Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Greens leader Adam Bandt have hit the campaign trail, with all three of them starting the day in Brisbane.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Greens leader Adam Bandt have hit the campaign trail, with all three of them starting the day in Brisbane.
A press conference from Anthony Albanese, who has flown a bit further north to Bundaberg to visit the coastal city’s eponymous brewery, has just started.
You can watch it live below:
As the Labor and Liberal leaders fronted breweries and medical centres on Brisbane’s north side this morning, the Greens gathered for a rally south of the river, urging voters to “keep Peter Dutton out” and rejecting the LNP’s push for nuclear power in the state.
“People in Brisbane certainly don’t want to see Australia go nuclear when we have so much sun and wind,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said. “The Greens this election are very clear: we’ll keep Peter Dutton out.“:
Despite the PM’s accusations, reiterated at his press conference this morning (see 9.48am post), that housing legislation had been held up by the Greens and the Coalition, Bandt said the party was focused on the LNP.
“If the prime minister wants to spend his time attacking the Greens, well, you do you, prime minister,” Bandt said. “Any time you might want to come and work with the Greens to stop Dutton bringing his Trump-style politics to Australia, we’re up for that.”
Following his trip to the XXXX brewery in Brisbane this morning, Peter Dutton is about to have an afternoon tea event with local Liberal supporters at Eatons Hill, in his electorate of Dickson in Brisbane.
Albanese visited the electorate earlier today, holding a press conference at a medical centre in Murrumba Downs.
For more context on Matthew Knott’s post below about Peter Dutton being asked questions about the gas reservation plan announced on Friday, business reporter Nick Toscano and climate/energy correspondent Mike Foley reported that the gas industry was blindsided by the policy.
The Coalition’s so-called “Australian gas for Australians” scheme – a pitch to voters struggling with energy bills and other living costs – would curb exports of uncontracted gas from Queensland’s giant liquefied gas ventures and force additional supplies to be sold to local buyers at cheaper prices.
The proposed reservation scheme sparked an immediate backlash from the gas industry, which warned it could deter the very investments in new gas supplies that the Coalition says it is trying to encourage.
Australian Energy Producers, an industry group, called the proposal a “damaging market intervention” that would force a glut of domestic gas, undermine their ability to sanction new gas-drilling projects in Victoria and NSW, and threaten trading relationships with long-term LNG buyers.
Under questioning from reporters on the campaign trail this morning, Peter Dutton repeatedly refused to detail how much energy prices would potentially fall under his gas reservation plan.
Dutton unveiled the plan on Thursday night during his budget reply speech.
He promised bills would be reduced, but has not provided estimates of how much less people would be paying. He told reporters today the Coalition would release its modelling later in the campaign.
The prime minister has just arrived in the coastal Queensland city of Bundaberg for a trip to the Bundaberg brewery.
Bundaberg is located in the safe Coalition seat of Hinkler. The LNP holds the seat by a 10 per cent margin but the retirement of incumbent Keith Pitt means Labor feels it is an outside chance of winning the electorate.
Later he will head to Canberra to appear on the ABC Insiders program on Sunday morning.
There are some photos that are campaign trail perennials – politicians taking a sip from a glass of beer or meeting a baby or young child.
It’s just after midday on the first full day of campaigning, and those two boxes have already been ticked off.
Beer:
Babies:
Dutton has taken a sly jab at Albanese campaigning in his seat this morning, thinking it might do his chances a world of good.
Albanese gave a press conference at a medical centre in Dutton’s seat of Dickson, while Greens leader Adam Bandt is also in Brisbane at the moment.
Dutton was asked at his own press conference what he thought of all the activity in his seat and whether he was concerned about losing Dickson, given he holds it with just a 1.7 per cent two-party preferred margin.
He replied: “I welcome Mr Albanese to meet as many of my constituents in Dickson as possible, and I reckon my margin would go up because of that, so very happy for that.”
Peter Dutton’s visit to Brisbane’s XXXX brewery was interrupted a short while ago by an anti-nuclear protester from activist group Rising Tide who was carrying a banner that read “No new gas or nuclear”.
During a press conference, he was asked his thoughts on protests interrupting events and replied that they did not represent the views of most Australians.
“People who are extremists who want everything shut down tomorrow – that is not where the vast majority of Australians are,” he said. “There are extremes in all of these debates and my job is to do the right thing by this country and we will make the best decisions for Australian businesses and consumers.”
Earlier today a press conference from Anthony Albanese was interrupted by a heckler who complained about immigration and housing affordability.
