In this bulletin:
- The Coalition prepares to unveil its own budget pitch.
- Palestinians in Northern Gaza have protested against Hamas.
- Melbourne City make it twenty wins in a row in the A-League women's.
After a day spent deriding the size and start date of Labor’s new tax cut, the Coalition is preparing to unveil its own pitch for election primacy and it starts at the petrol pump.
This is an election that multiple leading pollsters predict will be fought in the outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne in particular, where swinging voters will be critical.
Those are also parts of the nation with lots of commuters, and the Coalition will reveal in tonight’s budget reply that if elected it would reduce fuel excise by 25c.
Labor’s income tax cut is due to kick in next year, and on average deliver about five dollars extra a week in the first twelve months
The Coalition’s proposal, according to estimates it has put forward, would cut fuel costs by about $14 a week.
It delivers this saving to all drivers, not just those collecting a wage and would start immediately.
Previous Liberal Governments that have also cut fuel excise; this new policy would be temporary and reduce excise revenue by $6 billion over 12 months.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is denying allegations his government has allowed immigration levels to become too high.
As the opposition prepares to deliver its formal reply to the crucial pre-election budget, it's using immigration levels as a key part of its attack.
It says the government has brought in 1.8 million migrants during a housing crisis.
But Mr Albanese has told SBS immigration numbers are actually lower than were projected before COVID-19 closed Australia's borders for the better part of two years.
"We think that migration is important, but we, of course, have numbers that are lower than what was anticipated in 2019. What we saw were border closures, and then, when they opened, of course, we saw a short-term increase. But we need to make sure that we manage these issues appropriately, and that's what my government is doing."
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Palestinians in northern Gaza have protested against Hamas, demanding an end to the war with Israel.
Northern Gaza has been one of the most affected areas of Gaza since Israel responded to the Hamas raid on southern Israel in October 2023.
Most buildings in the densely populated area have been reduced to rubble and much of the population has moved several times to escape the conflict.
Protesters chanted anti-Hamas slogans and held signs demanding Hamas end the war and displacement.
One protester, physician Mahmoud Alhaj Ahmed, said he wanted an end to the war and believes a non-partisan interim committee should be governing the strip.
“Our message that we want to deliver, first to the Israeli occupation, stop the war, stop the bloodshed that is happening, we can’t tolerate any more. The second message is to Hamas, the government of Hamas - brothers, we’ve had enough, I swear to God, we’re tired, there’s nothing. There no house to stay, no food, no salary, no family members remaining, I have become disabled. Up until this point, it’s enough.”
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Greens leader Adam Bandt says his party will support the Albanese government's latest tax cuts, but calls them a massive missed opportunity to get corporations and billionaires to pay their fair share.
He says the government should have used the opportunity to force tax-dodging corporations to pay up, so the funds could be used to boost mental health resourcing and extend Medicare coverage to dental services.
Mr Bandt says the federal government's cost-of-living solutions fall short of the level of action needed to properly address the issue.
"This tiny tax tweak budget is a massive missed opportunity for real cost of living relief like getting dental into Medicare. 73 cents a day in 15 months’ time won’t help that much when rent has gone up hundreds of dollars already."
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In football, Melbourne City has extended their record-breaking undefeated streak in the A-League women's competition to twenty matches, with a four goals to nil win over Brisbane Roar.
Tyler Otto, Holly McNamara, Bryleeh Henry, and Mariana Speckmaier were the goal scorers.
McNamara now has eleven goals this season, second only to Emily Gielnik.
City now leads the competition ladder by five points with three matches to play.
