Australia election 2025 live: leaders begin frantic final week of campaign amid washup to Sunday’s debate
Key events
Hate media not a ‘phrase that I would use’ says Hume
A little earlier on ABC AM, shadow finance minister Jane Hume was asked about Peter Dutton’s accusation that ABC and the Guardian are “hate media”.
Hume says they aren’t words she’d use:
That wouldn’t be a phrase that I would use, but that’s, but that wasn’t, that wasn’t my phrase.
Pushed further on whether that kind of language is helpful, Hume says:
Well, I think that that’s conjecture one way or the other. I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on what matters to everyday Australians…
There’s more back and forth, and Hume is asked whether the Coalition can point to any hateful coverage in the ABC or Guardian.
Hume won’t bite, and won’t provide an example, she just repeats the line that her “focus” is on “what is important to ordinary Australians”.
Cabinet minister and Labor spokesperson Jason Clare is continuing his media rounds this morning.
On RN Breakfast he’s asked about the latest polling showing Labor ahead, but he tries not to get too giddy, saying it’ll be “very, very tight” on the weekend.
Clare reflects too on last night’s debate, calling Peter Dutton “agro”.
In Peter Dutton, you saw all of that aggro and negativity that you see in the parliament in that debate, and very little optimism.
Asked about what the mood is like in Western Sydney – where Clare lives –
It’s not homogenous. Western Sydney, big, millions of people. It’s different in Campbelltown, that is in Bankstown and it is in Parramatta than it is in Penrith.
I think one of the most chilling parts of that debate was Peter Dutton defending his decision to try to introduce a tax to go to the doctor. Ask people in Western Sydney what’s on their mind, a lot of people will talk about Medicare.
Asked whether he believes there should be a minister for Western Sydney in the government, Clare argues there’s five. Sally Sara points out while there may be five ministers representing Western Sydney, there’s no standalone minister.
With the Magic Round on the election weekend, AEC tells fans to ‘vote before you go’
With the NRL Magic Round (1-4 May) coinciding with the 2025 federal election on Saturday 3 May, fans are being encouraged to “vote before you go” by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
In excess of 150,000 fans from outside Brisbane are expected to attend Suncorp stadium for NRL Magic Round across the four days, prompting the AEC to urge fans to vote before they travel. Early voting is available at more than 550 early voting centres open around the country.
Evan Ekin-Smyth, an AEC national spokesperson, said the AEC was working with clubs to remind fans of the voting options available to them ahead of the round.
With all the excitement of a major event, we know that voting may not be top of mind when NRL fans arrive in Brisbane.
We also know fans will be busy and not wanting to spend some of their Magic Round weekend at a polling centre, so we’re encouraging them to cast their vote early so they can focus on enjoying the footy.
If interstate voters aren’t able to vote early, it’s important to visit an interstate voting centre as not all polling places facilitate interstate voting. We’ve increased capacity at three inner-city locations to accommodate NRL fans.
Early voting centres are available to all voters – including interstate travellers. Early voting locations available across Brisbane include:
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Brisbane city hall
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West End Uniting Church
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St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Indooroopilly
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St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Enoggera
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The Gap Uniting Church
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Mcleod country golf club, Mount Ommaney
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Geebung Uniting Church Hall
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St Gerard Majella Church Hall, Chermside West
Sometimes pollies can be nice to one another
Occasionally we do see some nice moments between politicians who sit across party lines.
The usually fiery duo of Tanya Plibersek and Barnaby Joyce did their usual battle on Sunrise this morning, arguing about costings and the cost of living.
Plibersek argued that Labor has outlined its costings through its March budget and mid-year economic update in December, and attacked the Coalition on trying to introduce a GP co-payment under the Abbott era. Joyce fired back, claiming Labor’s debt and interest bill has skyrocketed.
But at the end of the panel, host Nat Barr challenged them both to say something nice about each other. Plibersek says:
There’s lots of nice things about him. I would say that he has a really colourful turn of phrase that really sticks with people.
Joyce says:
Tanya is a wonderful mum. When you have the privilege of meeting her beautiful daughters, you can see in their eyes that they love their mum, and that’s the best recommendation in life. Be a good parent, and Tanya’s definitely one.
Clare on welcome to country: ‘I don’t think any of us want to be on the same side as neo-Nazis’
There were a few standout moments in the debate last night which are put to cabinet minister Jason Clare this morning.
On ABC News Breakfast, Clare is asked about whether welcome to country ceremonies are “overdone – a claim Peter Dutton made. Clare says he hopes the issue won’t become a political football in the final days of the election.
I hope not. This is about a bit of respect …
Remember where all of this began on Friday, it spawned out of the actions of neo-Nazis interrupting an Anzac Day Dawn Service. I don’t think any of us want to find ourselves on the same side of this argument as neo-Nazis.
Clare is also asked about the PM’s assertion that Donald Trump doesn’t have a mobile phone (and therefore Albanese can’t contact Trump that way). Clare says the way leaders interact is through a “formal process”:
From some of the other things that you have seen happen in defence in the US recently, the appropriate way for leaders to interact is through secure rooms and secure lines.
A bit of a pointed reference there to the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth there.
Josh Butler
The Greens will again demand the federal government back no new coal or gas projects in the event of a minority parliament situation. The minor party says the federal government would already have the legal powers to block new projects.
The Greens are critical that Labor has backed some new fossil fuel projects, and that greenhouse gas emissions haven’t decreased by a larger amount – saying Labor’s emissions are “flatlining” compared to the previous Coalition government.
Adam Bandt will campaign in the seat of environment minister Tanya Plibersek on Monday, criticising her role in approving new coal and gas. The Greens are pointing to research they’ve commissioned from the parliamentary library, which says that the climate minister does have the power to stop new coal and gas projects, under provisions of Labor’s own safeguard mechanism.
The library research, seen by Guardian Australia, says “it would be possible for the Minister to amend the Safeguard Rule to specify that the baseline for a class of facilities, such as coal mines, is 0 (zero) or another specified number”.
The Greens say this would allow the Labor government to block new coal and gas, which Bandt says would be one of his priorities if Labor ended up in a minority government situation and requiring Greens support.
PM Anthony Albanese has repeatedly ruled out making a deal with the Greens in the event of a hung parliament – which many published polls say is a likely outcome after Saturday’s election. Bandt said:
The Greens gave the Climate Minister the power to stop new coal and gas mines with the stroke of a pen, and with more Greens in minority Parliament we’ll get him to use it.
NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi claimed “every one of Labor’s more than 30 coal and gas approvals puts more people at risk.”
The impacts of the climate crisis are here, people are being devastated and traumatised again and again by climate-driven disasters. The science is clear: tackling the climate crisis means no new coal and gas. With more Greens in parliament, we will get Labor to act so we can power past coal and gas.
Good morning from Krishani
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you to take you through the FINAL week of the campaign. And when I say final, I mean finally!
There are just five days left after the leaders faced their fourth (and final) debate last night. You can read what we learned from the debate here, and the pivot by Peter Dutton to tread back into culture war territory here.
Of the four debates, Anthony Albanese has won two, Dutton has won one, and neither won the ABC debate which had no verdict.
We’ll see more reaction to that as the leaders continue their blitz across the country – which we can no doubt expect to be sped up even further – to hit as many seats across as many states as possible each day.
We’ll bring all of that to you as it comes.
