Australia election 2025 live: Plibersek insists she is ‘buddies’ with PM after awkward greeting at campaign launch; Greens to scrap uni fees
Plibersek laughs off Albanese’s hug block
One moment you might have missed during Labor’s campaign launch yesterday was when the prime minister seemed to block a hug from Tanya Plibersek, as he greeted members of his frontbench in the crowd (Jim Chalmers gave him a backslap while the former PM Julia Gillard shook his hand and Albanese held her arm up in the air.)
But when it came to Plibersek, the environment minister went in for a hug and a kiss – and Albanese grabbed both her hands to block her from getting any closer.
It was a little awkward.
Plibersek was asked about the moment on Sunrise, who said she should have “done the elbow-bump”.
I reckon we should still all be elbow-bumping. During an 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.
Asked if she and PM still get on, she said:
Yeah, of course!
Still buddies?
We’re buddies!
You can watch the exchange below:
Key events
We can’t escape another question on the Trump situation, and what Australia is going to do about it.
Albanese says we “live in an era of strategic competition”, but the government has been able to fix relations with China (see the new pandas from China in Adelaide), and is building closer relations with other global players.
He says he’s spoken to wine growers outside Adelaide who are exporting more premium wines to China. Albanese adds:
We’ve also restored our relationship with ASEAN, our relationship with the Pacific is really important, the COVID is a part of that process as well. Our relationship with Indonesia has never been stronger. And of course, our relationship with India… We can build on that relationship even more.
Albanese says COP conference would be held in Adelaide, if bid is successful
Our own Josh Butler asks the PM about Australia’s bid to host the COP climate conference, and criticism from the opposition, that it would cost billions of dollars.
Albanese says the bid hasn’t yet been won, but he’s still committed to hosting, and if won, the conference would be held in Adelaide.
It’s a ridiculous statement [from Dutton]. The fact is that holding a COP a climate change conference internationally produces revenue as well. It’s an economic boost for wherever it’s held. We do have the bid in it will be determined at the climate change conference later this year.
Albanese adds that his government has been able to repair Australia’s relationship in the Pacific, due to its stronger stance on climate change.
Malinauskas says he’s “very grateful” to the PM for Adelaide being picked to potentially host the event.
Albanese and Plibersek: ‘we’re good mates’
The PM is asked about… that… moment at the Labor launch yesterday, when he blocked a hug and kiss from Tanya Plibersek, and whether he’ll keep her in the environment portfolio for another three years.
Albanese says the pair are “good mates”.
You know what … Tanya Plibersek has been a friend of mine for a long period of time. We live in neighbouring seats. We’re good mates, and she’s doing a fantastic job.
The pair have had more than one awkward moment recently, most notably when Albanese helped to tank a deal Plibersek had struck with the Greens and independent senator David Pocock to pass Labor’s legislation for a new environmental protection agency. Albanese has since promised that if Labor gets in again, he’ll put a new EPA on the table.
PM concedes more needs to be done on accomodation for women escaping domestic violence
Albanese is asked about the need for more emergency accommodation for women escaping domestic violence. The PM says this shortage is addressed by the housing Australia future fund, but concedes more needs to be done:
The housing Australia future fund … a portion of that housing was about emergency accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence. That was something that we pointed out when the Greens and the Liberals and the Nationals in the Senate held it up for month after month after month after month.
We know that there is more needed to be done.
What about other families and households who own a home but need more support to move – perhaps into a bigger home for their growing family? Albanese says there are several programs to fix housing affordability.
If you increase supply, you assist everyone, because you have an impact on affordability and so across the board, whether it’s the housing Australia future fund, the social housing accelerator… So across the board, we know that supply is the key. Only Labor is looking at supply as well as demand.
Albanese pressed on why voters should believe promises on new housing
Albanese says home building “is happening” when challenged on why voters would believe the government can build 100,000 extra homes for first home buyers, on top of the 1.2m homes promised by Labor over five years.
The Coalition has been at pains to point out that no new homes have been built so far: the government has taken some other newly built homes or homes that were already being built and made them available for social and affordable housing.
Albanese says the townhouses being built behind him shows the plan will work:
They can see behind us. This is what it looks like. This isn’t theoretical. This is happening right now behind us.
On the critics of the plan like economist Chris Richardson: Albanese says Richardson should come and see the construction projects in Adelaide – and reiterates that Labor’s plan will boost housing supply.
Malinauskas: ‘We need more homes in South Australia’
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas speaks next, another very popular Labor leader in the state.
He says the policies announced yesterday will help more housing projects come online.
We need more homes in South Australia, and we need them as quickly as we can possibly build them.
I’m very grateful for the announcement that was made yesterday by the prime minister. It’ll allow developments exactly like the one that you see here be bought online more quickly in the places where it matters most.
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, says the Coalition’s policy will force taxpayers to subsidise home owners’ mortgages and won’t build new supply. She also takes a stab at the Coalition’s plan to allow first home buyers to access their superannuation to pay for a deposit:
It is going to make the intergenerational inequity problems that we are concerned about so much worse. What Peter Dutton wants to facilitate is for young people around the country to ransack their retirements.
Albanese says Labor’s housing policy will make ‘significance difference to increasing supply’
Anthony Albanese is up this morning in Adelaide, spruiking his housing policy announced yesterday.
He’s with the SA premier and a suite of Labor MPs and frontbenchers. For good measure, he’s at a new housing development in Adelaide, where he says 100 new townhouses are being built.
These two policies will make a significant difference to increasing supply, but also importantly to getting first home buyers, and particularly young Australians, into their first home. We’re going to work with state and industry partners to identify projects like this one here.
Albanese also says the new policies, including the increase to tax deductions without receipts to $1,000 will “simplify” the tax system.
Taylor insists Liberal budget position will be ‘stronger than Labors’ and promises costings before election
Going back to Angus Taylor on RN Breakfast for a moment, he was asked: has his party has abandoned fiscal responsibility to chase votes?
Neither party has really outlined how exactly they’ll be paying for these major new commitments, worth billions of dollars, announced over the weekend. Taylor denies that and insists their budget position will be better than Labor’s.
Absolutely not. Look, we’ve opposed over $100bn of Labor spending that we think, at a time like this, is wasteful …
We will come out with our costings before the election… our budget position will be stronger than Labor’s.
Josh Butler
Albanese to visit Adelaide this morning to promote housing promises
Anthony Albanese will visit a housing estate in Adelaide this morning, to spruik Labor’s campaign launch housing promises.
This development, which is part of the government’s Housing Australia Future Fund program, features 100 homes – including 40 set aside for first homebuyers. Labor had pointed to this model as an example of how its pledge to build 100,000 homes specifically for first homebuyers could work.
Albanese will be joined by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, the housing minister, Clare O’Neil, and several local Labor members.
He’ll do a tour of the site and a press conference shortly. Labor is buoyed by the overnight Newspoll which shows Albanese in an election-winning position.
Paterson on neo-Nazi protesters: ‘nothing patriotic about worshipping failed foreign regime of one of history’s greatest losers’
Paterson is also asked about neo-Nazis protesting outside his office over the weekend. He says if they were there to intimidate him, it’s “not going to work”.
If it was to intimidate, it’s not going to work on me… I particularly resent the attempt by these people to portray themselves as patriots. There is nothing patriotic about worshipping a failed foreign regime of one of history’s greatest losers.
Paterson says he will “always stand against” nazism.
