As it happened: Albanese dodges energy price questions in first major interview of campaign; Dutton slams supermarket taskforce as ‘wet lettuce’ fix for price gouging

Thank you for joining us on the third day of the federal election.

Here’s a quick wrap of what happened today:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged “heavy fines” for supermarkets as part of the crackdown as he spoke to ABC Insiders this morning.
• During his interview, Albanese did not say if the government would extend the energy bill rebate or whether energy prices would increase at the end of the year.
• Labor’s education minister and campaign spokesman Jason Clare revealed in his earlier interview on Sky that Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had been sent a threatening video telling him to “come back here without the police”.
• Albanese says he has no intention of calling a referendum during the next term of government as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton batted away questions on whether there will be a referendum on Indigenous recognition, four-year terms or deporting criminals with dual citizenship.
• Dutton describes Albanese’s supermarket pledge as “wet lettuce” and sledges the PM for being “as weak as water”.

• Greens leader Adam Bandt said federal Labor copied a Greens policy in pledging to set up a taskforce to crack down on supermarket price gouging.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton and Energy Minister Chris Bowen in the electorate of Fowler.Credit: James Brickwood

Thanks for joining us, we will be with you early tomorrow morning for the latest federal politics updates.

Speaking from the Leppington mosque, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to boost security for the local place of worship.

Dutton is offering $25,000 as an election pledge for CCTV cameras to boost security at the AL-Madinah Masjid, where many worshippers have Pakistani heritage.

Peter Dutton is now arriving at a Ramadan event in the Macarthur electorate, a Labor-held marginal seat in western Sydney.

The press pack is going to the AL-Madinah Masjid mosque in Leppington.

The seat is currently held by Labor backbencher Mike Freelander and is being challenged by Liberal candidate Binod Paudel.

It isn’t an election campaign without a baby picture.

Already, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday had two separate interactions with babies – one from the gym he briefly visited in Brisbane and another at the Medicare clinic (who the PM later found out was a bit sick after he had shaken hands).

Today, it was Dutton’s time to shine as he posed for some photos with baby Melissa from the Assyrian New Year Festival in Fairfield.

No tears were shed, as Melissa looked a tad confused but was prepared to pose for photos with the opposition leader.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton with baby Melissa.Credit: James Brickwood

National security correspondent Matthew Knott has given an analysis of the Dutton campaign from the morning.

Speaking from the brick factory in high-vis, Matthew will gives a rundown of how the opposition’s campaign is going. Watch the clip below.

Peter Dutton’s morning of campaigning began at a brick factory in Chris Bowen’s western Sydney electorate of McMahon, where he accused the energy minister of driving up electricity prices.

Just an hour or so later, Dutton bumped into Bowen at an Assyrian New Year Festival in Fairfield, Sydney. Such are the serendipitous joys of campaigning.

The pair stood near each other, exchanging a brief hello, as Assyrian locals played drums and performed a traditional dance to welcome them to the event.

Bowen made a point of welcoming Dutton in a speech to the festival, saying politicians from all political perspectives were welcome in the area.

As well as hundreds of locals enjoying traditional food, NSW Premier Chris Minns is at the festival, as is Fowler MP Dai Le, who could play a crucial role as a balance-of-power MP in a hung parliament.

Peter Dutton hawking his gas plan in the seat of McMahon, held by Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen (right).Credit: James Brickwood

When addressing the crowd at the Assyrian New Year festival in Sydney’s Fairfield, Peter Dutton gave a shout-out to the “amazing” independent MP for Fowler, Dai Le.

Dutton has named Le, who previously ran as a Liberal candidate at state elections, as one of the crossbench MPs he would call first to seek support if there is a hung parliament.

Greens leader Adam Bandt says federal Labor is copying a Greens policy in pledging to set up a taskforce to crack down on supermarket price gouging.

“Another day and another Greens policy that the prime minister has adopted,” Bandt told a press conference in St Kilda West, in inner Melbourne.

“Their first step is to say no, and then they adopt them, and we take that as a really good sign … these supermarkets are abusing their power and ripping off customers.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visited western Sydney electorates McMahon and Fowler as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spent the morning in Canberra.

See some moments from the campaign captured by our photographers on the trail, James Brickwood and Alex Ellinghausen.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cannot afford to host a COP climate summit in Australia.

“The government is planning to spend tens of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on hosting a COP [summit] that will not bring down power prices and will sign a Labor government up to giving tens or hundreds of millions of dollars out to a third-party country,” he said.

“It’s not something we are supporting, it is madness.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: James Brickwood