Federal election 2025 as it happened: Albanese, Dutton launch campaigns; Jacinta Price wants to ‘make Australia great again’

Thanks so much for following our blog today as the Labor and Liberal Parties launched their campaigns.

Here is a quick recap of the highlights from the two launches, which followed very similar formats and included a major policy announcement from both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton:

• Taxpayers have been promised they will no longer have to collect tax receipts under a $1000 instant tax deduction unveiled by Albanese at Labor’s federal election campaign launch.
• Dutton’s policy reveal was to allow some first home buyers to deduct interest payments from their taxable income, in an incentive worth as much as $12,000 a year.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton launches the Liberal Party’s federal election campaign on Sunday.Credit: James Brickwood

• Those announcements add to the policies that were announced on Sunday morning: The Coalition promising one-off tax cuts of up to $1200, while Labor vowed to allow most first home buyers to enter the housing market with a 5 per cent deposit.
• The Liberal Party had former prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison in attendance to watch Peter Dutton while Julia Gillard made a rare political appearance for Labor’s launch in Perth.

Anthony Albanese holds up his Medicare card during Labor’s campaign launch on Sunday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The leaders now have less than three weeks left to woo voters, and both would have been aware during their party launches that they needed to capture undecided voters’ attention before campaigning is interrupted by the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.

Thanks for joining us today. We will be back with more live election coverage from early tomorrow morning, so please join us then.

Bye for now.

Thanks so much for following our blog today as the Labor and Liberal Parties launched their campaigns.

Here is a quick recap of the highlights from the two launches, which followed very similar formats and included a major policy announcement from both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton:

• Taxpayers have been promised they will no longer have to collect tax receipts under a $1000 instant tax deduction unveiled by Albanese at Labor’s federal election campaign launch.
• Dutton’s policy reveal was to allow some first home buyers to deduct interest payments from their taxable income, in an incentive worth as much as $12,000 a year.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton launches the Liberal Party’s federal election campaign on Sunday.Credit: James Brickwood

• Those announcements add to the policies that were announced on Sunday morning: The Coalition promising one-off tax cuts of up to $1200, while Labor vowed to allow most first home buyers to enter the housing market with a 5 per cent deposit.
• The Liberal Party had former prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison in attendance to watch Peter Dutton while Julia Gillard made a rare political appearance for Labor’s launch in Perth.

Anthony Albanese holds up his Medicare card during Labor’s campaign launch on Sunday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The leaders now have less than three weeks left to woo voters, and both would have been aware during their party launches that they needed to capture undecided voters’ attention before campaigning is interrupted by the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.

We’re finding out more about the Coalition plan to allow first home buyers to deduct the cost of their interest payments – the big housing move from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton today.

In a briefing, Coalition spokespeople say the policy will cost about $1.25 billion over four years.

Peter Dutton on the campaign trail on Friday.Credit: James Brickwood

It is only available to first home buyers who buy a newly built home.

The benefit will work out to be just over $12,000 per year in tax deductions at the top end, although the savings would vary according to income and loan size.

It is a significant benefit, but subject to many variables.

Our photographers have been documenting the campaign launches of both major parties today.

Alex Ellinghausen has been travelling with the Prime Minister in Perth and James Brickwood and Max Mason-Hubers has been photographing the opposition leader in Sydney.

Anthony Albanese ended his speech in a rousing tone, savaging Peter Dutton’s nuclear policy and trumpeting the Labor Party’s proudest historical achievements.

Albanese raised both his fists at the end of the address. Just before he wrapped up, he was belting out his lines over raucous applause.

“We didn’t wait on other countries to strengthen our democracy by ensuring women could vote in elections and stand for parliament, we led the world,” he bellowed out.

“And we certainly didn’t settle for a second-rate health system, we built the best. We built Medicare. That is the Australian way, that is the Labor way and that is the choice I’m asking the Australian people to make on the third of May.”

The major party launches had similarly upbeat vibes and formats today, with new advertising running between a few rev-up speeches from senior MPs.

The launches for the Liberal and Labor parties followed very similar formats.Credit:

Both leaders revealed new policies that went beyond the announcements that appeared in the Sunday newspapers, which for Labor was a $10 billion housing pitch and for the opposition was a $1200 tax offset.

The Coalition’s, on mortgage tax deductions, leaked out early this morning. Labor’s, on creating an automatic $1000 work-expense tax deduction, was kept under wraps.

At Labor’s official campaign launch, the only former prime minister in attendance was Julia Gillard, with US ambassador Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating absent.

Joining them was a gaggle of federal and WA ministers and Premier Roger Cook.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, former prime minister Julia Gillard and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Julia Gillard greets Anthony Albanese at the official campaign launch in Perth on Sunday afternoon.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Former treasurer Wayne Swan was also in attendance with former Labor leader Kim Beazley.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd is now the Australian ambassador to the US and so is out of the country. While still politically active, Keating is now in his 80s and lives in Sydney.

Peter Dutton’s campaign launch earlier in the day included three former prime ministers: John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. Malcolm Turnbull was not in attendance.

Former PMs Tony Abbott (left) and John Howard (right) with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (centre).Credit: James Brickwood

As Albanese winds up his speech, he goes on the attack and warns the Coalition would cut frontline services to pay for its nuclear plan.

“There is only one way to protect schools, protect TAFE, protect hospitals and protect Medicare from the Liberals’ cuts – vote for a majority Labor government on the third of May,” he says to lengthy applause.

He receives a standing ovation as he wraps up before partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan join him on stage.

Jodie Haydon and Anthony Albanese wave to the Labor faithful.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Anthony Albanese has offered his own analysis of Peter Dutton’s campaign strategy saying he has been reticent to speak about nuclear energy.

“My opponent is happy to talk about measuring up the curtains at Kirribilli House, but there is something he very rarely talks about, the N word, the cost of his nuclear scheme and the cuts he will make to pay for it,” he said.

Anthony Albanese says Peter Dutton is reticent to talk about the nuclear power policy he has put forward.Credit: James Brickwood, Alex Ellinghausen

“The Liberals want us to turn our backs on all of that, to forfeit our nation’s unique advantages … and risk it all on nuclear reactors that won’t be ready until some time in the 2040s.

“Their scheme will mean shutting down renewable energy projects that are already under construction.

“After a decade of chaos and pushing 23 different energy policies without landing one of them, they are now trying to sell a nuclear scale that will close manufacturing centres, derail new investment in the regions, and drive up power bills for everyone.”

“They will charge a lot of it, the whole $600 billion, to the taxpayer because the private sector doesn’t want to touch their nuclear scheme with a barge pole.”

A cornerstone of Albanese’s speech to the Labor faithful has focused on his signature housing policy of 5 per cent deposits and building new homes exclusively for first home buyers.

“This generation of Australians should not be forced to choose between the opportunity of home ownership and security in retirement. Australians deserve both, and Labor is building both,” he said.

“Buying a first home has never been easy, but for this generation, it’s never felt further out of reach,” he said.

“Today, I announced that under a Labor government, you’ll be able to buy your first home with just a 5 per cent deposit.”

“Our 5 per cent deposit plan will be open to every Australian looking to buy their first home. It will be available for homes valued all the way up to the average price in every city and region, and you won’t have to pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance.”

He said a $10 billion investment to build new homes was reserved for first home buyers only.

It’s taken 15 years, but one of the key proposals of the Henry tax paper is back on the agenda.

The paper – which famously included a proposal to impose a resource rent super profits tax on the entire mining sector, a plan that brought down Kevin Rudd’s first term as prime minister – contained many other suggestions, including a standard tax deduction.

Instead of collecting shoeboxes of receipts on everything from uniform dry cleaning to a set of spanners, the aim was to end the mid-year rush to accountants to get the annual tax return done.
At the time, Australia had the second-highest rate of accountant use in the developed world.

Albanese has promised people will be able to claim a set $1000 in work expenses, negating the need to work through the Tax Act to make legal claims.

Albanese spruiks his plan for the next three years.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Those who spend more than $1000 will still be able to claim a higher deduction in the usual way.

Albanese said people who work from home and young people would save time and money under the proposal.

“Just tick the box and your return’s ready to go, every year,” he says.

“No one will be worse off under this reform - but I make this point: nearly 6 million taxpayers – overwhelmingly low and middle income earners and young Australians – will be better off.

“Under Labor you earn more, keep more of what you earn – and get more back at tax time.”

Labor estimates the plan will cost $2.4 billion over the next four years.

Charitable donations and non-work-related deductions would still be able to be claimed on top of the instant tax deduction.

According to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the average tax relief for those using the standard deduction would be $205. For those earning between $45,001 and $135,000, it would be around $320.