PM worried by ‘scary’ rise of misogyny
On to questions. Albanese admits that what’s being done to stop violence against women and children “isn’t working”.
Albanese says it’s a whole-of-society response that’s needed to tackle this scourge. He also says tackling violence is why the government legislated to put a ban on social media for under-16s – to stop them from being exposed to hate and misogyny at a young age.
It isn’t working. That’s the truth. You know, we are not doing well enough as a society. This is a whole of society problem.
One of the reasons why the social media ban is important is that young people, at a very young age, when they’re developing are exposed to some pretty hateful stuff out there, the rise of misogyny. I don’t know if you’ve seen [the Netflix TV drama] Adolescence, I encourage anyone to have a look at it. It’s scary.
Albanese is asked whether he, like UK PM Keir Starmer, will call for all young people to watch Adolescence?
Albanese says, “I would encourage schools to show it, absolutely.”
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What do we know about the under-16s social media ban so far?
During that press conference, the PM said everyone should watch the Netflix drama Adolescence, and said the government social media ban would stop kids under 16 to being exposed to harmful and misogynistic content.
But crucially, the ban gives YouTube a carve-out. Albanese said that is to ensure that the ban doesn’t get in the way of kids getting access to educational content and assured us there will be a consultation process before the ban is put in place in December.
We still don’t know exactly how the ban will work, so here’s Guardian Australia’s Josh Taylor to take you through what we do and don’t know so far:
Dan Jervis-Bardy
A conga line of Liberal supporters stationed themselves outside the Gosford building where Albanese was making his first appearance of the day.
The Lucy Wicks supporters were holding signs promoting Liberal policies – including its promised 25 cent a litre cut to petrol prices.
Albanese declines to commit to restrict access to alcohol and gambling as part of domestic violence response
Back to the issue of domestic violence, Albanese is asked whether he follow recommendations from the government-commissioned rapid review to restrict access to alcohol and gambling.
Albanese won’t make a commitment to restrict either, and says the government is working through a “range of issues” with states and territories:
We’re working through a range of issues with state and territory governments as well. One of the issues, for example … a commitment that we made before the election was for 500 community service workers … we were unhappy with how slow that was to be implemented.
There’s not a single issue that you can say, if you do this, you will solve these problems in some cases.
Asked by another reporter why the government won’t ban YouTube in its social media ban for under 16s, Albanese says the government doesn’t want students to get “excluded” from educational content:
We have a 12-month consultation process. We do want to make sure as well that people don’t get excluded from access to things that they should have access to in terms of their education.
Albanese responds to reports Australian government knew Russia had requested access to Indonesian airbases
On reports from The Australian this morning that Labor knew of a request by Russia to base its military aircraft in Indonesia, Albanese gets on the defence and tries to turn the focus back on to Peter Dutton.
The Australian reports that Australia became aware of the Russian request after a meeting in February between Indonesia’s minister of defence, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Russia’s Secretary of the Security Council, Sergei Shoigu.
The government has avoided saying whether Russia ever made that request, consistently stating that the Indonesian government had reassured Australia that there would be no Russian military aircraft on Indonesian bases. Albanese says:
Look, I don’t go through again. I refer to my previous answer … Adults, when it comes to intelligence, act like adults. They don’t engage in seeing every international issue as a domestic political opportunity.
What we don’t do, the key issue here is that Peter Dutton verballed the Indonesian president, that’s the issue here.
‘I don’t have Donald Trump’s number’ says PM
Following his comments last night that he wasn’t sure Donald Trump has a mobile phone, Albanese is asked whether it’s a failure that he hasn’t been able to get Trump on the phone again, after he implemented a second round of tariffs.
Albanese says, “not at all”.
I don’t have Donald Trump’s number. I didn’t have Joe Biden’s number. It’s not the way it works between the Australian prime minister and the US president.
There are formal processes [that] take place. I’ve had two very warm conversations with President Trump.
Albanese says ‘one death from violence against women is one too many’ on death of Audrey Griffin
Albanese is asked about the murder of Audrey Griffin, a Central Coast woman who was found dead in March with her body partly submerged in Erina Creek near a highway after she disappeared on her way home from a night out with friends. Albanese says:
Well, this is a tragic and horrific death, and my heart goes out to the family and the friends and loved ones of Audrey Griffin. This announcement [of a trauma centre], of course, wouldn’t have impacted on that.
One death from violence against women is one too many, and this is just an enormous tragedy.
The CEO of Central Coast women’s health says:
It’s just devastating, and it’s actually really hard to find the words, because how is it that we’re still in a time where a young woman can’t walk home safely … This trauma recovery center is fantastic, but let’s stop the trauma in the first place.
Albanese, asked about jobseeker, says ‘we did increase the rate’
Our reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy, who’s with the PM, asks about another vulnerable cohort – those living on jobseeker payments.
Dan asks whether the PM will commit to raising the rate in a second term of government, when living under the poverty line has significant impacts on health outcomes. Albanese says:
We did increase the rate. I make this point as well that one of the things that we have done is to provide opportunities for career paths into jobs, free Tafe [is] making an enormous difference in opening up those opportunities.
My government is a compassionate government that has provided support. We do so within the fiscal parameters as well of budgetary policy. So I reject the characterisation that you put forward.
Albanese also says that unemployment rates have been at their lowest in 50 years.
Albanese says ‘supply is key’ to lowering housing prices
Staying on young people, Albanese is asked whether young Australians have a reason to be “resentful” because the government won’t touch negative gearing to put downward pressure on the housing market. Albanese won’t say, but says “supply is key”.
Supply is the key. The housing Australia Future Fund is the key. The sort of support that we’re having here, that this organisation does in increasing social housing, but also affordable housing for rentals is important.
PM worried by ‘scary’ rise of misogyny
On to questions. Albanese admits that what’s being done to stop violence against women and children “isn’t working”.
Albanese says it’s a whole-of-society response that’s needed to tackle this scourge. He also says tackling violence is why the government legislated to put a ban on social media for under-16s – to stop them from being exposed to hate and misogyny at a young age.
It isn’t working. That’s the truth. You know, we are not doing well enough as a society. This is a whole of society problem.
One of the reasons why the social media ban is important is that young people, at a very young age, when they’re developing are exposed to some pretty hateful stuff out there, the rise of misogyny. I don’t know if you’ve seen [the Netflix TV drama] Adolescence, I encourage anyone to have a look at it. It’s scary.
Albanese is asked whether he, like UK PM Keir Starmer, will call for all young people to watch Adolescence?
Albanese says, “I would encourage schools to show it, absolutely.”
Albanese says Coalition would abolish housing Australia future fund
Anthony Albanese is up speaking to reporters after his meeting with staff at a community housing provider on the central coast of NSW.
Albanese starts on the scourge of domestic violence and his promise for a $20m women’s and children trauma recovery centre.
We must end the scourge of violence against women, it is too many tragedies. One death is too many, but we see time and time again, violence against women having an impact, and one of the issues we have to deal with is making sure that there are safe places and homes for people to go.
Albanese says his government has already spent $1.2bn on emergency and transitional accommodation for women and children escaping violence.
They’re [women and children are] benefiting from the housing Australia future fund, something that is dismissed still by the Coalition and that they would abolish if they’re successful on Saturday.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Labor also makes $20m trauma recovery centre announcement
Anthony Albanese, Gordon Reid, Dobell MP Emma McBride, senior ministers Mark Butler and Amanda Rishworth and the prime minister’s fiance, Jodie Haydon, are visiting staff at Pacific Link Housing, a community housing provider based in Gosford.
Labor has promised $20m for a new women’s and children trauma recovery centre, which will provide frontline services to up to 500 victims of domestic violence and sexual violence. Albanese said:
We must end the scourge of violence against women. We know we have a great deal more work to do and we cannot be satisfied until the violence stops.
The Coalition has already matched the commitment (see post below).
Dutton pledges $20m for DV trauma recovery centre in NSW
After finally getting the media bus unstuck from being wedged on a bike path in Sydney, Peter Dutton’s campaign is heading to the airport. Unclear where the Liberal leader will visit today, but a hint could be in a new announcement from his campaign this morning.
Dutton has pledged $20m for a domestic violence trauma recovery centre in Robertson on the NSW central coast. It’s a Labor-held seat, and the new centre at Gosford builds on the Liberal commitment of $90m for domestic violence services last week.
Dutton said the centre would help “children fleeing family and domestic violence with a “one-stop shop”, person-centred approach to trauma recovery, including counselling, mental health and social services support, childcare facilities, legal assistance, return to work assistance and audio-visual rooms for remote court hearings/appearances:
As a former police officer who attended numerous domestic violence call-outs, I know the trauma and lifelong impacts that can occur as a result of these horrific crimes.
A government I lead will be focused on delivering real change so that families, women and children are safer and we work toward reducing the impact of family and domestic violence.
Robertson was formerly held by a Liberal, but was won by Labor in 2022. Liberal sources say they have a chance of winning the seat back, but Labor thinks sitting MP Gordon Reid will hold on.
The Liberal candidate, Lucy Wicks, said she had long advocated for such a facility in Gosford “to address the many issues that face women and children after leaving an abusive relationship or incident”.
In pictures: we’ve got some more shots from Sydney, where the Dutton media bus has been stuck in the middle of the city.
Will there or won’t there be a road user charge for EVs under the Coalition?
Coalition figures are being asked this morning whether electric vehicle drivers will get slugged with rod user charges under a Coalition government. The Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie refused to rule out any changes yesterday:
But there seems to be a slight difference in opinion on the issue this morning.
Jane Hume, on ABC News Breakfast did rule it out, when asked whether road user charges would be introduced for EVs:
No, that is not our position. Our position, of course, is that at the moment, emission standards should remain, but the problem is the penalties that are being placed on retailers of all vehicles.
Asked by host James Glenday for a point-blank answer – are the road charges something the Coalition is looking at? – Hume replies:
No, that’s not something that we’re looking at.
But over on ABC RN Breakfast, the shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, sounded a lot more in line with McKenzie:
We’ve made no decision on that. It’s certainly one of the big challenges for the next government, whether it be Labor or whether it be a Coalition [election victory]. We need to ensure that investment can continue in our roads, and we need equity whether you drive an EV a diesel or a petrol car, you shouldn’t be treated differently from others.
Academics say Dutton’s ‘hate media’ comments ‘reminiscent’ of Trump
While Peter Dutton’s colleagues make light of him calling the Guardian and ABC “hate media” in last night’s debate, experts have raised concerns about the comments.
Academics and former journalists have told Guardian Australia the comments are “reminiscent” of Donald Trump and could backfire on the opposition leader.
You can read the full report by Ben Smee and Sarah Basford Canales here:
Katy Perry’s space trip ‘weird’, says PM
Anthony Albanese is on commercial radio this morning, speaking to Jonesy and Amanda. He’s playing “Don’t make it political” – one of those word association games.
First is rival commercial radio host Kyle Sandilands. Albanese says, “interesting character”.
He’s then asked about Katy Perry’s space flight and the PM doesn’t hold back, calling the trip “weird”:
That was weird. I love Katy Perry, but why did she go into space? I mean really!
