trade workers.

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan appeared on ABC radio this morning to discuss the Federal oppositions’ plans to cut immigration by at least 100,000.

“We’re going to tighten enforcement of these rules to minimise the scope for abuse … and combined we think this will reduce the net overseas migration right now first year by 100,000,” Tehan responded when asked about the plan to cut Australia’s intake by at least 25 per cent in a year.

When asked if that may impact a healthcare and trades skills shortage the minister said plans were in place to address that possibility.

“We’re going to make sure that we prioritise those areas, as well as chefs and cooks.”

The Coalition will invest an additional $90 million in domestic violence prevention, focused on early intervention and crisis response measures in a multi-pronged plan to address the scourge on Australian communities.

The plan includes creating a DV perpetrator register, tougher monitoring measures, funding programs which help people flee abuse, and establishing a Royal Commission on sexual abuse in Indigenous communities.

Also among the suite of targeted measures would be rolling out new offences to crackdown on online cohesive control, threats and stalking through spyware.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton labelled it a “personal commitment” to act on the growing issue he has seen first-hand during his pre-politics policing career.

The proposed register would allow police forces and agencies across jurisdictions to better share information about perpetrators.

​Read the full story here.​

Bolstering trans-Tasman relations ahead of Anzac Day, the coalition has pledged to retain the direct citizenship pathway for Kiwis should it win the federal election.

Access to Australian citizenship - and its associated benefits - was a long-running bugbear for New Zealanders living in Australia for two decades until changes made in 2023.

In the days leading to Anzac Day two years ago, Anthony Albanese announced Kiwis would in almost all cases automatically qualify for citizenship after four years of living in Australia.

At the time, the coalition queried the changes on the basis of congestion, cost and pressures on housing.

“Over time, we might see New Zealand citizens come in here to access our welfare system - that has a cost,” immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said.

“We’re seeing soaring rents, there’s a housing crisis ... so additional New Zealanders come in here because of these changes, what impact will it have on our housing shortages?”

Asked whether it would commit to retaining the changes, the coalition was categorical.

“A Dutton coalition government will not change the current policy which allows for a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens,” a spokeswoman said.

​Read the full story here.​