TRANSCRIPT
The Prime Minister hitting a milestone in the West.
"It's fantastic to be back in Western Australia for my 30th visit as Prime Minister. I committed in 2022 to come here 10 times a year. I've met that KPI."
As the first full week of campaigning begins.
PM: "And who's this?"
Mum: "It's Amber."
PM: "Amber. How old's Amber?"
Mum: "27 hours."
PM: "27 hours! Congratulations."
Mum: "Thank you so much."
Trying his hand at swaddling a baby girl.
Pledging a 250 million dollars to upgrade the intensive care unit and neonatal ward in one of Perth's busiest public hospitals, Midland Hospital.
It's a sign of how important Western Australia is to the Labor Party's election campaign - hoping to retain the four seats it won from the Coalition in 2022, and gain the new seat of Bullwinkel.
Back on the east coast, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visited flood-affected communities in outback Queensland, after dropping by a mining equipment manufacturer in the Hunter Valley.
"Lets uhh, wipe the sweat. And then we go to the next one? I feel I'm on a roll now."
He’s targeting the Labor-held seat of Paterson, with hopes of also turning the neighbouring Labor-held seat of Hunter, both based in the mining heartland of New South Wales.
He's focusing on power prices to try and do it.
"It's about who can better manage the economy, who can better manage the energy system."
He's selling his plan to establish an East Coast gas reserve to ensure a certain amount of gas produced in Australia is set aside for the domestic market, and his longer term vision of building the country's first nuclear reactors.
Although he couldn't confirm how much prices would drop by.
"We will, we will have, in terms of our offering at the next election, to the Australian people, a definite plan about how we can reduce prices, not just to keep downward pressure, but I want to reduce power prices."
Labor doubling down on renewables - but also with no promises on prices.
"Our policy is for renewables, backed with firming capacity of gas, batteries, and hydro."
As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, around 800,000 Muslims across Australia are celebrating Ramadan Eid al-Fitr.
Peter Dutton welcomed into a Al-Madinah Mosque, which attracts a largely Pakistani and Indian community, in the south-western Sydney suburb of Liverpool yesterday, promising $25,000 in funding for extra security.
The mosque's Imam says he welcomed the Opposition leader to visit his prayer room, even though many in the Australian Muslim community disagree with his ideas.
Several Muslim community leaders in Sydney have told SBS News the Opposition leader would have had a more hostile reception if he had tried to attend a mosque that had closer links to the Middle East.
The Lebanese Muslim Association says no Australian politicians were invited to Eid celebrations at Lakemba Mosque in protest of the major parties' actions and comments regarding the war in Gaza.
It is the second year in a row that politicians have not been invited to participate by the Lebanese Muslim Association.
Mr Dutton today confirming he would reconsider the need for an Islamophobia envoy if the Coalition wins the election.
"In terms of the envoy, if it is making a difference, if it is helping, then happy to continue it. But I think there is a lot of frustration at the moment about what is being listened to from, what is being advised, by the envoy, so I would have to take advice."
Labor created antisemitism and Islamophobia envoy roles to improve social cohesion in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza.
A spokesperson for Mr Dutton confirms the antisemitism role will not face a similar review.
