Federal election 2025 as it happened: Dutton pledges national paedophile register; PM makes captain’s call over gambling ads

Thank you for joining us for another day of election action. This is where we’ll end our live coverage but here’s a quick wrap of the day’s major stories:

• Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged a $750 million crackdown on crime, including more resources for police tackling gangs, drugs and black market tobacco, as well as a national sex offender register.
• While the Coalition claimed Victorians didn’t feel safe going to the shops, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rubbished their attempt to position as the party of law and order, declaring the government had already put more money into tackling crime.
• The PM also condemned Russian propaganda ridiculing Australia as the political fallout continues from reports Moscow had asked to base warplanes in Indonesia (which Indonesia denies).
• Meanwhile, Teal Allegra Spender has condemned a “smear campaign” against her, as the AEC investigates 47,000 unauthorised pamphlets opposing Spender circulating in her Sydney electorate. (Her Liberal rival has denied any knowledge of them.)
• Labor is ahead in the polls, but warning against complacency with less than a fortnight to go before election day on May 3.

Early voting opens tomorrow, and we’ll be back bright and early with all the latest developments. Thanks for your company today.

The Liberal campaign in Wentworth, where candidate Ro Knox is running to unseat independent Allegra Spender, has denied any knowledge of about 47,000 unauthorised flyers criticising the teal MP that have been detected in the eastern Sydney electorate.

Wentworth’s Allegra Spender (in white), Kingsford Smith MP Matt Thistlethwaite and Liberal candidate for Wentworth Ro Knox.Credit: Jessica Hromas

The pamphlets, which Spender said were a smear campaign, purport to be “produced by the people of Wentworth for the people of Wentworth” but do not disclose who is behind them – a breach of election rules.

The Liberals said in a statement that it was essential that all election material was appropriately authorised, an hour after Spender called on her political opponents to condemn the flyers as the Australian Electoral Commission investigates.

“We’re running a properly authorised campaign and strongly believe it’s important for all election material to have the appropriate authorisation,” the electorate’s Liberal campaign spokesman said.

“It’s disappointing that earlier this month Allegra Spender failed to properly disclose her paid social media endorsements from various influencers.”

Elsewhere, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has called Peter Dutton “Trump-like” and said his nuclear energy policy “never had legs economically”.

Speaking to ABC today on the eve of early voting opening, Turnbull said the nuclear energy plan the Coaliton had adopted under Peter Dutton was “a really bad idea … no private sector energy company would contemplate undertaking”.

“Our future is renewables, wind and solar backed by batteries and hydro,” Turnbull said. “Nuclear was designed as a wedge issue. It played well in the right-wing media, a way to say … ‘You don’t like renewables, neither do I.’”

Turnbull, a strong critic of Donald Trump, said Dutton’s personality was an issue. “His perception of being close to Trump or Trump-like is clearly an issue.”

Rather bizarrely, the Dutton bus has stopped on the side of a freeway to announce a road upgrade.

A small sign stands in the middle of a field next to the Calder Freeway, announcing a $300 million upgrade to build a new interchange at Calder Park Drive in Melbourne’s north-west.

Liberal staff clustered around the sign, which needed regular adjustments in the strong wind, before Peter Dutton arrived to inspect it with local candidates and Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson in tow.

Cars driving past began honking their horns, with one man yelling out “good onya Dutto” in passing. The opposition leader responded with a wave.

The sign that Peter Dutton’s campaign stopped to inspect as part of a highway upgrade announcement today.Credit: Olivia Ireland

Teal MP Allegra Spender has condemned an anonymous smear campaign against her as the Australian Electoral Commission investigates the circulation of more than 47,000 unauthorised pamphlets opposing Spender in her Sydney electorate of Wentworth.

Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, Spender welcomed the investigation and called the pamphlets false, misleading, and offensive.

“This sort of smear campaign is what turns people off politics,” she said. “To distribute this sort of material the day before we start [early voting] just shows what sort of approach whoever is distributing them is trying to take.”

Independent MP Allegra Spender.Credit: James Brickwood

She called on all her political opponents to condemn the pamphlets, which breach election laws because they are unauthorised, and urged anyone with information to get in touch with the AEC. “I’m running a positive campaign,” Spender said. “I’m standing on climate action … and a smarter economy.”

The AEC said it had already “worked quickly to identify and make contact with the entity responsible for these pamphlets” but its investigation was ongoing.

The pamphlet claims Spender has “misled the electorate on her positions”.

Wentworth was considered a blue-ribbon Liberal seat, until Spender ousted Dave Sharma in 2022.

Teal MP Allegra Spender spoke to the media on Monday afternoon about an AEC investigation into unauthorised pamplets opposing her which have been circulating in her electorate.

The Australian Electoral Commission is investigating an unauthorised pamphlet opposing Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, after receiving complaints.

More than 47,000 pamphlets have been circulating in the Sydney electorate against the teal independent, who beat Liberal Dave Sharma in 2022 to take former PM Malcolm Turnbull’s old seat.

The pamplets have no authorisation, the AEC says, a breach of election rules as it means voters have no way of identifying the source of the information.

The member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“The AEC takes these matters very seriously and has worked quickly to identify and make contact with the entity responsible for these pamphlets,” the agency said. The investigation is ongoing, but such breaches of the law can attract civil penalties.

Spender is due to speak to the media shortly.

Our reporters James Massola and Cindy Yin have been poring through the Register of Members’ Interests to reveal the financial assets of our politicians. They found more than half of federal MPs are property investors, making them potential beneficiaries of negative gearing and capital gains tax breaks.

In fact, Australia’s 226 federal MPs own 459 properties around the country – that’s an average of two each.

You can explore the register as one searchable engine via our interactive below and read the full story here.

Labor has pledged $2.6 million over the next four years to fund mobile GP services for people experiencing homelessness in NSW and Victoria.

“Street Side Medics” already operates in parts of Melbourne and NSW, but the funding will help it expand to more locations and hire more staff.

Anthony Albanese, who launched the program last year, said it was a vital service to ensure people didn’t fall through the cracks. “So much stems from the barriers that stand between homeless people and access to medical care,” he said. “Barriers that span the spectrum from cost, to lack of awareness, to mistrust of the medical system.”

Both major parties have been spruiking their proposed solutions to the housing crisis targeting home buyers this election. But less has been said about helping those renting or sleeping rough, despite a national shortfall in public housing.

Here are some of the key moments from the campaign trail today.