Federal election 2025 LIVE: Albanese, Dutton signature policies revealed; economists warn of house price surge​on April 14, 2025 at 12:25 am

The Dutton bus has arrived at the marginal Greens seat of Ryan in Brisbane’s western suburbs, but we are just on the border near Dutton’s seat of Dickson.

It’s expected the opposition leader will hold a press conference in Upper Kedron where major housing developments are being built. This area was all paddocks about 15 years ago, but now is full of newly built homes.

Dutton will be eager to sell his latest housing policy for first home buyers as a way to reach out to younger generations.

The mood on the bus is quite jovial, after the latest rap diss track released by the Coalition ‘Leaving Labor’ was played on a speaker for all to hear.

Dutton, shadow housing minister Michael Sukkar and the Liberal candidate for Ryan Maggie Forrest will be inspecting the flat plots of land where construction is occurring before speaking to the press.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson has blasted pushback directed at the Coalition’s plans to support first home buyers, saying Australians facing housing stress will find the criticism “pretty out of touch and tone-deaf”.

Dutton revealed on Sunday that if elected, he would allow first home buyers to claim a tax break on their mortgage interest.

The Coalition plan has drawn particular concern from economists for its potential to drive housing demand without supporting increased supply, resulting in surging property prices.

“I think people underestimate the generational despair among young Australians who’ve lost hope that they’ll ever be able to buy a home,” Paterson told ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.

“Frankly, there is quite a lot of intergenerational resentment from young people … there is intergenerational resentment from young Australians who believe the cards have been stacked against them, and we want to fix that.”

Albanese has used a new housing estate in inner Adelaide to press the merits of his new housing policies while attacking those of Dutton.

In the suburb of Prospect in the ironically named Wildoo Lane, Albanese rejected suggestions his $10 billion plan to build 100,000 new homes for first time buyers and effectively reduce required deposits for first time buyers to 5 per cent would add to inflationary pressures across the economy.

He said Dutton’s plans for interest deductibility on mortgages as well as his superannuation for home policy did nothing to add to the number of homes being built.

“If you increase supply at the same time as you do something about demand, that’s the key,” he said in front of a backdrop of new town houses under construction.

But pressed on whether house prices would need to fall to make the property market became more affordable, the PM said the history of Australian housing was characterised by climbing prices.

“What we want to do is to make sure that people have accessibility to homeownership,” he said.

The PM, who launched the government’s campaign in Perth yesterday, is now off to another part of Adelaide where Labor is hoping to win the Liberal seat of Sturt.

Albanese has backed the South Australian government’s bid to host the United Nations’ COP climate conference in Adelaide next year, saying he “can’t think of anywhere better” for the annual event to take place.

The PM credited South Australian Premier and close ally Peter Malinauskas for leading Adelaide’s emergence as a “global city”, noting its credentials as hosts of the AFL Gather Round and a slew of other annual events positioned the city favourably to host COP31, which will bring together world leaders to discuss measures to improve environmental outcomes across the world.

“One of the things that a climate change conference would do is showcase this beautiful city of Adelaide to the entire world,” Albanese said.

“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, we haven’t won the bid, but if the bid is successful, then my choice will be having it right here in Adelaide.”

Malinauskas, who joined Albanese at his press conference on Monday morning, said a COP conference on Australian soil would be an “important opportunity”, and said his state was “better positioned to be able to host COP than anywhere else in the country”.

Four-fifths of South Australia’s energy consumption derives from renewables, with the state progressing towards an 100 per cent net renewables target by 2027.

Albanese says economists critical of Labor’s housing policies should visit construction sites where housing development is under way, as the PM works to sell his 5 per cent first home buyer deposit scheme to voters.

Speaking in South Australia alongside Housing Minister Clare O’Neil, Albanese downplayed concerns from economist Chris Richardson that the government’s pledge would fuel inflation and fail to grow revenue, and invited Richardson to the construction site where his press conference took place to demonstrate the work being taken to solve Australia’s housing crisis.

“I’m happy to bring Chris Richardson here, to have a look at the construction and have a look at the jobs that are being created here, and have a look at the economic activity that’s right here,” Albanese said.

“And then I’m happy to bring him back and meet the people who are living here in a home as well.”

Richardson was among several economists who criticised both Labor and the Coalition’s respective signature housing policies released at their campaign launches on Sunday, finding both would risk an excess drive in demand that could see property prices surge.

Independent economist Saul Eslake said the rival policies would add to pressure on housing prices, while Australian National University tax expert Bob Breunig said both sides were fuelling demand rather than increasing supply.

Economist Richard Holden also warned of flaws in both policies but said the Coalition proposal, in particular, made him “queasy” because it could encourage people to borrow more than they could afford.

Anthony Albanese addressed the media this morning, with South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas. Watch through the video player below.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has dismissed concerns the Coalition’s housing policies will create inflationary pressures for the property sector, finding that “by encouraging new houses into the marketplace, we can support the extra demand”.

Dutton revealed on Sunday that the Coalition, if elected, would allow first home buyers to claim a tax break on their mortgage interest, in a move that hopes to attract young voters but has drawn criticism as a measure that will drive demand without supporting housing supply.

“We know developers if they have a surety that they’re going to have a buyer when they build a house, are much more likely to build that house,” Taylor told ABC Radio National.

“This [policy] will give us those buyers for new houses, not for existing ones, we’ll get new extra houses into the marketplace and support those first home buyers back to restore that great Australian dream of homeownership, which we have seen eroding in front of our eyes in recent years.”

Taylor rebuked suggestions that the Coalition has abandoned fiscal responsibility to win votes in the election campaign, finding that their policies would deal with the “burning issue” of cost of living pressures.

“We’ve opposed over $100 billion of Labor spending that we think at a time like this is wasteful,” Taylor said. “Our budget position will be stronger than Labor’s, and that is because we’ve made the hard decisions over the last three years on measures that Labor’s taking that, we think, are not the right measures for Australia.”

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic has defended Labor’s new housing policy, stating that the government’s focus is not just on making it easier for people to buy homes but also on increasing the supply of housing.

In an interview with ABC Radio National’s Sally Sara, Husic said Labor’s housing policy aims to address Australia’s chronic affordability crisis.

At the core of Labor’s plan is the construction of 100,000 new homes, specifically targeted at first home buyers. The policy also seeks to implement a blanket $1000 tax deduction for millions of workers, as well as expanding a guarantee scheme for first home buyers to take on a mortgage with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent of the property value.

“Demand is clearly outstripping supply,” Husic said.

When pressed on the impact Labor’s 5 per cent deposit policy will have on house prices, Husic defended the approach, explaining that the policy is part of a broader strategy that includes measures to help both renters and buyers, while also tackling supply issues.

“It’s mainly for people to be able to get in to buy their own first home as quickly as they can. We do realise and appreciate that it is a bit of a struggle – not a bit – it’s a lot of a struggle for people to build up the savings to get the deposit.”

Sara repeatedly asked Husic if Labor has modelled the impact the deposit policy will have on house prices, to which he struggled to answer.

“I might refer you to the housing minister in terms of getting those types of specifics,” Husic said.

“You need to look at our overall approach as to what we’ve done, making it easier for people to rent, making it easier for people to buy, being able to address those supply issues. This is all taken as one in terms of being able to assist people.”

The relationship between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has received some attention, particularly after Plibersek was absent from the Albanese campaign tour as it visited the Great Barrier Reef last week.

But all appeared to be well at yesterday’s Labor campaign launch. Or was it? Have a look at the photo when the pair met.

Plibersek was asked about the encounter on breakfast TV this morning.

“I reckon we should still all be elbow bumping,” Plibersek told Channel 7’s Sunrise.

“During the election campaign, the last thing you want is to catch a cold from someone. So that’s on me. I should’ve done the elbow bump, I reckon.”

Pressed on the status of her relationship with Albanese, Plibersek said: “We’re buddies.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton appeared on Sunrise this morning with a message for young Australians struggling to break into the housing market: the Coalition is serious about helping you buy a home.

At the heart of his pitch is a new policy offering tax deductibility on loans up to $650,000, which would only apply to newly built homes. Dutton argues it’s a game-changer that will help first home buyers and stimulate new construction, boosting supply in a chronically tight market.

“We’re serious about being the party for homeownership again,” Dutton said. “People lost that dream. That hope.“

Critics, including economists, have warned the policy could fuel inflation and drive up home prices, especially if demand outpaces supply. But Dutton countered by pointing to a broader plan which includes a $5 billion infrastructure partnership with councils to open up 500,000 new housing blocks, incentives for tradies, a cut to migration levels, and a two-year ban on foreign buyers.

“The Labor Party wants people to be renters for life,” Dutton said.

The proposal joins a growing list of pre-election promises aimed squarely at cost-of-living pain points, from a 25¢ fuel excise cut to a gas reservation policy meant to bring down construction costs.