Australian election 2025: Albanese, Dutton campaigning on day 30 of May 3 election
The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader will ramp on their campaigns on Saturday, after taking a break on Friday to mark Anzac Day.
The May 3 election is now entering the final stretch with just seven days of campaigning to go, with a new opinion poll showing Labor is still ahead in key marginal seats – but the outcome is not a done deal,
The latest RedBridge-Accent tracking poll of 20 marginal seats, published in News Corp mastheads on Saturday, has found that after weeks of falling, the Coalition vote has stabilised.
While the Albanese government remains in an election-winning lead of 54.5 per cent, more of those who have indicated they'll vote Labor could still flip before polling day than Coalition voters.
Labor's primary vote remained static on 35 per cent as did the Coalition with 34 per cent with the Greens on 14 and the per cent and other minor parties and independents on 17 per cent.
RedBridge director Tony Barry said the large number of undecided voters meant the result was still uncertain.
'The continued large soft vote segment means the Coalition can't be counted out of the fight but the issues performance numbers in this poll indicates that all of Labor's messages are landing, particularly their Mediscare 2.0 campaign,' he said.
More than one million Australians have already voted and many pre-poll site are open again on Saturday for early voting.
Peter Dutton said the race was not over, with a lot of seats still up for grabs.
'There are literally millions of Australians who are still undecided and I think the next week will allow them to decide whether they want to continue with three more years under Labor,' the Opposition Leader told Nine's Today show on Saturday.
'I think there is a big difference in the mood out there and what silent Australians are thinking as they vote right now and every day until next Saturday.
'I think there is a lot up for grabs, and I think there are a lot of seats still to be decided over the course of the next week.'
Anthony Albanese is starting the day in Melbourne, where Labor needs to win or retain its seats, while Mr Dutton is in Cairns, where the Coalition is trying to retain its seat of Leichhardt following the retirement of popular long serving MP, Warren Entsch.
'Unite under one flag': Dutton's call on Welcome to Country
Peter Dutton has been asked whether he still supports the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags being dropped in political backdrops after the Welcome to Country was booed in Melbourne.
'In relation to a Welcome to Country, if an organizer of a particular event decides that there's a Welcome to Country, then people can respect that decision,' Mr Dutton said.
'That's an issue for individual events and and people should respect that.
'In relation to the flag, the point I've made about as prime minister, my policy to stand behind one flag is because I want our country to be united under one flag.
'I want our country to be as good as it can be, and we can't be as good as it can be if we're separating people into different groupings.
'Every Australian, whether you came here as a migrant from Greece or from Asia or any part of the world in the 1800s or you came here in 2018 or if you can trace your family tree back 60,000 years, we are all equal Australians, and we can respect the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Island flag, but we unite under one flag as every other developed country, comparable country, does, and that's how we can help close the gap.
'It's how we get better outcomes for Australians. The Prime Minister divided our country in relation to the Voice and I don't think the people in Leichardt will forget the fact that the Prime Minister spent $450m on the Voice.'
Mr Dutton was also asked about whether he supported former senator Linda Reynolds in her decision to sue the Commonwealth over the Brittany Higgins compensation payment.
'Well that's a decision for her,' he said before abruptly walking out.
LNP's controversial 'MAGA' candidate walks back Trump support
A controversial LNP candidate whose volunteers were spotted donning MAGA – 'Make Albanese Go Away' – hats at his campaign launch has walked back his praise for US President Donald Trump.
Leichhardt candidate Jeremy Neal, who also blamed Mr Trump's 2020 election loss on feminists (before later apologising), said the Republican President's tarrifs had 'really left a sour taste in my mouth'.
'We've got some very good industry up here, particularly in beef and aluminum,' he said.
'The tariffs that have been placed on this recently – I know there's been some changes recently – they have detrimental to our area.
'I obviously support Far North Queensland and making sure these industries can still thrive.
'Those views are very long time ago, and they were deleted a very long time ago, and what matters here at the moment is, when I'm out on the ground, cost of living, the energy crisis going up, is that it's the way of life in Far North Queensland.'
Asked if he still supported Mr Trump, Mr Neal added: 'The tarrifs really left a sour taste in my mouth.
'We are obviously have to look look at how we can support our local industries.'
Dutton dodges questions about 'MAGA' candidate
Peter Dutton has refused to say whether a controversial Queensland LNP candidate's vocal support for Donald Trump would be 'a problem', after he blamed 'feminists' for the Republican President's 2020 election loss.
Liberal National Party candidate for Leichardt Jeremy Neal was forced to apologise earlier this month after comments resurfaced about the US election, and in which he called China a 'grub of a country' and criticised Covid measures.
Standing next to Mr Neal, the Opposition Leader was asked what he thought of those comments.
'If you have a look at candidates that we've got on offer at this election in Cairns here in Leichhardt, we've got somebody, a paramedic, who served his country for his state and his local community for 15 years as a paramedic,' Mr Dutton said of Mr Neal.
'In Dickson, you've got a candidate who the Prime Minister's endorsed in terms of the neo-nazi pictures and other vile posts that she's supported.
'So, I'm hardly going to take a lecture from the Prime Minister in relation to these matters.
'Ultimately, the contest here in Leichhardt is between a Labor candidate, who's promising to increase the cost of power, promising to increase the cost of groceries, promising to lock young Australians out of housing because they bought a million people in over two years, a 70 per cent increase on any two year period in our country's history.
'And, you've got Jeremy, who has a deep understanding of his local community and has the ability to represent this local community.'
Dutton fights for key seat
Peter Dutton joined supporters at a breakfast in sunny Cairns on Saturday morning, alongside embattled Coalition candidate Jeremy Neal.
The LNP candidate for Leichhardt came under fire earlier in the campaign after volunteers were spotted donning MAGA hats – 'Make Albanese Go Away' – at his campaign launch.
Mr Neal was also forced to apologise when old comments resurfaced, in which he called China a 'grub of a country' and blamed feminists for Donald Trump's 2022 election loss.
Mr Neal was chosen to succeed outgoing long-term Liberal MP Warren Entsch, who served with only a single interlude from 1996 before retiring, and will go up against Labor's Matt Smith.
Mr Dutton was greeted by Mr Neal at a cafe outside the Bar Street Markets in Earlville, where the pair received a warm welcome from supporters.
'There are our boys,' one supporter said.
Mr Dutton is hoping to hold onto the marginal tropical Far North Queensland seat, shaking hands as Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up played on an overheard video screen.
Speaking to supporters, Mr Dutton admitted it would be a 'tight race' in Leichhardt, calling it a 'powerhouse of tourism and small business enterprise'.
On Mr Neal, Mr Dutton told volunteers: 'you have the opportunity to have somebody who will work hard, somebody who will fight hard for this local community, and when you go to pre-poll today, please support your great, wonderful Liberal National Party candidate.'
Mr Dutton said the Coalition was also going to make announcements about training and housing.
And, for those who are curious, the wannabe next prime minister's cafe order?
English breakfast tea with no milk. Black.
Albo visits Chinese language school
Anthony Albanese has started his day with a visit to a Chinese language school in its must-keep seat of Chisholm in Melbourne's outer suburbs.
Carina Garland won the seat in 2022 and holds it on a 3.3 per cent margin.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Bourke, Multicultural Affairs Minister Julian Hill and Labor candidate for the neighbouring seat of Menzies Gabriel Ng accompanied the Prime Minister on the visit.
Albanese hints at Defence spending boost
The Prime Minister has suggested he is open to increasing the Defence budget to go above the target of 2.3 per cent of GDP to be reached over the next decade.
The Coalition has gone further, this week announcing its intention to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent, while Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart entered the debate calling for spending to be 5 per cent.
Australia's AUKUS partner, US President Donald Trump, has demanded allies spend 3 per cent or above on defence.
In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian, Anthony Albanese said any defence spending decisions would be taken in Australia's 'sovereign interest'.
'Australia determines our own position as a sovereign nation,' Mr Albanese said.
'That's our response, and we more than punch above our weight, and have done so, including with our American friends and our allies.
'We have been good allies, loyal allies and good partners, and we expect to be treated as such.'
Mr Albanese said if necessary, he would increase the defence budget.
'If we need to invest, it will be based upon, not based upon a magic number, but what are the assets that we need? That's the right question.'
Dutton dodges question on Gina's defence call
Peter Dutton has avoided directly responding to Gina Rinehart's call to nearly double defence funding to 5 per cent of GDP.
Australia's richest woman made the call at an Anzac Day eve event in Sydney on Thursday.
Mr Dutton said
'(Former Labor leader) Kim Beazley's called for it to be 3 per cent, so there'll be different views out there,' Mr Dutton told the Today Show.
Mr Dutton earlier this week announced under Coalition defence policy it would increase the spend to 2.5 per cent of GDP and boost spending by $21bn over the next five years.
'What we know for sure is that Labor's ripped $80bn out of defence, even though the PM says that we live in the most precarious period since the end of the Second World War,' he said.
'So for us, we have to accept the advice and that is that we have to invest into defence to keep us safe and not just for our generation, but for our kids and grandkids as well.
'And that's why we've announced an increase of $21bn over the next five years, which will help acquire the capability and support our men and women in uniform.'
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