Australia election 2025 live: almost 50,000 unauthorised pamphlets opposing Allegra Spender distributed in her electorate, AEC says​on April 21, 2025 at 5:33 am

Turnbull weighs in on negative gearing, capital gains tax

The former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is speaking with ABC Afternoon Briefing this afternoon about the current debate surrounding medicare.

As Labor ruled out changes to negative gearing, and the Coalition took aim at Labor for previously commission modelling on negative gearing changes, Turnbull tweeted on Thursday:

Okay to save time – negative gearing is examined by every government. It is a major tax concession and always contentious and so it is always looked at … There are many pages in my memoir describing the detailed consideration of negative gearing that went on in my government in which Peter Dutton was a cabinet minister.

Speaking just now, Turnbull said he wrote the tweet because journalists were calling him and “I thought it was easier to state the fact in that tweet.”

He went on to say that government’s have “always got to look at everything” and “keep an open mind.”

But both sides have ruled out any changes to negative gearing as I understand it and so it is not going to be a matter of the next parliament.

Turnbull said his government’s conclusion on negative gearing at the time was that repealing negative gearing would improve government revenue, but “we didn’t believe it would have anything other than a very short-term effect, or even then a negligible one, on housing affordability.”

On the capital gains tax concessions, Turnbull argued that “nobody in their right political mind would ever make changes to that.”

Street Side Medics announcement – in pictures

Here are some photos from the Street Side Medics announcement in St Kilda today, including Anthony Albanese with founder, Dr Daniel Nour:

Labor pledges $2.6m for free mobile GP service for rough sleepers

Labor has announced that a re-elected Albanese government would deliver $2.6m over four years for “Street Side Medics” – a free mobile GP service for people experiencing homelessness in NSW and Victoria.

Since 2022-23, the organisation has delivered 902 clinics, over 5000 GP consultations and had 11,780 total patient interactions.

The funding would allow the service to continue providing mobile medical services across Woolloomooloo, Manly, Parramatta, Hornsby, Blacktown, Surry Hills, Marrickville, Wollongong, Melbourne CBD and St Kilda – as well as new locations.

Anthony Albanese said in a statement:

So much stems from the barriers that stand between homeless people and access to medical care. Barriers that span the spectrum from cost, to lack of awareness, to mistrust of the medical system.

Street Side Medics erase those barriers. I am so proud to announce Labor will deliver $2.6m to ensure these vital services continue.

Hello everyone! Emily Wind here, I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon here on the blog.

Thank you all for joining me on the blog today, and hope you enjoy the rest of the long weekend.

I’ll leave you with the wonderful Emily Wind, and will catch you here bright and early tomorrow morning.

The Australian electoral commission says it’s received complaints on the distribution of unauthorised pamphlets, opposing Allegra Spender, the member for Wentworth.

More than 47,000 pamphlets with no authorisation have been distributed across Wentworth, according to the AEC, meaning voters have no way of identifying the source of the information.

The commission says it’s worked quickly to identify and make contact with the entity responsible for the pamphlets, and an investigation is ongoing.

It says the pamphlets breach the Commonwealth Electoral Act, which can attract civil penalties that would be determined by a court.

Albanese in wafer-thin Melbourne marginal seat of Menzies

Albanese has also travelled down to Melbourne this afternoon, and he’s in the seat of Menzies.

Menzies is a traditionally blue ribbon area that’s been held by the Liberals for several decades.

But after a large swing against the Liberals in 2022, and a recent redistribution across Melbourne, the seat is now notionally Labor on an oh-so wafer thin 0.4% margin.

Albanese, joined by foreign minister Penny Wong, is out having lunch in Box Hill.

Box Hill was previously in the neighbouring seat of Chisholm, held by Labor’s Carina Garland.

That seat is in the Liberals’ sights, with former Higgins MP Katie Allen running against Garland. (Allen lost the seat of Higgins to Labor in 2022, and it has now been abolished under the Australian Electoral Commission’s redistribution.)

Coalition not going to reduce visas for migrant parents, Dutton says

The final question goes to whether the Coalition is planning to cut parent visas.

Reporter Sara Tomevska asks Dutton three times if he’ll cut visas for migrant parents.

Twice Dutton says generally the Coalition will cut migration, and that migration is a “significant contributor to young Australians [being] locked out of housing”.

On the third attempt, Dutton says:

In relation to parents, I’ve been clear about this, it’s an important part of the migration program. And we’re not going to reduce those. We’ve been clear in relation to it. And I believe very strongly we’ve got the best migration program in the world, but only if it’s well managed.

He then ends the answer with a final pitch to voters ahead of early voting opening tomorrow, mentioning the petrol excise cut, cutting migration, and the promise to build more homes.

Coalition opposed to hybrids not being part of fringe benefits tax exemption

Dutton confirms he won’t repeal the fringe benefit tax exemption for electric vehicles, but has said his party is opposed to hybrid vehicles not being included in that exemption.

We said that what we’re opposed to is the government’s big tax on hybrids, for example on a Toyota RAV4. Almost $10,000 additional that people will be paying if Albanese is re-elected. It’s $14,000 on a Ford Ranger …

The government whacking a new tax on those people in the market to buy a house, to buy a car, a lot of Australians would be shocked to know that Anthony Albanese is proposing a $14,000 tax on a Ford Ranger.

The current fringe benefit tax exempts battery EVs, hydrogen fuel cell EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs (not including hybrid vehicles that are only fuelled by liquid petrol).

Dutton has also announced this fortnight that the Coalition would scrap the penalties under the vehicle fuel efficiency standards, which they say would make heavy emitting cars cheaper. The government says scrapping the penalties is “nonsensical”.

Dutton says tobacco black market is ‘a huge concern’

Dutton brings up the tobacco wars when addressing the increase in crime that he says has been felt across Victoria.

Asked a follow-up on that, as to what the government should do about tobacco and the increase in black market sales, Dutton says it’s a “huge concern”.

I think it’s a huge concern for our country. Because there’s a loss of revenue. I want to see the smoking rates decline in our country but they’re not, because people are just buying chop-chop or tobacco from, you know, under the counter, or from a crime gang, that’s the reality. The taxpayer is missing out on revenue and the smoking rates haven’t gone down.

Dutton accuses the government of having “taken its eye off the ball” on stopping illegal tobacco at the border.

Asked whether the Coalition would consider decreasing the excise – to bring down the price of legal cigarettes and stop Australians buying more illegal cigarettes – Dutton says:

We don’t have any proposal to change the excise.

On whether the new money is something the police and security agencies are asking for, Dutton promises the $350m announced today is “additional money that we’ve got on the table. We’re very serious about it. We have spoken with police and agencies, there’s a very real concern.”

Dutton says PM has ‘ducked and weaved’ on Russia and Indonesia

Dutton is asked about Russia and Indonesia, which Albanese was also pushed on this morning.

He says the PM has “ducked and weaved” on the issue, and the Coalition has asked for a briefing.

I think the prime minister has ducked and weaved on this question today. The government’s language keeps changing. That seems strange. And we have asked for a briefing. It’s still not forthcoming from the government. What do they have to hide?

The government hasn’t made it clear whether Russia did ask Indonesia to base its military aircraft in the Pacific nation.

Albanese derided the opposition leader this morning for asking for a briefing, saying, “I’m waiting for them to ask for a briefing on who faked the moon landing.”

James Paterson denies dumped candidate Britton was adviser

The next question goes to James Paterson over his connection to former Liberal candidate Benjamin Britton, who was dumped by the party over his controversial views.

That story was broken by my colleague Sarah Basford-Canales, and you can read it here:

Sky News revealed leaked emails and documents suggest Britton sent advice to Paterson, but Paterson says that Britton never worked for him.

Asked again, Paterson says:

If every person who sent me unsolicited policy advice was adviser in my team, I would have hundreds of advisers …

I stand by everything I said to Andrew Clennell. I never employed Mr Britton in any capacity. Anything he sent me was his own initiative; as he was a party member, I politely thanked him for his correspondence, at no stage has he advised me on any matter.