Federal election 2025 LIVE: Albanese, Dutton signature policies revealed; economists warn of house price surge

Well, it was all go in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs over the unseasonably sunny weekend that was.

Amelia Hamer, the Liberals’ candidate for Kooyong, had a jam-packed Saturday morning, hosting three supermarket meet-and-greets in Camberwell, Balwyn and Balwyn North.

She had shadow treasurer Angus Taylor along for the ride, along with a very peppy Easter bunny rocking a Hamer-branded T-shirt and badge. Even the bunny’s on message.

Taylor has been a regular fixture in Hamer’s campaign – you may remember the telephone town hall she joined with him instead of attending that candidates forum run by local environmental group Lighter Footprints a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Hamer’s new HQ at Camberwell Junction (a former Country Road store, no less) is up and running, wrapped in more than 200 metres of window signage.

On Saturday, more than 50 volunteers and supporters turned out for a big group photo with Hamer, the bunny and some heavyweight Liberals: Jeff Kennett and former Victorian premier and Hawthorn MP John Pesutto, the former state leader.

According to Hamer’s team, she had 170 volunteers at 43 locations on Saturday. But it hasn’t all been smiles.

Hamer’s advisers say her campaign signs were defaced on Friday night, slashed and graffitied across multiple suburbs including Malvern, Armadale and Toorak.

Over in teal territory, Monique Ryan’s campaign was on a doorknock blitz: 300 volunteers out and about, knocking on 4000 doors across the electorate over the weekend, according to her advisers.

Here’s the latest on what’s happening in the hotly contested Victorian electorate.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is continuing his race across the continent, landing in Hobart this afternoon to spruik his political wares.

Albanese arrived late into Adelaide on Sunday afternoon after Labor’s campaign launch in Perth.

After a couple of campaign events in Adelaide, including the seat of Sturt – which the Liberal Party holds by just 0.5 per cent – he is now in Tasmania’s capital.

The city itself – in the electorate of Clark – is held easily by long-term independent Andrew Wilkie, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins is facing a challenge from former journalist and independent Peter George in her nearby seat of Franklin.

Returning to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who appeared at a Food Bank warehouse in Brisbane this afternoon.

“We have to make sure that we can provide support to families, and our announcement today of $19.5 million to provide Food Bank with the new upgraded facility means that more homes, more mouths, can be reached,” Dutton told reporters.

“It will provide security for many more families than what Food Bank is able to provide support to now.”

Dutton said the support the organisation, one of Australia’s largest hunger relief charities, provided was “more needed than ever”.

“An elected Coalition government will provide almost $20 million worth of funding to this service and to its upgrade,” he said.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton failed to acknowledge or answer a question about whether he would provide financial support to help his son Harry enter the property market.

Dutton himself made $30 million of property transactions across 26 pieces of real estate over 35 years.

Watch the moment below:

The Dutton campaign is targeting the Greens today, as the bus has made its second stop – the seat of Griffith in Brisbane held by Max Chandler-Mather.

It’s high-vis again, as we make our way into Food Bank, an organisation that sources food for the hungry.

The opposition leader is expected to make an announcement with the opposition charities spokesman Dean Smith.

The election watchdog has warned a teal campaigning organisation to comply with disclosure rules as the group insists it does not have to reveal its funding sources as other political groups do.

Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash wrote to the Australian Electoral Commission on April 4 asking if the Community Independents Project was breaching electoral law by failing to register as a campaigning organisation, which would force transparency for its funding and spending.

The project is largely run by former staffers for independent MPs and plays a central role in training and connecting teal hopefuls under the leadership of Kylea Tink, whose seat is being abolished at this election.

Here’s the full story.

Thanks for joining our coverage so far today, helmed by Daniel Lo Surdo. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be steering the blog for the rest of the afternoon.

In case you need a refresher here’s what happened earlier today:

• Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was joined by his son Harry this morning, where the younger man shared his concerns about his prospects of purchasing a home.
• Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek made fun of her awkward greeting with the prime minister at Labor’s campaign launch, saying she “should’ve done an elbow bump” instead.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says economists critical of Labor’s housing policies should visit construction sites where housing development is under way, as he works to sell his 5 per cent first home buyer deposit scheme.
• Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers rebuked suggestions from economists the first home buyer deposit scheme will drive up demand for housing.
• And, the Australian sharemarket has lifted on opening after Wall Street rallied last week, despite growing consumer concern about rising prices.

The Liberal Party has this morning released a rap song – something that probably wasn’t on many people’s election campaign bingo cards.

The opposition describes the track – titled Leaving Labor, complete with track artwork – as “like Kendrick meeting question time”. Sure.

The lyrics take aim at the Albanese government over the rising cost of living. “Think Nas vs Jay-Z, but about groceries and rent,” the Liberal Party says. Maybe a more recent reference to rappers dissing each other would have been good, but fine.

The chorus? “Bring them prices down / Albo’s gotta leave”. Not sure if it’s strong enough to start a groundswell of support for this to make the Hottest 100.

It also comes complete with a party authorisation at the end. You know, like all the best political music.

Not sure what else to say other than to make your own mind up. You can listen to the track on SoundCloud here.