Leaders’ debate live updates: Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton meet in final election debate
Dutton argues welcome to country ceremonies ‘overdone’
Both leaders are being asked about the booing that occurred at Anzac Day ceremonies during welcome to country ceremonies.
Peter Dutton was asked if he would acknowledge traditional owners at his official events? Speaking on flags first, he answered:
I don’t believe [we are] the best country we can be if we’re asking people to identify under different flags. I want to unite our country. I want every Australian to be equal … You can have respect as I do for the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Islands flag but I want our country to be one and that is the best chance.
On welcome to country ceremonies, Dutton argued it was “overdone” and said:
It is respectful to do, but for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, I think other Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do, it divides the country, not dissimilar to what the prime ministers did with the voice.
Key events
Moving to defence, the leaders have now been asked if Australia trust Donald Trump to “be our protector”?
Anthony Albanese answered that “yes,” Australia can trust the US to have Australia’s back on security.
When I went to the United States for the official visit, I met with over 100 congresspeople and senators across Democrats, Republicans – [there was] universal support for the relationship with Australia, and I think that gives us confidence. It is in the United States’ interest as well as Australia’s interest for the security relationship.
Peter Dutton answered that Australia can “trust whoever is in the Oval Office.”
And we respect the views of the American people and the views of the American people and the elected president
Both leaders were asked if the date of Australia Day should be changed, and both answered “No.”
Anthony Albanese said “we need to … look at how we can bring people together”.
Part of my experience [with] Australia Day is that there is acknowledgment of the fullness and richness of our 65,000 years of history, but also there is acknowledgment of what happened with settlement, celebrating be 26th of January when the first fleet arrived and the migrants who came to make Australia their home. We have three parts of that history and we should celebrate all of it.
Peter Dutton took aim at schools next, and said:
Frankly in our schools, we need to stop the teaching of some of the curriculum that says that our children should be ashamed of being Australian effectively. And we have made mistakes in our history, no question about that, but we cannot live with that shame forever, we need to accept that mistakes were made and need to make sure we celebrate our national day as most other countries [do]. We need to defend what we have in this country.
Peter Dutton continued his answer, arguing that a welcome to country was “appropriate” for the opening of parliament “and other significant events of that nature”.
But I do think the most important thing we can do is provide tactical reconciliation and I think the nation was aghast when the prime minister … sought to divide us over the Voice.
Anthony Albanese was asked if he still believes in the voice, but he answered “it’s gone”.
We need to find different paths to affect reconciliation … All governments have not done well enough, that is the truth, the Labor party, the Liberal party have not done well enough.
Anthony Albanese has argued that welcome to country ceremonies are a “matter of respect” – but that it is up to the organisations hosting an event whether they have a welcome to country or not.
It is up to them and people will have different views and people are entitled to their views, but we have a great privilege from my perspective, of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth.
But does he think it is overdone? The PM replied:
It is up to people to determine whether they have a welcome to country or not, but from my perspective, for major events, it is of course a sign of respect.
Dutton argues welcome to country ceremonies ‘overdone’
Both leaders are being asked about the booing that occurred at Anzac Day ceremonies during welcome to country ceremonies.
Peter Dutton was asked if he would acknowledge traditional owners at his official events? Speaking on flags first, he answered:
I don’t believe [we are] the best country we can be if we’re asking people to identify under different flags. I want to unite our country. I want every Australian to be equal … You can have respect as I do for the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Islands flag but I want our country to be one and that is the best chance.
On welcome to country ceremonies, Dutton argued it was “overdone” and said:
It is respectful to do, but for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, I think other Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do, it divides the country, not dissimilar to what the prime ministers did with the voice.
Albanese accuses Dutton of trying to ‘secure political advantage from grievance’
Peter Dutton has told the PM he “can’t stand here telling people they’re much better off after three years”.
If you had a good story to tell, prime minister, you wouldn’t be running a scare campaign. You’d be talking about your so-called achievements of the last three years … If you’re re-elected, the prices will keep going up.
Anthony Albanese said that Dutton had “identified a range of issues but you have no solutions, and you pretend that they’ve arisen in May 2022”.
Now, it’s just a fact that the inflation rate is 2.4%. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there doing it tough. Of course they are. But that’s why we’re undertaking these measures to look after people, not to go out there, talk Australia down, and to try to secure political advantage from grievance.
Anthony Albanese is responding, arguing that Peter Dutton is not offering “structural change”.
He’s going to this election campaign saying that he will increase the income tax of all 14 million Australians, and the changes that he’s spoken about will disappear in 12 months’ time. That is the difference. They don’t have structural changes going through, such as the ones that we’ve implemented, that last – whether it’s cheaper medicines, whether it be the income tax cuts.
Mark Riley has just asked Peter Dutton:
You say you have an aspiration to index the tax rates to alleviate the problem with bracket creep. Yet at the same time you’re going to this election, as the prime minister just pointed out, promising the people you will repeal a tax cut. I don’t know of any leader who’s ever done that. Is that crazy brave or just crazy?
The opposition leader responded that the Coalition was “reducing that overall tax burden on the family but we’re providing that as an interim solution until we can fix up Labor’s mess.” He argued:
We’ve said you can have the Labor option, which is 70 cents a day in 15 months’ time, or a 25c a litre cut to fuel excise now. So $14 per tank, per week. That’s about $1,500 a year, $1,200 back for each taxpayer in an average income household. So $2400. You equate that, compared to the 70 cents a day, people are better off.
PM rules out negative hearing changes
Anthony Albanese again confirmed, not for the first time, that negative gearing changes were “off the table” under Labor.
But Peter Dutton continued to say he doesn’t believe the PM:
The prime minister said before the last election that there’d be no changes to superannuation, and the prime minister’s introduced a tax which taxes an unrealised capital gain.
Peter Duttonasked about the benefits of skilled migration, said that “of course” Australia needs skilled migrants. But he continued:
But it needs to be done in a balanced and measured way … If you bring in a million people over two years, over a five-year period, it will be about 2 million people, population bigger than the size of Adelaide …
The prime minister responded, saying migration rates had fallen by 31% in the past year.
After Covid, of course, there was going to be more people coming in short term. The government is addressing that by lowering migration at the same time as we’re building housing.
Anthony Albanese said 28,000 homes are under construction or in planning under Labor’s key housing program:
You’re having a lend to oppose all of those measures then say ‘Why haven’t the homes been built?’ The former government didn’t even have a housing minister for half the time they were in office.
