WEBVTT - How Albanese is using Trump as a weapon

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<v Speaker 1>From Schwartz Media. I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am.

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump's presence looms large on the campaign trail, as

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<v Speaker 1>both leaders face questions about how they would handle his

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<v Speaker 1>trade war. The market chaos, the uncertainty, the escalation of

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<v Speaker 1>tensions between China and the US. May have all seemed

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<v Speaker 1>like the last thing Labour needed in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>an election campaign, but Labour insiders now believe they've been

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<v Speaker 1>granted a rare opportunity to hold firm in the face

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<v Speaker 1>of uncertainty and prove its too risky to change government

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<v Speaker 1>at a time like this. Today special correspondent for the

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<v Speaker 1>Saturday Paper, Jason Katsukus on Anthony Aberneze's Trump strategy and

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<v Speaker 1>how Peter Dutton is fighting back. It's Wednesday, April sixteen,

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<v Speaker 1>So Jason, thank you for speaking with me. You've been

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<v Speaker 1>watching very closely as the Prime Minister Field's questions about

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<v Speaker 1>Trump on the campaign trail. What have you noticed about

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<v Speaker 1>Anthony Abernesi's responses.

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<v Speaker 2>The Prime Minister has wanted to draw as much attention

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<v Speaker 2>as possible to what Donald Trump is doing in the US,

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<v Speaker 2>but without actually kind of naming Trump himself.

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<v Speaker 3>People will look at similar policies around the world and

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<v Speaker 3>they will make their own decision.

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<v Speaker 2>The Prime Minister is hinting that Peter Dutton's policies are

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<v Speaker 2>inspired by Donald Trump and his Make American Great Again movement,

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<v Speaker 2>but he's not actually naming Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't want to see the Americanization of the health system.

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<v Speaker 3>I want the Australian system what Medicare should be, which

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<v Speaker 3>is free.

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<v Speaker 2>When the Prime Minister talks about the Americanization of the

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<v Speaker 2>healthcare system, I think what he's saying is that Peter

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<v Speaker 2>Dutton wants to turn Australia's health system into a US

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<v Speaker 2>style health system and apply the same sort of cuts

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<v Speaker 2>to healthcare that Donald Trump is trying to force through

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<v Speaker 2>in the US.

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<v Speaker 3>Peter Dutton's position was that you shouldn't see not just

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<v Speaker 3>for free. He tried to abolish bulk billing by having

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<v Speaker 3>a GP tax every time.

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<v Speaker 2>And of course it's not just the Prime Minister who's

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<v Speaker 2>been out there trying to link Peter Dutton to Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 2>Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been doing it too.

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<v Speaker 4>We've got an opposition leader and an opposition which is

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<v Speaker 4>absolutely full of these kind of those y sicker fans

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<v Speaker 4>who have hitched their wagon to American style slogans and

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<v Speaker 4>policies and especially cuts which would make Australians worse off.

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<v Speaker 2>And the other thing, of course, that Treasurer Jim Chalmers

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<v Speaker 2>has been trying to do is contrast the stable shore

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<v Speaker 2>footedness of the Albaneze government with the complete sort of

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<v Speaker 2>chaos that we're seeing in Washington.

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<v Speaker 4>So this is a pretty important choice, a Prime minister

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<v Speaker 4>speaking up for Australia and standing up for Australians, or

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<v Speaker 4>an opposition leader and an opposition to have made it

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<v Speaker 4>clear for some time that they take their cues and

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<v Speaker 4>their instructions and their policies directly from the US, and I.

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<v Speaker 2>Think to prepare for what the consequences of those market

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<v Speaker 2>swings might be on the Australian economy. Jim Chalmers has

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<v Speaker 2>brought together the heads of the Big four banks, the

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<v Speaker 2>see of mcquarie Group, the heads of the Keith of

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<v Speaker 2>branuation funds. He's also convened the Council of Financial Regulators.

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<v Speaker 1>The Treasurer walking off the election campaign today and straight

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<v Speaker 1>into an emergency meeting with the Reserve Bank planning for

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<v Speaker 1>a global economic meltdown.

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<v Speaker 4>We are confident that we can weather these global conditions,

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<v Speaker 4>but we're not complacent about that, okay.

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<v Speaker 1>And given how little transparency there is around Trump and

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<v Speaker 1>what his next moves might be, what is your view

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<v Speaker 1>on whether or not by having these meetings Charmers is

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<v Speaker 1>actually making anything happen or is something like this really

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<v Speaker 1>just performative?

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<v Speaker 2>Look, I think it is performative. Jim Chalmers is putting

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<v Speaker 2>on a show here for voters, but I think there

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<v Speaker 2>is a purpose there too. If he wasn't getting the

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<v Speaker 2>insights and views from people like Michelle Bullock, the heads

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<v Speaker 2>of the four banks, then I think people would be

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<v Speaker 2>wondering whether or not Jim Chalmers really is in control

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<v Speaker 2>and does he really understand the gravity of what's happening

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<v Speaker 2>out there in global financial markets. And I'm sure that

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<v Speaker 2>the information that is being exchanged in those meetings will

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<v Speaker 2>ultimately be useful for how the government responds to this crisis.

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<v Speaker 1>And we know a lot of work has been done

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<v Speaker 1>to try and negotiate our way out of tariffs that

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<v Speaker 1>ultimately did not work, and we were hit with that

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<v Speaker 1>ten percent baseline figure like a lot of other countries were.

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<v Speaker 1>But given we are now in caretaker mode, where have

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<v Speaker 1>we left those negotiations.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think the negotiations are very much on hold.

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<v Speaker 2>The government is certainly looking at other things that can

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<v Speaker 2>do if they are re elected on May third. The

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<v Speaker 2>Trade Minister Don Farrell, and the Foreign Minister Pennywong, and

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<v Speaker 2>the Prime Minister himself have all ruled out concessions on

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<v Speaker 2>things such as the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme, which the US

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<v Speaker 2>has cited as being detrimental to its own pharmaceutical industry.

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<v Speaker 2>The US is also very unhappy with Australia's biosecurity measures,

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<v Speaker 2>which it argues unfairly disadvantaged US agricultural products on sale

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<v Speaker 2>here in Australia. So I think the government has said

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<v Speaker 2>that those things are non negotiable. But there are a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of things we don't know, And I guess that

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest thing we don't know is just to what

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<v Speaker 2>extent the government would be prepared to offer up Australia's

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<v Speaker 2>critical minerals as a sort of bargaining chip in these negotiations.

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<v Speaker 2>We know that is thinking of restricting access for US

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<v Speaker 2>companies to its critical minerals exports, So we know that

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<v Speaker 2>the US is very interested in securing a supply of

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<v Speaker 2>critical minerals and this is something in Australia is in

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<v Speaker 2>a position to offer. So we just don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>the government's exactly thinking about there.

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<v Speaker 1>And these moves that Trump is making, I mean they're

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<v Speaker 1>about trade, but they're also bigger than that, aren't they.

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<v Speaker 1>He's really testing us and everyone else for weakness and

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<v Speaker 1>seeing how we respond. So if you are to look

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<v Speaker 1>at the situation from that lens, how important is it

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<v Speaker 1>that we hit the right note with these negotiations.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think it's very important. The US Alliance is

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<v Speaker 2>sacrasanct for both major parties and neither the Prime Minister

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<v Speaker 2>nor Peter Dutton would do anything that could be seen

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<v Speaker 2>as jeopardizing the strength of the alliance. In the past,

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<v Speaker 2>whenever Labor has been seen to criticize the US Alliance,

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<v Speaker 2>that has really damaged the party electorally. We saw that

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<v Speaker 2>happen to Arthur Cowell in the nineteen sixties. We saw

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<v Speaker 2>it happen a little bit to God Whitlam. We even

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<v Speaker 2>saw it with Simon Crane when he was Opposition leader

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<v Speaker 2>and was just a little bit critical of the then

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<v Speaker 2>Bush administration over the war in Iraq. So the last

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<v Speaker 2>thing Anthony Albinezi wants to do is to be seen

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<v Speaker 2>to undermine the US Alliance in any way, and whenever

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<v Speaker 2>he talks about the US, he's very careful to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about how important this relationship is and how committed to

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<v Speaker 2>the relationship the Australian Labor Party is. And of course

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<v Speaker 2>for Peter Dutton and the Coalition, the US Alliance has

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<v Speaker 2>always been a bedrock for them in terms of Australia's

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<v Speaker 2>foreign policy and there's no way Peter Dutton is going

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<v Speaker 2>to do anything either that would be seen to weaken

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<v Speaker 2>the US Alliance.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up, Peter Dutton the Drake inspired distrack.

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<v Speaker 5>Hi, I'm Daniel James. Seven Am tells stories that need

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<v Speaker 1>Jason, as you've mentioned, Charmers is really trying to pin

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<v Speaker 1>Dutton to Trump, and Labor obviously thinks that that's damaging

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<v Speaker 1>to the coalition. So how has Dutton talked about how

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<v Speaker 1>he would handle the issue of trade and how do

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<v Speaker 1>you think he's responding to that line of a time

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<v Speaker 1>from labor.

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<v Speaker 2>Peter Dutton is trying to convince voters of the idea

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<v Speaker 2>that if he was Prime Minister he would be able

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<v Speaker 2>to fly over to Washington in the first sixty days

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<v Speaker 2>of his prime ministership get a one on one meeting

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<v Speaker 2>with President Trump and talk him around into dropping the

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<v Speaker 2>levies that he's put on Australian experts. I'm not sure

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<v Speaker 2>that's very convincing because what could Peter Dutton possibly offer

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump that no other country has been able to do.

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<v Speaker 2>Australia is already getting a pretty good deal compared to

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<v Speaker 2>other countries in Donald Trump's line of fire, and the

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<v Speaker 2>idea that Peter Dutton could negotiate something very quickly that

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<v Speaker 2>no other country has been able to do is it

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<v Speaker 2>does stretch credulity in my view.

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<v Speaker 1>And you k on seven a m just after the debate,

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<v Speaker 1>and you said that Dutton had performed well, but that

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<v Speaker 1>that had come off the back of what had widely

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<v Speaker 1>been seen as a bad start to the campaign. So

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<v Speaker 1>since that debate, how do you think Dutton has gone.

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<v Speaker 2>I think Peter Dunton is doing better in the actual

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<v Speaker 2>mechanics of campaigning, those press conferences that he's having each

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<v Speaker 2>day where he's up against the traveling media Party. I

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<v Speaker 2>think Peter Dutton is showing that he's getting better at

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<v Speaker 2>responding to those questions. But I think other things are

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<v Speaker 2>bringing him down and that's turning his campaign. The big

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<v Speaker 2>one is policy preparedness.

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<v Speaker 6>So just to deal with the issue just quickly, if

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<v Speaker 6>I can summarize it this way.

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<v Speaker 2>Electricity is one of Peter Dutton's big policies. Is this

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<v Speaker 2>policy to force domestic gas producers to put aside some

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<v Speaker 2>of the gas they produce, so there's always give me

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<v Speaker 2>enough gas for Australian consumers. But it's quite a complex policy.

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<v Speaker 6>We need to change the way in which the system

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<v Speaker 6>works to bring more gas in and similar to what

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<v Speaker 6>we've done with the twenty five cent a later cut

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<v Speaker 6>on petrol and diesel, to that cheaper for consumers. That's

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<v Speaker 6>apply across the economy, not just pensioners and families, but

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<v Speaker 6>also small businesses and bigger businesses, delivery truck drivers, and

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<v Speaker 6>that's the approach we've taken to gas as well.

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<v Speaker 2>It has most voters don't really understand what it is

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<v Speaker 2>that he wants to do. It's quite confusing. Another thing

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<v Speaker 2>that Peter Dutton has talked about is halving the petrol

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<v Speaker 2>excise for twelve months. He's got a strange advertisement to

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<v Speaker 2>try to boost the profile of this petrol excise policy.

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<v Speaker 1>How far can having the petrol tax take you?

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<v Speaker 2>It's an ad I think that was entirely made using

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<v Speaker 2>artificial intelligence. It features an alien inner with.

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<v Speaker 1>The Liberals having the petrol tax policy does not include

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<v Speaker 1>phytogets will not the applicable face for terrestrials.

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<v Speaker 2>I think while it's sort of unusual and perhaps a

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<v Speaker 2>bit gimmicky, I'm not sure that it really is a

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<v Speaker 2>serious to voters. And I'd say the same thing about

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<v Speaker 2>this this rap song that that the coalition campaign released.

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<v Speaker 7>You need to wait. It is supposed to be the

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<v Speaker 7>money was spinning on groceries. I just want to bust

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<v Speaker 7>some eggs and cheese one hundred bucks. You can't in men.

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<v Speaker 7>It cost for much to live. The economy is looking

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<v Speaker 7>a mess man, so we live in shape to check

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<v Speaker 7>labor Gadi is still and self stressed we need a fantasy.

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<v Speaker 2>It seemed a bit trivial to me, and I'm sure

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<v Speaker 2>it's the serious pitch that Peter Dutton needs to convince

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<v Speaker 2>voters that he's ready for government. Both the you know

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<v Speaker 2>the aiad and this rap song, what both of those

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<v Speaker 2>things say to me is that the Coalition isn't quite

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<v Speaker 2>as prepared as it should be. It hasn't put in

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<v Speaker 2>the hard yards and it's been forced to resort to

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<v Speaker 2>sort of gimmicky advertising.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and what about the domestic policy questions, so on

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<v Speaker 1>cost of living, on housing, how is Dunton handling those well.

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<v Speaker 2>Another surprise appearance on the campaign trail on Monday was

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<v Speaker 2>Peter Dutton's son Harry, who told reporters that he was

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<v Speaker 2>struggling to save enough money to buy a house.

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<v Speaker 1>As you've probably heard, it's almost impossible to get in

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<v Speaker 1>in the current state.

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<v Speaker 3>So I mean, we're saving luck, mard, but it doesn't

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<v Speaker 3>look like we'll get there.

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<v Speaker 2>But again you have to question Peter Dutton's judgment there,

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<v Speaker 2>because Peter Dutton, of course has been a very successful

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<v Speaker 2>property investor over the years, and I don't think anyone

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<v Speaker 2>doubts that if it really comes down to it that

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<v Speaker 2>Peter Dutton is going to help his son to buy

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<v Speaker 2>that first home, and of course that's not an option

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<v Speaker 2>that most parents out there really have. And I think

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<v Speaker 2>Peter Dutton himself really struggled to answer that question when

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<v Speaker 2>it was put to him by reporters on the campaign trail.

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<v Speaker 4>You're doing pretty well yourself, why won't you support him

0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.360
<v Speaker 4>a bit and give him a bit of help with

0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:52.240
<v Speaker 4>getting his house.

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<v Speaker 6>I haven't finished the excellent points I was making. The

0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:55.880
<v Speaker 6>next point is why people should know.

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<v Speaker 2>But finally, I think the biggest mistake that Peter Dutton

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<v Speaker 2>has made is this decision to delay the policy roll

0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.800
<v Speaker 2>out to the campaign itself. He's been calling for an

0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:10.160
<v Speaker 2>election for the last eighteen months, yet he hasn't really

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<v Speaker 2>released any policy over that eighteen months, and I think

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<v Speaker 2>that's the real reason we're starting to see the Coalition

0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:20.360
<v Speaker 2>fall behind in the campaign by so quickly and by

0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:23.160
<v Speaker 2>so much. And I think the Coalition, if they do

0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:25.680
<v Speaker 2>end up losing this election, will come to regret that

0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:30.000
<v Speaker 2>decision to not have the big policy discussions during the

0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.920
<v Speaker 2>last three years. Perhaps they should have to present themselves

0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:34.520
<v Speaker 2>as a real alternative government.

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<v Speaker 1>Jason, thank you so much for your time.

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<v Speaker 2>Ruby, absolute pleasure talking with you. Thanks so much.

0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:07.160
<v Speaker 1>Also in the news today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi has

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<v Speaker 1>said officials are seeking further information after a report emerged

0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:14.280
<v Speaker 1>that Russia is seeking to base military aircraft in Indonesia.

0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.920
<v Speaker 1>The report, by a defense and security website says Moscow

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<v Speaker 1>has requested permission for aircraft to be based in Indonesia's

0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:25.320
<v Speaker 1>remote Papua region on Australia's northern doorstep. When asked about

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<v Speaker 1>the report, Albanesi said, we obviously do not want to

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<v Speaker 1>see Russian influence in our region. Opposition leader Peter Dutton

0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:35.240
<v Speaker 1>called it a troubling development that would be a catastrophic

0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:40.400
<v Speaker 1>failure of diplomatic relations and the whole Victorian curriculum authority

0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.760
<v Speaker 1>has been sacked after widespread failures in last year's Year

0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:47.360
<v Speaker 1>twelve exams in the state. Sample exams containing the real

0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.720
<v Speaker 1>exam questions were accidentally published online, affecting sixty five of

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<v Speaker 1>the one hundred and sixteen VCE subjects, which had been

0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:58.560
<v Speaker 1>viewed at least six thousand times before the mistake was identified.

0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:01.360
<v Speaker 1>The Education Minister Ben Carroll said the board had been

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<v Speaker 1>unprepared for the exams and appointed an interim board to

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<v Speaker 1>oversee this year's tests. I'm Ruby Jones is seven am.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll be back tomorrow with a full breakdown of tonight's

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<v Speaker 1>leaders debate.