Stuck on an island with Albanese and Chalmers? Dutton would ‘swim’
Sarah Basford Canales
An image of Tanya Plibersek is shown on the screen and Peter Dutton responds with one word: “greenie”.
An image of US vice-president JD Vance is next. Dutton says he was “disgusted” by the scenes coming out of the White House when Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scolded by Vance and Donald Trump.
Finally, he’s shown a picture of Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers and asked to respond with one word about what he would do if he was stuck on an island with them.
“Swim.”
Key events
Dutton’s being asked about James Paterson’s comments this morning that voluntary redundancies have “always” been a part of the Coalition’s public service plan.
The plan, to shrink the sector by 41,000 people over five years, didn’t initially mention voluntary redundancies, but Dutton had promised there would be no “forced” redundancies.
Asked a couple of times how much the redundancies will cost, or how many there will be, Dutton avoids the questions.
We have spoken about that a lot.
(Spoiler: voluntary redundancies have not been spoken about “a lot”)
He then goes to his point about taxpayers paying more under Labor, and that taxpayers want their money to be spent “efficiently”. He then says:
We looked [at] where we can have an employment freeze and the natural attrition. That helps us achieve the 41,000. It allows us to invest into important areas…
Dutton condemns ‘disgraceful’ homophobic banners targeting Labor MP
Dutton says he “condemns” the homophobic banner targeting Labor MP Julian Hill in Melbourne.
Henry Belot and Josh Taylor have the story, which you can read here:
Dutton says families are “off limits”.
I’ve seen the image, I condemn them. Our families are off-limits. I thought it was disgraceful and that’s the response I would give.
Dutton pitches himself as ‘the best friend that WA will ever have’
After attending the breakfast this morning, Peter Dutton is now fronting up to reporters, and again he’s zeroing in on winning over the mining sector. (That means he’s in high vis – of course.)
He’s pitching himself as “the best friend that WA will ever have”, promising more mining and gas projects.
Anthony Albanese has proven he’s sided with the Greens in Sydney and Melbourne, and he’s hung people of Western Australia out to dry. That’s what happened over the course of the last three years. We want to see more projects coming online. We want to make sure that we can see the growth opportunities
Man dies after boating incident in southern Tasmania
Moving away from politics for a moment: A man has died after a boating incident in southern Tasmania this morning.
Around 8.45am, a boat with two men on board experienced engine failure and was struck by large waves.
One man was able to return to safely to the shore. He was taken to the Royal Hobart hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The Westpac rescue helicopter, police and civilian vessels searched the area for the missing man, who was located along with the overturned boat about 9.40am, Tasmania police said.
Our thoughts are with the man’s loved ones. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Natasha May
Psychiatrists matter won’t be resolved until mid year
The doctor’s union will not take any further strike action in NSW, allowing the separate dispute over the state’s public sector psychiatrists’ pay to continue to be heard in the Industrial Relations Commission, a court has heard.
After three days of industrial action organised by the doctor’s union, the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (Asmof), ended at 10pm last night, Asmof’s council has voted to comply with the IRC’s orders not to take any industrial action for three months. The union is currently in negotiations with NSW Health over the pay of the state’s junior and senior doctors.
Asmof’s lawyer, Luke Forsyth, tendered an affidavit in the IRC court in Sydney this morning from the union’s executive director, Andrew Holland, that the union would comply with the commission’s undertaking and not take further strike action.
The union’s decision to proceed with strike action initially in defiance of the order saw hearings delayed in a separate matter in which Amof is representing the state’s psychiatrists who are seeking a special levy to increase their pay by 25% to stem the flow of specialist doctors leaving the public system.
In the directions hearing this morning in the psychiatrists matter, Justice Chin said in light of Asmof’s undertaking the commission was “in a position to to program this matter for finalisation”.
The expert evidence in the psychiatrists matter will be heard on 7 May, and closing submissions will be heard on 19 June.
As mass resignations of psychiatrists occurred at the beginning of the year, the state government had sought an expedited arbitration from 17 to 21 March. Those hearings were postponed early on 20 March due to NSW Health’s objections to Asmof’s expert evidence. The postponed hearing dates were then further delayed due to the union’s aforementioned industrial action.
Many psychiatrists had transitioned to visiting medical officer contracts, taken leave without pay, or deferred their resignations awaiting the outcome of the IRC proceedings, which will not be known until after closing submissions are heard on June 19.
Albanese says ‘nonsensical’ Dutton plan to axe vehicle efficiency standard fines won’t lower fuel costs
As we posted on the blog earlier, Anthony Albanese has said Peter Dutton’s promise to axe fines for car companies in breach of vehicle efficiency standards is a “nonsensical” position from an opposition whose main campaign pitch is to lower fuel costs.
You can now read the full story on this from Dan Jervis-Bardy, below:
Emily Wind
Acting NT chief minister says Territorians left ‘in limbo’ by Labor over Port of Darwin
The acting chief minister of the Northern Territory, Gerard Maley, says the federal government has left Territorians “in limbo” about its plans for the Port of Darin.
Visiting Darwin today, Anthony Albanese said the government was “prepared to use compulsory acquisition powers” to get the Port of Darwin back in Australian hands, but he said there were interested parties the government was negotiating with.
Maley said in a statement that the PM “was again non-committal” about federal Labor’s plans for the port if it won the election.
For weeks, Mr Albanese and [Solomon MP Luke] Gosling have talked a big game on the future of Darwin Port, a critically important strategic asset, yet have delivered no certainty for the port, its workers and the community. Today was the perfect day for them to clear the air but all we heard was more spin.
Maley said that in recent weeks, as the landowner of the port, the NT government “has heard nothing from the Albanese government about their plans”.
A Dutton Coalition government, if elected, has detailed how it will bring Darwin Port back into Australian hands. It is time for Anthony Albanese and Luke Gosling to put up or shut up.
New Zealand simplifies visa rules for travellers from Pacific island countries
In some news from across the ditch, and via AAP: Travellers from Pacific island nations will find it easier to travel to New Zealand after changes to visa rules.
Movement from much of the Pacific to either Australia or New Zealand is expensive and onerous, with most citizens of most countries required to apply for visitor visas.
NZ today announced changes that will make travel easier: waiving visa requirements for nationals of Pacific Islands Forum member countries who already have Australian visas, and extension of visitor visas from 12 to 24 months.
The changes fall short of the holy grail for Pacific Islanders – visa-free travel of the sort that Australians and New Zealanders benefit from when they travel through much of the developed world.
However, this remains a possibility. The NZ government is reviewing its visa settings with the Pacific, which could lead to more significant changes to visa settings.
Anthony Albanese was asked about the prospect of visa-free travel for Pacific nations last year at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit, saying leaders hadn’t asked him for it.
People haven’t raised visa arrangements, and we don’t have any plans to change the existing arrangements.
Stuck on an island with Albanese and Chalmers? Dutton would ‘swim’
Sarah Basford Canales
An image of Tanya Plibersek is shown on the screen and Peter Dutton responds with one word: “greenie”.
An image of US vice-president JD Vance is next. Dutton says he was “disgusted” by the scenes coming out of the White House when Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scolded by Vance and Donald Trump.
Finally, he’s shown a picture of Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers and asked to respond with one word about what he would do if he was stuck on an island with them.
“Swim.”
Dutton plays Pictionary, labels Turnbull picture ‘dark and shadowy’
Sarah Basford Canales
One word responses to images are often a favourite of the political interview genre and for good reason.
On stage, Peter Dutton is asked to say one word to a series of pictures flashed up on the screen.
The first image is one of Gina Rinehart and Elon Musk. Dutton breaks the rules, answering the mining mogul has “employed many Australians, pays lots of taxes on it. I have respect for anybody who does that”.
The second image is former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who once infamously labelled Dutton a “thug”.
Dutton remarks the image is “dark and shadowy” adding he isn’t easily scared of ghosts.
