Australian election 2025: Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton campaigning on day 14 of May 3 federal election
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has fired up as AUKUS emerges as a hot topic on the campaign trail, following news Elon Musk was reviewing the program.
Former One Nation senator Rodney Culleton has been referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over allegations he failed to declare a bankruptcy status on his nomination form in the federal election.
Mr Culleton is running for a senate seat in Western Australia for the Great Australian Party, which he registered in 2019.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) identified Mr Culleton is listed on the National Personal Insolvency Index as an undischarged bankrupt and referred the matter to police.
The AEC referred Mr Culleton to the AFP over similar allegations during the 2019 and 2022 federal elections.
An AEC spokesman said they referred the matter to the AFP because there was an ongoing prosecution and they could not reject a nomination even it it contained false information.
“Mr Culleton’s name will appear on the WA Senate ballot paper in the 2025 federal election,” a spokesman said.
Mr Culleton called the AEC referral a “witch hunt” and issued a formal demand to the the agency accusing it of repeated unlawful interference in his constitutional right to stand for federal the Parliament.
“All previous attempts have been thoroughly examined and rejected by the AFP, with all referrals largely dismissed, challenged or discontinued,” he said.
“How can I be insolvent when I’ve been breastfeeding barristers and lawyers with money in their trust accounts over this long protracted matter?
“The AEC has clearly gone past the first knuckle with this one, and it’s failed just as miserably as all the previous attempts.”
Mr Culleton maintains the allegations made against him are legally and factually incorrect, despite the existence of a sequestration order, he has never filed a statement to commence the bankruptcy due to a failure of proper due process.
“The law is clear,” Mr Culleton said.
“Without personal service of a creditors petition, I am not legally bankrupt under the Act, and therefore not disqualified under Section 44 of the Constitution.
“This latest attempt is just another in a long series of failures by the AEC to undermine my constitutional rights.”
The AFP would not comment on the matter.
Albanese calls Dutton “irresponsible” over AUKUS comments
Anthony Albanese has Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as “irresponsible”, after the Opposition Leader claimed he had “huge concerns” about the AUKUS program under Labor.
Mr Dutton accused the Prime Minister of taking $80bn out of the defence budget and said the Coalition would invest more in keeping the country safe.
“I want to protect our national security from a weak Prime Minister,” he said.
“The Prime Minister says we live in the most precarious period since 1945 and then he doesn’t do anything about it.
“He’s not bolstering our defences, and he’s not investing in keeping us safe.”
When asked about the comments while speaking at Dampier Port in Karratha, Mr Albanese said: “That’s an irresponsible comment, frankly, from Peter Dutton”.
The Prime Minister earlier said he was confident about the future of AUKUS after Elon Musk was appointed to review the multi-billion dollar defence deal.
Former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos revealed the unofficial DOGE chief was becoming involved in efforts to streamline submarine production and government spending.
“I’m confident about AUKUS because I’ve had those first hand discussions with the president of the United States and also with more than 100 members of Congress in the Senate, who must take this to the United States,” Mr Albanese said.
“I’m also confident that people, when they make an assessment, know that this is in Australia’s national interest, but it’s also in the national of the US.”
Mr Albanese was in Karratha on Friday to tour the Rio Tinto port site.
“This region is a wealth creator, and the resources sector plays such an important role,” he said.
“We want a future made in Australia.
“Part of that is support for the resources sector as well, making sure that where possible we can value add and make things with the products here.
“The resources that we have under the ground are helped, of course, by the resources we have in the sky as well.”
The Prime Minister went on to the slew deck of a shiploader putting iron ore onto the Mount Ossa, a ship destined for China. It was about half full and will carry 220,000 tonnes of iron ore when fully loaded.
The temperature was 38.2 degrees on the shiploader’s control area.
Albanese was accompanied by Resources Minister Madeleine King, Labor’s candidate for Durack Karen Wheatland and the Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore chief executive officer Simon Trott.
They travelled to the site in a separate “Go West”- branded mini bus to the media contingent.
Ships that are higher up in the water are empty, waiting to be filled with iron ore.
Mr Albanese spoke to a Rio Tinto worker, Rob, in the cabin of the shiploader. He has worked at the port for a year.
“You’ve seen the full process from mining, right through to exports,” Mr Albanese said.
Mr Trott said there was about $6 million in Australian Taxation Office receipts going into the boat in the form of iron ore.
Back on the dock, Mr Albanese chatted with Rio Tinto workers Fiona, who said she had worked at the port for 27 years, and Amelia.
Dutton’s ‘first thought’ on alleged terror plot
Peter Dutton has said his family was his “first thought” when he was first made aware he was the target of an alleged terror bomb plot orchestrated by a 16-year-old Brisbane school student.
The teenager allegedly bought ingredients for a home made explosive, and has been arrested and charged following a joint investigation by the Queensland police and AFP, The Australian reported overnight.
Speaking to reporters, the Opposition Leader said “my thoughts were always first in relation to my family”.
While normally not a service given to ministers or opposition leaders, Mr Dutton has previously spoken about having around-the-clock AFP protection since taking on the role of home affairs minister in the previous government, security which at times was extended to his children.
However, he said despite the recent alleged terror plot, his security detail had remained consistent, and mirrored what was given to the Governor-General and Prime Minister.
“That’s been the case since I cancelled the visas of a lot of bikies, rapists and organised crime figures, and I wouldn’t change that.
“There’s been an impact on my family but they’ve been stoic and have never complained about the security that’s been around me and my family.
“The police at home and the AFP have been an absolute massive help.”
Speaking to 2GB in July of last year, Mr Dutton said his family had been subjected to death threats but it was the reality of political life.
“You get death threats against children (and) your wife. But I’ve got great confidence in the AFP to be able to provide that protection,” he said.
“In the end, you’re in public life. There’s a price to pay for that.
“But we live in the greatest country in the world, and we should do whatever we can to make sure that’s always the case.”
Dutton clocks up petrol stop number seven
The car themes are heavy for Friday, with a final stop to the Vibe petrol station in Canning Vale.
The fuel station is in the electorate of Tangney - held by former dolphin trainer Sam Lim, a Labor MP, on a margin of 2.4 per cent.
Mr Dutton arrived in a campaign bus emblazoned with the Liberal contender Howard Ong’s face.
Once again… the media event was to promote the Coalition’s pledge to halve the fuel excise, which will save motorists 25c per litre of petrol.
With the temperature in Perth hitting a balmy 33C, Mr Dutton also picked up a peppermint Magnum.
All in a days work, as they say.
‘Test of strength’: Dutton’s challenge to Labor
Mr Dutton has challenged Labor candidates to run on open tickets which would not call Labor voters to preference the Greens.
The move comes after Macnamara MP Josh Burns declared he would not use his ‘how to vote cards’ to encourage voters to give their second preference to the Greens, first reported by Sky News.
His Melbourne seat also has one of the highest Jewish populations in Melbourne.
Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese must do the same.
“This will be a test for the Prime Minister. It’ll be a test of the strength of his leadership, and it’ll be a test for whether or not he’s able to stand up to his coalition partners,” Mr Dutton told reporters from Perth.
“Because in government, Adam Bandt will walk all over Anthony Albanese because he’s weak.”
Labor’s colourful candidate for the Pilbarra
A former pearl diver and deckhand is Labor’s hopeful for the Pilbarra.
Labor’s website states Karen Wheatland has “nearly 30 years of experience in the maritime industry”, including as a cook, deckhand, pearl diver, and on bulk cargo ships and tugboats.
Her social media is filled with colourful videos celebrating Labor policies, her trips around the electorate of Durack - the largest in Australia and one of the largest in the world - and her dog.
In a post shared to Facebook last week, Ms Wheatland was seen in the ocean with seaweek on her head.
“Taking time out to just be me is important,” she captioned the image.
“A moment to recharge, reset, and get ready to hit the road again—another part of this vast, beautiful electorate is calling.
This campaign reminds me daily what matters: people. Labor is delivering for every Australian—from help after floods and fires, to making sure you earn more and keep more of what you earn. As Albo says, we’re just getting started.”
Labor hopes Karen Wheatland will unseat Liberal MP Melissa Price in 2025.
Ms Price was first elected in 2013, before being re-elected in 2016, 2019, and 2022.
She suffered a 10 point swing in the last election.
Dutton hits up a car dealership
The Dutton campaign’s second pit stop for the day is in the newly created seat of Bullwinkel in Perth’s east.
While the Australian Electoral Commission has declared the seat as nominally Labor on a 3.35 per cent margin, however the Liberals are running Matt Moran, while the Nationals are running Mia Davies.
Both candidates have attended the photoshoot - the first time this has happened.
On display at the Kalamunda Toyota dealership was a beaming white Toyota Hilux, which the Coalition claims will increase in price by $11,500 by 2029 due to Labor’s new vehicle efficiency standards.
Mr Dutton has pledged to scrap the tax, arguing they penalise growing families, tradies and small businesses.
Additionally, Mr Dutton said drivers would be able to save about $20 a tank on a Hilux due to the Coalition’s pledge to halve to fuel excise by about 25c.
At the dealership, Mr Dutton and infrastructure spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie plus Mr Moran and Ms Davies inspected Toyota Landcruisers and Prados, with the happy Coalition family even taking about a 50 metre drive from the dealership entrance to the showroom.
Voters still in the dark on public service redundancies
Mr Dutton also continued to deflect questions on how much the Coalition government has budgeted for voluntary redundancies for public servants, with the Opposition promising to reduce the workforce by 41,000 workers.
Previously he had said the reduction in workers would save the budget $7bn a year before clarifying this would be done through natural attrition and a hiring freeze.
Today, the Coalition’s campaign spokesman James Paterson said voluntary redundancies would also be added to the mix however Mr Dutton refused to confirm this detail.
In fact, at no point did Mr Dutton mention the words “voluntary redundancy”.
“We have worked with the (Parliamentary Budget Office) to look at where we have employment freeze and where we have natural attrition that helps us achieve and importantly, what it does is it allows us to invest in sort of important areas, including the fuel tax reduction,” he said.
Dutton breaks silence on alleged terror plot as Albo makes revelation of his own
Peter Dutton has broken his silence, labelling politics a “brutal business” after a teenager was charged over an alleged terror plot reportedly targeting the Opposition Leader.
A 16-year-old Brisbane private school student was arrested in August and it is alleged he had planned to attack Mr Dutton’s home with a drone and homemade explosives, The Australian reported.
Responding to the reports, Mr Dutton remarked that politics was “brutal business”.
“It’s the reason my three children have been cured of any interest in politics whatsoever and I see it as a small blessing,” he said.
“Kirilly and the kids are safe and so that puts it all in perspective.
“I feel an immense sense of pride being able to work in the job that I work in, and it takes a decision at some point in your life that you want to abandon your anonymity and you want to contribute to a country that you love very much and that’s a decision that I took, probably off my policing career,” Mr Dutton said.
Asked about the incident, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had reached out to Mr Dutton on Friday morning and revealed he had also been subject to a “range of issues”, at least one of which is “before legal processes”.
“It is a fact that the number of threats that have been made to parliamentarians has increased in recent times, and that has been reported on by the appropriate authorities,” he said.
“I myself have been subject of a range of issues, at least one of which is before legal processes at the moment. So it’s a pretty serious incident.
“What I have confidence in, though, is the Australian Federal Police and the authorities to do what they can to keep us safe, but that is one of the reasons why you’ve seen an increased number of security measures put in place, because we do live in times that, unfortunately, we’ve seen around the world, but here as well, these threats be made.
“They shouldn’t be. There’s no place whatsoever in politics for any of this, and I have ensured that any time any member of parliament, regardless of who they are, have the support they need.”
Speaking from Rio Tinto’s Dampier Port later on Friday, Mr Albanese said: “I can confirm that there have been, of course, threats, but there also has been one particularly serious incident that is now the subject of legal and other processes.
“It is not in the interest of security to give a whole range of details, which then lead to potentially people copying these issues. I take advice on those issues.
“I was asked today, so I gave a straight answer to it, but I think that it is in the interests of keeping us all secure that those matters are dealt with by the police and by the courts where appropriate, and that we continue to do what we can to keep all of us safe, like I want all Australians to be.”
Albo heads north
Anthony Albanese is notching another leg in his tour of northern Australia this afternoon after landing in Karratha in Western Australia for a trip to a gas and iron ore port owned by British-Australian minerals giant Rio Tinto.
The Prime Minister touched down in Karratha in the Pilbara region after visiting Cairns and Darwin in recent days, and is expected to visit Rio Tinto’s Dampier Port.
The port exports include iron ore, salt, liquefied natural gas, anhydrous ammonia as well as project cargo, break bulk and general cargo, according to the mineral giant’s website, and was shut for five weeks earlier this year following cyclone damage.
The Prime Minister will be joined by Minister Madeleine King, Labor candidate for Durack, Karen Wheatland, and Rio Iron Ore CEO Simon Trout in a tour of a shiploader, which is being loaded with iron ore to be sent another destination.
Durack is currently held by Liberal MP Melissa Price who took only 54 per cent of the two party preferred vote in 2022, ahead of Labor.
On first party preferred, she suffered a 10 per cent swing against her.
The trip also marks the latest in a gradual escalation in temperature for the Prime Minister and the press pack, from balmy Cairns to 33C in Darwin and now 36C in Karratha.
Voter enrolment hits new record
With the electoral roll now closed ahead of the May 3 election, the Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed voter registration has hit a new high.
A record 98.2 per cent of eligible Australians are now enrolled to vote, an increase of 870,000 people since the 2022 federal election.
Youth enrolment has hit 92 per cent.
In the 11 days between the election being called and the roll closing, 85,000 more people had enrolled to vote, and nearly 420,000 had updated their details.
Dutton hits the hustings in Labor’s Hasluck
Quickly moving on to the second event of the day, Mr Dutton has hit the seat of Hasluck, held by Labor’s Tania Lawrence on a margin of 6 per cent.
It’s another manufacturing-specific visit at Prok, a plant which manufactures conveyor belt parts, in Bayswater.
It’s Mr Dutton’s second visit to the electorate, touring mining equipment manufacturer Wallis Drills last week.
Dutton describes Zelenskyy as ‘modern-day Churchill’
Mr Dutton said he was “disgusted with the scenes out of the White House in relation to (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Zelensky”.
His comments were in relation to a meeting between US Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump and Mr Zelenskyy in February, in which the Ukrainian leader was asked to leave the room.
I don’t agree at all with his or President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy, who I think, is a modern day Winston Churchill,” he said.
Mr Dutton added he was “proud” of delivering support to Ukraine, including providing life saving armoured Bushmaster vehicles to bolster the country’s defence efforts.
Mr Dutton’s comments received a rousing round of applause from the audience.
Dutton’s cheeky sledge on former Liberal PM
There’s clearly no love lost between former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mr Dutton.
Asked to summarise a photo of the former Liberal leader in one word during a word association game, Mr Dutton chose carefully – though still failed to meet the criteria.
”It’s very dark and shadowy,” Mr Dutton said, drawing laughs from the room.
“And what I’d say is that I don’t scare of ghosts easily.”
He had earlier briefly referenced the 2018 leadership spill in which Mr Turnbull was turfed for Scott Morrison.
It was also contested by Julie Bishop and Mr Dutton.
“I’ve had the great fortune of being on the front bench of the Liberal Party since 2004, except for a four-day spell that I had in 2018 when there was a leadership challenge with Malcolm Turnbull.
“Apart from that, I’ve had continued service over the course of that 20 years,” he said.
Dutton pays tribute to dad after medical episode
Mr Dutton paid tribute to his father Bruce, who was hospitalised following a reported heart attack an hour before a critical leadership debate on Tuesday night.
Mr Dutton also added that his dad was “on the mend” and should be discharged from hospital in the coming days.
Earlier in his speech, Mr Dutton, who is the oldest of five, described Bruce as a hard worker who had “left school at an early age” to be a builder and worked in labouring jobs his whole life.
“I started work with a dad who instilled in me an incredible work effort,” he said.
“I developed work ethic very early on, and I had a passion for small business very early on, and I want small business to succeed because it’s a lifeline of our country.
He said he was “incredibly proud” of being able to grow a business to about 40 people, following in the footsteps of his father.
“I was incredibly proud of at the time, because my dad had been able to do something very similar but I watched the highs and lows of the 80s and 90s, where the building industry was in bust and boom, and I want to create an environment for other 19, 20, 21 and 25 year olds to see that reality for them as well.”
Dutton: Biden didn’t want AUKUS
Asked about the impact of Donald Trump’s tariff war on the federal election, Mr Dutton pointed to his former experience as home affairs minister and assistant treasurer.
Mr Dutton said the Coalition had demonstrated they are able to negotiate with a US government, stating while former US president Joe Biden wasn’t a fan of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, they managed to negotiate a contract.
“We negotiated with President Biden, with Prime Minister Johnson, in the United Kingdom, to arrive at the AUKUS outcome, which was a significant achievement for our country and underpins our national security for a century, and it is a huge investment in industry and defence material here in Australia,” he said.
“That was a Liberal government negotiating with the Democratic administration. President Biden didn’t want the deal, and ultimately, we were able to land (it).
“The Americans hadn’t shared their nuclear secrets since the 1950s and it was a significant outcome, and we had worked on that. I think it demonstrates that we have … the experience to deal with whatever comes our way after the election.”
Asked about how he would handle tariff negotiations with Mr Trump, Mr Dutton said he would not “give away anything” in discussions.
“We’re not giving away our beef industry, we’re not giving away our pharmaceuticals industry, which is first class (and) something which all Australians should be incredibly proud of,” he said.
Labor, Albanese extend leads in latest polling
New polling data has brought good news for both Labor and Mr Albanese, with the party and its leader both extending their lead over their Coalition counterparts.
Labor now leads the Coalition 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent in the two-party preferred vote – a 1.5 per cent increase from last week’s public poll – in the latest YouGov polling released early Friday morning.
It marks the highest two-party preferred vote for Labor in 18 months, just surpassing the party’s winning numbers in the 2022 federal election, according to YouGov’s analysis.
The Coalition’s primary vote fell by 1.5 per cent to 33.5 per cent, while Labor’s rose by 2 per cent to 32 per cent.
Mr Albanese scored 48 per cent of the vote in the race for preferred prime minister, compared to Mr Dutton’s 37 per cent.
YouGov analysis indicates the 11 per cent margin is the largest Mr Albanese has enjoyed since June last year.
The polling was conducted between April 4 and April 10 and surveyed 1505 Australians.
Dutton: Albo ‘obsessed’ with sledging
Mr Dutton said the May 3 election would be a “sliding doors” moment for Australia, and in particularly for Western Australia.
He described Mr Albanese as being “obsessed” with sledging him in the media due to Labor’s shortcomings.
“The reason that he becomes obsessed about me and about our team and his perceptions and what he wants people to believe of me and my character is because there hasn’t been a successful period over the course of last three years for many parts of our country,” Mr Dutton said.
“This government’s presided over seven consecutive quarters of negative household growth, and for those families … they’re worried about every cost in their budget.
”I don’t need to attack the character of the Prime Minister to win the next election. People can draw their own conclusions on these characteristics.”
Mr Dutton said his government would target increasing the dream of home ownership, and helping small businesses and young Australians “realise their aspirations and their dreams”.
Warning to Dutton in Coalition’s must-win state
Mr Dutton will attempt to court Western Australia’s business elite and share his vision to the key state where the Coalition need to recoup their embarrassing six-seat loss following the 2022 election.
The Liberal Leader’s landmark speech to the The West Australian’s Leadership Matters summit comes just two days ahead of Labor’s official campaign launch which will be held in Perth.
The state will be paramount to both major parties’ election efforts on May 3, with Labor winning four extra seats in 2022, while the Coalition lost six.
Introducing Mr Dutton, editor-in-chief of The West Australian and The Nightly Chris Dore issued a warning to the prime-ministerial hopeful.
Dore described Mr Albanese as “tepid” and warned West Australians were “sceptical at the best of times of our East Coast impostors” but said Mr Dutton had not done enough to change minds.
“Any love in this state for Mr Albanese is tepid, but Peter Dutton has so far failed to inspire enough of this state to turn against the first term Prime Minister,” he said.
“Maybe we will. Maybe we won’t”.
Prior to the event, Mr Dutton was seen speaking to Seven chief executive Kerry Stokes and newly-installed WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas.
Federal Coalition members including Michaelia Cash, Susan McDonald and Bridget McKenzie were also in attendance.
Ports, subs and Elon Musk
Anthony Albanese says he is confident about the future of the AUKUS deal during a visit to Darwin on Friday after Elon Musk was appointed to review the multi-billion dollar defence deal.
Former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos revealed the unofficial DOGE chief was becoming involved in efforts to streamline submarine production and government spending.
“I’m confident about AUKUS because I’ve had those first hand discussions with the president the United States and also with more than 100 members of Congress in the Senate,” Mr Albanese said.
“I’m also confident that people, when they make an assessment, know that this is in Australia’s national interest, but it’s also in the national interest of the US.”
Asked if he’d accept any changes to the deal in the near term, the Prime Minister said “we support the existing arrangements that we have with the United States”.
Further asked if the subs would be used against China, Mr Albanese said “we are building, and are going to have, nuclear powered submarines.
“We don’t want to use weapons against any country. We want peace and security. Australia does not have, nor are we accessing at nuclear weapons.”
Asked again later, Mr Albanese later added: “the idea, though, that it is in everyone’s interest to talk up war, which is what you’re inviting me to do, is, in my view, not a responsible thing for the Prime Minister of Australia.”
Mr Albanese also confirmed Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Richard Marles would stay on in their roles in the next term if Labor wins re-election.
Next up was the Port of Darwin.
Mr Albanese defended being mum on details of his plan to return the Port to Australian-approved hands after Mr Dutton vowed to do so within six months if elected.
“We certainly are looking for a private buyer, as I’ve said, and there is interest,” he said.
“There are interested parties here in the Port of Darwin (and) if we can secure an arrangement and a transfer of ownership back to Australian control in an orderly way, without formal intervention and compulsory acquisition, we will do so, but we are prepared also to use compulsory acquisition.”
Asked about the timeline, Mr Albanese said: “What you don’t do is respond publicly in that way, because that is not in taxpayers’ interests.
“If you’re in a commercial negotiation and you want to buy a house, and you say … I need to buy it by April 13, guess what? You lose your power in the negotiations.
“What we will do is negotiate in the interest of Australian taxpayers, in the national interest. It will come back under Australian control.”
Alleged terror plot ‘price to pay’ as public figure
Peter Dutton’s colleagues have shared words of support after media reports revealed he was allegedly the target of a terror plot orchestrated by a 16-year-old Brisbane schoolboy.
First published in The Australian, it is alleged the teenager bought ingredients for a homemade explosive, and has been arrested and charged following a joint investigation by the Queensland Police Service and AFP.
The teen has been committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court, it has been reported.
While campaign spokesman James Paterson declined to give details about the ongoing court case, he said the allegations were “very troubling”.
“It involves a minor, and it’s a matter before the court, so I have to be very cautious about what I say about this specific instance,” he said.
“What I can say more broadly about the issue of young people coming to the attention of counter-terrorism police and ASIO, is that it’s unfortunately a disturbingly fast-growing trend.
“They’re often being radicalised online, sometimes very quickly by consuming extreme content, and they can go from having no violent intent to having violent intent, sometimes very quickly.”
When asked during an appearance on ABC News Breakfast whether he thought politicians were safe on the campaign trail, Mr Paterson said the rising number of threats to them and other public figures was “extremely worrying”.
“(Mr) Dutton has served our country in public life for 20 years, and for a decade before that as a police officer – unfortunately, sometimes there is a price to pay for that,” he said.
“I guess the most distressing thing about that, though, is it's a price that Peter doesn’t just have to pay personally, but that his family has to pay as well. It’s why they require around-the-clock personal police protection.
“But if plots like this are aimed at intimidating Peter and his family, or the other threats he received are aimed at doing that, then they will fail, because Peter is a strong person, he loves this country, and he will do everything he can to stand up for our country and to make us safe.”
Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley also said the reports were “incredibly concerning,” and said Mr Dutton had dealt with a week of “difficult personal news”.
“I can only wonder … how Peter’s family is feeling with the difficult personal news this week about his dad and now this,” Ms Ley said.
“This is Australia. This is the best country in the world. We are a free, fair, open democracy. We expect this sort of thing to happen overseas but never here.”
Ms Ley’s sparring partner Education Minister Jason Clare denounced the use of violence and said arguments should be solved with “words, not weapons”.
“We’ve been very, very lucky … we’re lucky we haven’t seen in Australia what has happened in the UK or in the US,” he said.
“You want to hope, if people want to come up to us and have a chat – they can. If they don’t like us, then they might mumble something under their breath or cross the road. You never want to see the threats of physical violence or real physical violence happen like we’ve seen overseas.”
Mr Dutton is expected to be in Perth on Friday.
MP’s hilarious poke at Dutton as Albo tours the Top End
Anthony Albanese is continuing his tour of northern Australia on Friday, recruiting some of the biggest names in his cabinet to make his pitch on the future of Medicare to voters in the Top End.
The Prime Minister has travelled to Palmerston, a satellite city of Darwin, alongside Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, Health Minister Mark Butler, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, and MP for Solomon Luke Gosling.
Mr Albanese is expected to visit an Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in the city – one of nine Labor has built or will build in the NT – following the announcement of his grand plan for aged care and mental health in the Territory.
A re-elected Labor government will splash on a new residential aged care centre and a Headspace centre in Darwin, and a Medicare Mental Health Clinic in Alice Springs.
Labor says the existing Palmerston clinic has seen more than 20,000 presentations since it opened in 2023, one-third of which are under the age of 15.
They claim that takes pressure off the region’s hospital.
Back on the east coast, Hunter MP Dan Repacholi uploaded an hilarious sledge at Mr Dutton in an Instagram video mimicking the Opposition Leader’s accidental footy attack on a videographer last week.
“If you’ve ever been hit in the head by a footy or broken a bone, get down to the Urgent Care Clinic near you. All you need is your Medicare card,” he said.
More to come
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