Australia election 2025 live: PM accuses Dutton of ‘dialling everything up to 11’ after ‘reckless’ response to Russian air base report
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says he doesn’t want to encourage Dutton ‘dialling everything up’
Concluding that chat on ABC Melbourne this morning, Anthony Albanese is asked whether he’s been preparing some jabs or zingers to target Peter Dutton at tonight’s ABC leaders’ debate.
The prime minister questioned Dutton’s temperament:
No, no. I stick to the policy framework. I, look, Peter Dutton dials it up to 11. I don’t need to encourage that. That’s just who he is. He dials everything up. And that’s one of the problems, I think, is that you need the right temperament to be prime minister.
Key events
Dutton refuses to say his statements risk relationship with Indonesia
Dutton is drawn back to the issue, and is asked by Tom Crowley if he has “overreached” and risks insulting Indonesia – considering the precarious global environment.
Dutton goes straight to attacking Wong again, and won’t answer the question on whether his comments could affect the relationship with Indonesia.
The fact is when you have a foreign minister and a defence minister and a prime minister finding out about decisions from our friends and countries abroad … you know this government is not up to it.
The relationship between Indonesia and Russia is closer, we know that and we want to continue [our] relationship because we don’t want Russian assets in our region.
Another reporter tests Dutton on his previous answer that the statement he made yesterday, that he had seen commentary from the Indonesian administration, was a reference to “a credible media website”. Dutton says:
I made the point earlier in relation to the reference.
Pushed again, and asked for more clarity on whether it was a mistake to say the Indonesian president confirmed those reports, Dutton says:
I have provided that respond to that exact question.
Dutton denies comments on Russia and Indonesia were irresponsible: ‘A lot of questions the government still has to answer’
The first question, unsurprisingly, goes to Dutton’s comments on Russia and Indonesia, and the government’s claim that Dutton was “irresponsible” in those comments.
Dutton denies he was irresponsible, and says there are further questions for the government to answer.
The prospect of having Russia with the greatest presence in our region is very real and there are a lot of questions the government still has to answer. We have asked for a briefing in relation to the matter that has not been forthcoming yet.
Dutton says the relationship between Indonesia and Russia is “closer under this president”.
Dutton is asked about the reference yesterday to a statement he made from the Indonesian administration. He says:
The reference I made is to a credible military website and that talked about government sources and the Prabowo government sources …
Penny Wong talks a big game but I don’t think she is a foreign minister on top of her brief.
Opposition leader addresses media in seat of Aston
Peter Dutton is now standing up in the seat of Aston (which the Coalition is hoping to win back, after it lost the seat to Labor in a byelection).
Dutton is also talking about his housing policy:
We will increase supply and we will make sure as we said on the weekend and repeated this policy again, allow young Australians to access their super so that they can get the deposit together. We’ll stop foreigners from purchasing homes for a 2-year period
Both leaders have been in Melbourne this morning, before their debate on the ABC tonight.
So what have they been up to? Albanese has been at a housing estate while Peter Dutton visited the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
Queensland MP urges colleagues to adopt ‘do-nothing strategy’ in regards to climate action
Energy is still a key issue in this election and Guardian Australia has uncovered a video of one Coalition MP telling a group of climate science deniers that blackouts are a “big opportunity”.
My colleague Ben Smee reports that, in a video posed on YouTube, Queensland MP Colin Boyce said he’d urged fellow MPs to adopt a “do-nothing strategy” which would build opposition to net zero policies.
You can read the full story right here:
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says he doesn’t want to encourage Dutton ‘dialling everything up’
Concluding that chat on ABC Melbourne this morning, Anthony Albanese is asked whether he’s been preparing some jabs or zingers to target Peter Dutton at tonight’s ABC leaders’ debate.
The prime minister questioned Dutton’s temperament:
No, no. I stick to the policy framework. I, look, Peter Dutton dials it up to 11. I don’t need to encourage that. That’s just who he is. He dials everything up. And that’s one of the problems, I think, is that you need the right temperament to be prime minister.
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says Dutton fabricated statement by Indonesian president that ‘simply did not happen’
Anthony Albanese was asked on ABC Melbourne about reports Russia had requested aircraft be based at a facility in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua, as reported by defence publication, Janes.
At a press conference yesterday, Peter Dutton questioned: “Did the prime minister know about this before it was publicly announced by the president of Indonesia, and what is the government’s response to it?”
The report has since been dismissed by the Albanese government as “simply not true” after speaking with Indonesian counterparts. The prime minister accused the opposition leader of falsely attributing the statement to Indonesia’s president.
Albanese told ABC Melbourne:
It wasn’t announced by the president of Indonesia, Indonesia having nothing to do with such a plan. They have made it very clear. [Dutton] has fabricated a statement by the … president of Indonesia that simply did not happen, based upon goodness knows what, but based upon something that simply wasn’t fact.
The prime minister continued the attack on Dutton’s character, adding he “always shoots from the hip”:
One of Peter Dutton’s problems, just one of them, is that he always dials things up to 11. He always shoots from the hip. And when you are either the prime minister or the alternative prime minister of this country, what you need to do is to have a considered approach to our international relations.
I have had to spend this term repairing relations with friends like France, friends in Asean, in the Pacific. And what Peter Dutton has reminded people, okay, is just how reckless he can be.
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says Senate candidate who posted address of vacant house for people seeking emergency accomodation is ‘a disgrace’
As if having simultaneous press conferences isn’t enough for a Wednesday morning, Anthony Albanese also joined ABC Melbourne for a pre-recorded interview.
The prime minister was asked about an ABC report where a woman claimed the locks on her house had been changed and items stolen after a Victorian Senate candidate, Jordan van den Lamb, posted the address online encouraging people needing emergency accommodation to squat in.
Van den Lamb, better known as purplepingers online, rose to social media fame for posting about dodgy landlords and creating a database of vacant properties for his audience to squat in. Albanese was asked to respond to the ABC report:
I think he’s a disgrace … it’s quite clearly just reprehensible, self-indulgent behaviour.
Van den Lamb told ABC he would consider an apology to the woman and did not “want her to feel bad”, adding “there are so many empty homes while people don’t have homes and I think that’s disgusting”.
Asked again later whether there is a housing crisis, Albanese said:
We need to build more homes. I don’t think anything excuses the behaviour of this Senate candidate. I’ve got to say, so I don’t want that link to be drawn, because nothing excuses that behaviour.
Both major parties released housing announcements over the weekend. Read more by Ben Smee here:
PM says it’s important he goes into ‘uncontrolled environments’ despite hecklers
Our reporter Josh Butler asks the PM about a video that’s been released to social media, of him being confronted by a couple of people in the lobby of his hotel. Butler asks whether it makes him rethink his public appearances, and whether he knows how these protesters are finding out where the media appearances are.
Albanese says:
[It] probably wouldn’t be a good idea to broadcast [our security plans] frankly, and I have faith in the AFP, as I’ve said before, I have no intention of going into security discussions. That’s not in the interests of security.
He says nothing’s stopped him from doing other public appearances, like when he stopped at a gym on the first day of his campaign in Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson.
I’ve engaged with people … I went for a walk around Adelaide. Adelaide mall was terrific. I went for a walk around Perth as well. And I think it’s really important, and it’s something that I’ve done. I go into uncontrolled environments.
Chalmers insists ‘large portion’ of Labor’s announcements ‘were already budgeted for’
One of the key questions that’s followed both major parties on their housing policies is: how are they going to be paid for?
That’s put to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, who says a lot of what’s been announced has already been budgeted for.
A large portion of the announcements that we have made were already budgeted for in the budget, as you know, and where we’ve made additional announcements, we’ve made clear how much those new policies cost.
He then turns the focus to the Coalition and says they haven’t released the costings on their tax-deductible lunch policies that they announced last year.
Albanese reiterates that Indonesia is a sovereign nation but that Australia’s relationship with it ‘has never been stronger’
Albanese is drawn back to the issue of Russia and Indonesia, and is asked about the defence ties between the two nations, and a visit which we mentioned earlier between senior Russian officials with Indonesia’s defence minister and president.
Albanese reiterates the point that the relationship between Australia and Indonesia “has never been stronger”, but that Indonesia is a sovereign nation.
There won’t be joint exercises between Australia and Russia, I assure you of that. But our relationship with Indonesia has never been stronger…
Indonesia is a sovereign nation. So we continue to put our argument about our own case and our own relationship with Indonesia. Indonesia and Russia have historically had relations that are different from Australia’s.
Pushed again on whether Australia is seeking reassurances from Indonesia that they wouldn’t allow any forces or presence of Russian aircraft, Albanese says, “We deal with diplomacy, not through media conferences, but through engagement.”
PM claims he has evidence urgent care clinics are working to take pressure off emergency departments
Back to the PM’s presser: Labor has been plugging its urgent care clinics across the country, but a reporter asks about a report that shows the clinics haven’t reduced wait times in emergency departments (also known as EDs).
Albanese says “punters” have told him across the country the clinics are working and state and territory leaders have said they are taking pressure off EDs.
You have two reports today about urgent care clinics and about our bulk billing incentive that are completely contradicted by talking to people on the ground … It’s taking pressure off those EDs, every state health minister is saying the same thing, labor and Liberal.
A follow up question asks Albanese whether there’s clear evidence the clinics are taking pressure off hospitals. Albanese says there is:
Yeah, I do [have evidence]. Come and talk to anyone, I’ll guarantee you this, I will be going to urgent care clinics for the next two and a half weeks and more. And you can talk to people there, talk to people there about whether they would have ended up in an emergency department.
Dutton pledges $6m to kid’s online safety foundation
Both leaders are in Melbourne this morning, and Peter Dutton is holding a presser at the same time.
He’s talking about online safety for children, and has pledged $6m to the Alannah and Madeline foundation to protect kids from online harm.
Every parent’s nightmare is the worry that your child will end up in a difficult or traumatic circumstance because of an interaction online, which is just devastating for a family.
PM says langauge from former Liberal government ‘not conducive’ to constructive relationship with China
Albanese is also asked about comments from the WA premier, Roger Cook, that the Liberal’s aggressive diplomacy led to economic coercion from China.
Albanese says “China is responsible” for the actions that they took, but says some of the language from the then Australian government was “not conducive” to a constructive relationship:
China is responsible. But I make this point as well that some of the rhetoric that was given by the Australian government was not conducive towards having a constructive relationship …
We have engaged in a way diplomatically, where, when our approach to China is to cooperate, where we can, to deal respectfully, to not dial things up to 11.
Albanese says ‘no basis for assuming’ report claiming Russian request to Indonesia is true
Albanese also won’t clarify whether a request was ever made by Russia to Indonesia.
He’s asked first whether the commentary out of Russia was an act of misinformation by Russia to interfere in this election. Albanese says:
What I know is that there’s no statement from the Indonesian president, and what Peter Dutton said was not true.
He’s pushed by another reporter whether that report from a defence publication was true or not.
You’re assuming the Janes report is correct. And there is no basis for you assuming that … I’m saying, I’ll act diplomatically with our friends in Indonesia. That’s what I’m saying.
Chalmers: ‘disqualifying moment’ from Dutton
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also digs into Dutton’s comments yesterday, calling the opposition leader “risky” and “reckless”:
Peter Dutton is too risky and too reckless to be the prime minister of a great country like ours. He is temperamentally unfit to manage our relationships in the world and to manage our economy here at home and Australians will pay for his recklessness …
What we saw yesterday was a disqualifying moment from Peter Dutton when it came to the comments that he made about the Indonesian president. It is a disqualifying moment whenever he lies in ways that are bordering on the pathological about the Australian economy.
