Australian politics and news recap: What you need to know about Liberal and Labor campaign launches

The Coalition’s campaign launch is at the Liverpool Catholic Club in Southwest Sydney, in the seat of Werriwa, where Labor holds a 5.3 per cent margin.

Political experts believe the Federal election could be won or lost in Western Sydney, a region made up of 14 seats, and Mr Dutton’s choice of Werriwa to announce keynote pledges on tax cuts and mortgage relief, is a strategic play.

As the campaign enters its third week, the Coalition is targeting outer-urban electorates where many voters are experiencing high rates of household stress.

The venue is modest, although packed, and the crowd is ready to cheer its leader on.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud is now on stage and spruiking the Opposition’s promise to bring down energy bills.

Peter Dutton’s campaign launch has started with a video promoting his personal experience, his experience as a police officer and credentials as a businessman.

Member for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh has taken to the stage to rouse the crowd ahead of the entrance of the “future Prime Minister”, calling out to the constituency of Howard’s battlers to cheers in the crowd.

Former Prime Ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison are also in the room.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is in Perth and ready for the Labor campaign launch this afternoon.

He has appeared on the ABC to question the Coalition’s policy and confirm figures for savings under Labor across Austtralia.

“Our tax cuts are about $250 a week on average, three rounds of tax cuts, which the Coalition opposes, and they will unwind and increase tax on every Australian taxpayer if they win the election, Mr Chalmers said.

“Peter Dutton is saying he will borrow and burn another $10 billion, still provide no on going cost-of-living relief and then claw that back with permanently higher income taxes and lower wages and secret cuts, which will make Australians worse off.

“Now we know they are making this up as they go, because in their usual shambolic way, Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor have been saying for weeks there is no room for tax relief, and they have been banging on about sugar hits.

“So let’s see this for what it really is. This is a desperate and reckless distraction from their nuclear reactors policy, and the American inspired the DOGE-style cuts they will have to make to pay for them.”

The travelling media have arrived at Peter Dutton’s campaign launch venue in Southwest Sydney where the party faithful are gathered for the Opposition Leader’s much-awaited speech.

Mr Dutton will make his centrepiece pitch to voters on tax cuts and mortgage relief alongside Nationals leader David Littleproud, deputy Coalition leader Sussan Ley and Frontbench Senator Michaelia Cash.

There’s an excited buzz among volunteers in blue T-shirts and local candidates who are counting on Mr Dutton to hit the right notes to improve their election chances.

Binod Paudel, the Liberal candidate for Macarthur, knows he has a steep hill to climb to beat back Labor candidate Mike Freelander’s 9.8 per cent margin, but he says voters feeling cost of living pain are “looking for change.”

“The main complaint is that they feel they’ve been left behind and ignored for a long time,” he says.

The Coalition faithful are gathering ahead of the Federal election campaign launch at the Liverpool Catholic Club in Western Sydney.

Nicola Smith is on the ground and reports Michaelia Cash has entered the building and Peter Dutton’s family will be in attendance for the event set to kick off at midday.

Katina Curtis is reporting from Perth that a string of utes and cars with “Keep the Sheep” signage are circling the CBD block housing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s hotel accomodation.

The fleet, which is being closely monitored by police, includes a couple of vans decked out in branding for Liberal candidate for Sean Michaels and one with a large campaign sticker for O’Connor MP Rick Wilson.

One dirt-covered ute has a speaker blaring the message, “Stop the ban, keep the sheep, put Labor last. Baaaa baaaa!”

Independent Minister for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, has said she is sceptical about supporting one-off tax cuts implemented by either major party as they chase votes during the Federal election campaign.

Speaking on the ABC, Ms Ryan said “I don’t think it would be in the best interests of the country to give everyone a one-off sugar hit tax cut at this point in time”.

“I think we need mature, visionary, well thought out pragmatic tax reform that will look at home affordability and availability for all Australians in the next generation.

“We have not seen that from either party in in campaign to date.”

The Coalition is set to announce a scheme for first home buyers to enable them to deduct mortgage payments from their income taxes.

The ABC is reporting Peter Dutton will pledge first time buyers of newly built homes would be able to deduct mortgage payments from income taxes under a new Coalition government.

The scheme would mean a family on average incomes would be about $11,000 a year better off — or $55,000 over five years.

The policy, to be tagged the “first home buyers mortgage deduction scheme”, would be limited to five years and the first $650,000 of a mortgage.

It would also be means-tested at $175,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples.

Clare O’Neil has pre-empted a major announcement in Anthony Albanese’s campaign launch today with news that the Labor government plans to go into the home building business if they are elected.

When asked if the government-built homes will be cheaper than what the private sector can build she replied “Yes”.

“We had to negotiate this on a state-by-state basis, but in the South Australian example, we are building homes that are affordable, entry level of the market.”

“Somewhere between $500 and $600,000. It is pretty hard to find new affordable housing at that price in most parts of the country right now.”

Minister for Housing, Clare O’Neil has appeared on the ABC’s Insiders and spoken about Labor’s plans post-election for more affordable housing in Australia.

“We have a 40-year problem where our country has not been, number one, not building enough homes but importantly building homes at affordable prices that new entrants can afford.”

“The only answer to this problem is for the Government to actually get bloody active on this.

“To watch an Australian Government with such neglect, not even have a housing minister for six years, well, the result of course is that all the affordability metrics got worse.

“Our government will roll up its sleeves and get involved. That is the only answer for the housing crisis confronting our country.”