Live: Dutton tours Royal Easter Show as Labor vows to protect penalty rates

A  blunt question for the opposition leader:

“Mr Dutton, do you admire Donald Trump’s immigration policies?“

Dutton employs what by now is a well-practised sidestep when it comes to fielding questions about the US president.

“I don’t, to be honest, spend too much time looking at what is happening in the United States,” he says.

“I know some journalists are obsessed with it. My obsession is with the Australian people.

“Our migration policies are the ones that work for us.”

Asked specifically what his migration policies are, Dutton refers to the Coalition’s policy of a 25 per cent cut to net overseas migration, without offering specifics on which visa categories would be cut.

“We will take that advice when we get into government in relation to where the economic settings are and the demands,” he says.

Dutton is asked about the government’s refusal to offer the opposition a briefing on an unconfirmed report that surfaced this week that Russia had requested to base military aircraft in Indonesia.

The report was seized on by the opposition leader, who then found himself in hot water after he said Indonesia’s President Prabowo had announced the development, which he later acknowledged was incorrect during the leaders debate.

“What do you make of that [briefing refusal], and specifically the suggestion that briefing was declined because there was no major policy decision to be made in the whole affair?” the reporter asks.

Dutton leans into the line he initially attempted to deploy, calling out the government for being caught off guard by the report.

“I ask the prime minister, what is he hiding? Why not be transparent with the Australian people?” he says.

“If the government has done the right thing here, and they weren’t caught by surprise, and they had detail, why wouldn’t they be open and honest with us?”

Asked whether he does believe a major policy decision could be made in response to the week’s developments, he says he doesn’t know because he hasn’t had the briefing he’s requested.

Dutton is asked about his recently stated “aspiration” to index personal income tax rates — what would amount to a massive overhaul of the tax system that would eliminate bracket creep.

“Why didn’t you bring that up earlier in the campaign, why is it being spoken about now at the back end?” a reporter asks.

The opposition leader says the Coalition has undergone a “stepped process” of “going through and looking at different policies and options”, rather than having its election promises locked in at the start of the campaign.

“That’s been our plan and our policy as we have gone forward, which looked at what we can afford to announce,” he says.

“I want to make sure that we can … provide support to people now, have an interim [solution] and then make sure we can introduce the reforms necessary, because bracket creep whacks every taxpayer.”

Dutton is asked about statements he made on climate change during Wednesday night’s leaders debate on the ABC, which one climate campaigner characterised as “soft denial”.

Asked whether “we are seeing the impact of climate change” when it comes to more frequent and intense natural disasters like the recent flooding in western Queensland, Dutton refused to give a yes or no answer.

“I’ll let scientists pass that judgement, I don’t know because I’m not a scientist,” he said during the debate.

Today, Dutton says simply that “I believe in climate change”.

“David [Speers]’s question was about the impact of climate change on that particular weather event,” he says.

“So, I believe in climate change. I’ve been clear about that.”

You can watch some of the exchange in the highlights package below, from 2:10 to 3:24.

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A reporter asks about polling that suggests Labor’s anti-nuclear messaging is cutting through with voters — and brings up a fact that has been raised a few times now, which is that the Coalition campaign is yet to visit any of the proposed sites for its small modular nuclear reactors.

“Do you regret hitching your wagon to nuclear?” he asks.

Dutton says he made the decision to support nuclear power not because it’s an easy political win, but because it’s “a win for the country”.

“I think a lot of Australians can look through [Labor’s]  scare campaign,” he says.

“We’re happy to talk about the policy because it is right for our country.

“It’s not an easy pathway, because Labor want to run their scare campaign, but I will ask people to research further beyond what they’re [hearing] from Anthony Albanese at the moment.”

A reporter asks about a story in The Sydney Morning Herald this morning, in which the president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) voiced concerns that the government’s $8.5 billion Medicare package — which the Coalition has matched — would incentivise doctors to prioritise shorter consultations instead of longer ones.

Dr Michael Wright says the higher funding boost provided to bulk-billing doctors for “standard” appointments that last less than 20 minutes could disadvantage women, who are more likely than men to require extended consultations of 20 to 39 minutes.

The opposition leader doesn’t address the doctor’s concerns directly, only saying that the Coalition worked closely with the RACGP and the Australian Medical Association to develop its policies.

He also mentions his party’s focus on trying to provide support for women with endometriosis.

The same reporter has another question — why has the opposition leader come to the Easter Show before the gates are actually open?

Dutton smiles and points out the gates have indeed just opened, so the press pack is going to see a lot more people around shortly.

“It becomes too hectic with the cattle, inside the pavillion, when we have the pack of 40 [media] and we have kids and everything,” he says.

“I notice lots of the cameramen, and I think the reporters, were very cautious in where they were stepping, as well.

“I’d hate to see someone in the media slip over in that shed and spoil that white shirt or white dress or something.”

Dutton is asked whether the Coalition will oppose Labor’s proposed changes to prevent weekend penalty rates from being reduced by the Fair Work Commission.

He doesn’t specifically say yes, but it’s as good as locked in that the Coalition won’t support the changes.

“If you are after another stunt from the Labor Party go no further than this,” he says.

“The independent umpire sets the conditions. It’s been abided by from both sides of politics and we don’t propose any departure from the current arrangements.”

Peter Dutton is taking questions from reporters now at the Royal Easter Show.

He’s asked whether the Coalition can turn around its campaign after the latest YouGov tracking poll, released on Thursday, put the Albanese government at an 18-month high of 53 per cent 2PP — higher than the 52.1 per cent it recorded at the last federal election.

“I think there is a disparity in some of the published polls to what we are seeing,” he says.

He also makes the point that a significant number of Australians tend not to make up their minds about who they’re going to vote for until very shortly before election day.

We might be more than halfway through the election campaign — but that’s more than enough time for things to change.

The ALP has announced it will legislate to prevent penalty rates from being reduced in awards, a move that will ensure the wages of around 3 million workers don’t go backwards.

The changes would see weekend penalty rates enshrined in law as part of the minimum terms and conditions in modern awards, preventing the Fair Work Commission from reducing rates in response to applications from employer groups.

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says weekends are “special times” when “we gather with our families, have weddings, birthdays and hold grand finals”.

“So if you have to work during those times, we think you deserve to be rewarded for that,” he said.

“We will always stand with workers to protect their wages so that we can help them deal with the pressures of today and get ahead in the future.”

The policy will be officially launched by Watt and Labor’s candidate for Brisbane, Madonna Jarrett, later this morning.

Peter Dutton is kicking off Easter weekend at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show.

It’s not actually open yet — so it’s just lots of cows and poop so far.

We’re expecting Dutton to tour the show with his wife Kirilly, as well as Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh and the party’s candidate for Reid, Grange Chung.

The showgrounds are in Reid — a marginal electorate held by Labor’s Sally Sitou.

Good morning from the Dutton campaign!

We’re starting off the day travelling through the streets of Sydney. Destination: unknown.

The opposition leader this morning is offering tax incentives to help give new small businesses a boost.

He’s set a target, too — to have 350,000 new small businesses open in the first four years of a Dutton government.

Under the proposed “entrepreneurship accelerator” scheme, businesses would only have to pay tax on a portion of their income.

In the first year, businesses would pay tax on 25 per cent of the first $100,000 earned. They would then be taxed on half of the second $100,000 earned.

The accelerator scheme would taper off in years two and three.

Eligibility criteria include having an aggregated turnover of less than $10 million, and having no more than 20 shareholders (and property developers are specifically excluded).

The Liberals are also offering a tax deduction on tech upgrades to small businesses as part of their overall package.

You can get up to speed on all the details with the story below.

Good morning, and welcome to today’s live blog of the 2025 federal election campaign.

Grab a coffee and settle in, because if you’re following the blog this early on an Easter weekend Saturday you’re just the kind of politics tragic we like around here.

I’ll be joined later on by my colleague Caitlin Rawling, but until then I’ll be bringing you the latest from the morning’s campaigning as well as the news you might have missed overnight.