Lambie says Russia-Indonesia matter ‘overblown’ by Dutton – as it happened (2025)

That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – but stay tuned, as we’ll launch a fresh live blog shortly to cover tonight’s leaders’ debate between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton at 8pm AEST.

For now, here were the main takeaway’s from the campaign trail today:

• The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, accused Peter Dutton of “fabricat[ing] a statement by the Indonesian president” over Russia’s reported request to get access to an Indonesian military base. You can read more on what Dutton said, here.

• Wong also said Australia had not confirmed if Russia had approached Indonesia. The shadow finance minister Jane Hume argued Wong was “blindsided” by the reports, while Anthony Albanese accused Dutton of “always overreaching” and “being quite reckless.”

• The Nationals senate leader Bridget McKenzie said it was “appalling” the deputy PM Richard Marles was unable to say whether the opposition had received a briefing on the matter – which she said they did not.

• Both leaders began their day in Melbourne, where Dutton pledged $6m to the kid’s online safety foundation. Albanese, meanwhile, was touting the benefits of Labor’s urgent care clinics.

• At a press conference, Dutton was asked what the Coalition is doing for women – and pointed to the fuel excise reduction being targeted at “women driving kids around.”

• Fielding questions on the cost of their election promises, treasurer Jim Chalmers said a “large portion of the announcements that we have made were already budgeted for.”

• The housing and shadow housing ministers Clare O’Neil and Michael Sukkar went head-to-head in a debate in Canberra. You can read their closing arguments here and here.

• New figures suggest achieving the Albanese government’s target of 1.2m new well-located homes over five years to mid-2029 is looking less and less likely.

• Greens leader Adam Bandt said he was open to changes to policies around housing and other key negotiation issues with Labor in the event of a hung parliament.

• The Greens have also announced a plan to double the length of paid parental leave and lift the payment rate to a replacement wage.

• And Greens candidate for Franklin, Owen Fitzgerald, has withdrawn from the federal election due his dual citizenship.

Join the ‘Tell me more’ live stream with Matilda Boseley and Dan Jervis-Bardy

Guardian Australia’s Tell Me More live streams are your chance to ask your burning election news questions to the people who wrote that news in the first place.

This election may well be decided by millennial and gen Z voters, and with politicians desperate to win their vote we’re seeing some … interesting campaign strategies.

This evening host Matilda Boseley is joined by political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy to discuss the posts, memes, AI action figures and youth focused political stunts that have dominated this voting season. Is it working? Who’s doing it best? And do the parties have the youth focused policies to back it up?

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Russia’s ambassador in Jakarta has neither confirmed nor denied reports Russia is seeking to get access to an Indonesian military base, the ABC has just reported.

According to the ABC, the ambassador said military cooperation between the two sides is normal, and also took aim at Australia’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

We are seeking more information on this and will bring you the latest as we learn more.

Victorian government defends state’s new housing figures as ‘nation leading’

Just circling back to earlier news that the Victorian government has fallen 20,000 new homes short of a target it set to build 80,000 new homes each year.

The Victorian government has responded to the Property Council, saying the state’s new housing figures are nation leading – with 15,000 more homes than New South Wales and 28,000 more than Queensland. A spokesperson said:

The ABS data shows that Victoria continues to lead the nation for home approvals, starts and completions – we’ve also seen an increase year-on-year for home completions and home approvals. We know there’s more to do, which is why we’ve introduced bold reforms to deliver more homes near train and tram stations, a ten-year pipeline of land for family homes and back yards, and to slash stamp duty for off-the-plan apartments, units and townhouses.

If it was up to the Property Council, Victorians would be competing dollar-for-dollar against cashed up foreign buyers that lock them out of the housing market.

A 15-year-old foreign national has been charged in Sydney for allegedly using an encrypted app to facilitate plans for overseas contract killings, on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate.

He was arrested by the Australian federal police this morning after investigators executed a search warrant at a home in western Sydney. He appeared before Surry Hills children’s court and was formally refused bail, to reappear on 11 June.

The AFP received information from Danish police this month about a foreign national residing in Australia, allegedly linked to attempts to organise crime-as-a-service contract killings in Europe. These killings involve individuals or groups outsourcing criminal activities to third parties and using online platforms and social media to plan and execute the illegal acts, the AFP said.

Danish police deputy chief superintendent of the national special crime unit, Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, said the teenager is “suspected of having attempted to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden as part of ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region” while in Australia.

During the search warrant, the AFP allegedly seized electronic devices which will undergo forensic examination.

The 15-year-old was charged with using a device with the intent of committing conspiracy to murder – punishable by imprisonment for life under Australian commonwealth law. He was also charged with using a device with the intention of committing murder, under Danish laws, also punishable by imprisonment for life.

BHP flags converting Mt Arthur coal to pumped hydro

Moving away from the campaign for a moment: mining giant BHP will investigate turning part of its Mt Arthur coalmine in New South Wales into a pumped hydro project after the mine closes in 2030.

The company said it had engaged renewable energy firm Acciona Energy to undertake “due diligence” on the possibility of converting the Hunter Valley site from coal to energy storage.

The announcement came as the state government agreed to extend the life of the mine by 4 years, a decision expected to continue the employment of 2,200 workers.

BHP Australia president, Geraldine Slattery, said the company was committed to leaving a positive legacy in the Hunter Valley.

The community have told us they want to see Mt Arthur repurposed when mining ends.

Prof Andrew Blakers, an expert in pumped hydro at the Australian National University, said while Australia had 300 premium sites suited to providing low-cost pumped hydro storage, Mt Arthur was not among them.

Mt Arthur is located in relatively flat land which doesn’t appear to offer a lot of scope for a low cost pumped hydro system. It does not appear as an option in our brownfield pumped hydro atlas.

Victorian Nationals seeking donations for federal election to push back against Allan

The Victorian branch of the National party is soliciting donations for the federal election by urging supporters to help them push back against the state premier, Jacinta Allan.

An email sent this afternoon told supporters said there was only six days left until voting booths open, and that more money was needed. The email refers to Allan as often as it does Anthony Albanese:

Jacinta Allan and Anthony Albanese have let Victoria down … But together, we can stop them. With your support, we can take a stand against Labor’s damaging agenda and get Australia back on track. We can push back against Anthony Albanese and Jacinta Allan’s policies that are driving up costs and undermining our way of life.

As my colleague Benita Kolovos has pointed out, consecutive surveys have shown Allan’s personal standing has taken a hit while support for her government has plummeted. That’s something the Nationals are keen to capitalise on, while raising a few dollars.

Bragg says “all Australians are valued” amid colleagues’ comments on transgender issues

Just back to Andrew Bragg’s interview on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing: He was asked what his message is to the LGBTQ+ community, following some concern over comments from his colleagues – particularly on trans issues.

Bragg said “all Australians are valued” and that the Coalition doesn’t “support discrimination against any Australian”.

In the relation to the issues canvassed in parliament by various politicians, there’s now an inquiry through the health department and that’s an inquiry that we support. And we will look at the evidence that comes from that report in due course.

Patricia Karvelas asked if he would “try and reduce these wars they see as cultural wars going on in the next parliament”.

Bragg said it “depends exactly what you’re asking”.

In relation to sporting issues, the sporting codes seem to be able to manage that themselves. They don’t need legal intervention.

In relation to the schooling issues, these have been canvassed for many years, as you know. That would be subject to a lengthy process of consultation with schools and with other interested parties.

But the medical issues at the moment are being canvassed through our health department inquiry, and we are supporting that inquiry.

Coalition echoing 2022 comments accusing Albanese of being too close to China

As we told you a few moments ago, the Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has suggested that Russia and China would prefer Anthony Albanese to win the election:

I notice that, you know, the Russian defence minister had derogatory comments to make about the leader of the opposition, the alternative prime minister, Peter Dutton. That would make two world leaders who want to see Anthony Albanese re-elected, and that would be China and Russia.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard claims like this during or on the eve of an election campaign. In 2022, then prime minister Scott Morrison accused Albanese of being too close to China. In parliament, he described Albanese as a Manchurian candidate before withdrawing the remark. Morrison told parliament:

The Chinese government has picked their horse and he’s sitting right there.

This rhetoric drew a significant public intervention by Australia’s respected former spy chief Dennis Richardson. He said the comments served China’s interests, not Australia’s, by politicising national security and “seeking to create the perception of a difference [between the major parties] when none in practice exists”.

Albanese is considering a proposal to send troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, as Europe considers a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal with Russia.

Last week, Richard Marles rejected a request from the Chinese ambassador, Xiao Qian, to “join hands” in resistance to US tariffs. Marles said Australia would pursue its own national interests.

Liberal senator says ‘autocracies like to see Australia weak’ and see Labor as ‘weaker of two options’

Host Patricia Karvelas has asked Andrew Bragg if he agrees with Bridget McKenzie’s comments that Russian and Chinese leaders want to see Anthony Albanese re-elected.

Does he see it that way, too? Bragg replied:

Look, I think the autocracies are working together. They like to see Australia to be weak, and they imagine that Labor would be the weaker of the two options. Their business is working together as autocracies to weaken democracies. That’s their agenda. I imagine they would see Mr Albanese as a generally speaking weak leader.

We’re going to bring you more context on this argument from the Coalition very shortly, so stay tuned.

Shadow home ownership minister says super for housing a ‘good idea’ no ‘matter what gender you are’

Andrew Bragg, the shadow assistant minister for home ownership, is next up on ABC Afternoon Briefing this afternoon.

He was asked about Clare O’Neil’s argument at the housing debate today, that the Coalition’s “super for housing” policy is entrenching gender inequality and raising house prices.

Asked if she was on to something – that women have to raid their super when they have less money in it? Bragg replied:

How do you raid your own money?

Host Patricia Karvelas said it’s there for your retirement, not for housing – that’s Labor’s argument. But she brought him back to the gendered element of the question, and Bragg said:

Sure. I understand that. But I find it a very jarring term, when people are saying you’re raiding your own money. The core of your retirement is your house, not your super fund. In Labor’s nirvana, the super funds own a whole lot of houses and they rent them out to people. We want people to own a house, not have to rent in retirement.

Doesn’t matter what gender you are, it’s a good idea. We think the super for housing policy is one of the best ideas in the marketplace. We think it stands on its own, no matter what Labor and Big Super cook up.

Lambie weighs in on major parties’ housing policies for first home buyers

Jacqui Lambie was also asked to weigh in on each of the major parties’ policies for first home buyers.

She argued the Coalition should have “got this all done 12 months ago”.

They have been in opposition for three years, they don’t look like they’re in opposition at all. They’re really struggling with that. They should have had costings, they had plenty of time to get it ready and looking like a real smart outfit. They failed to do the work to make them look like a credible opposition. That’s really worrying for me.

On Labor’s policy, Lambie said it “always scares” her when the government gets involved in building houses for first home buyers.

We need to be careful with first home buyers, make sure they don’t put themselves in too much debt. The unemployment rate is right down … With Trump and trade wars going on, I would be really careful what we’re offering, we don’t saddle these people with debt and give them false hope.

Lambie calling for Senate inquiry into Australia-US relationship

Jacqui Lambie and her running mate, Rex Patrick, are calling for a Senate inquiry into Australia’s relations with the US. Asked why she was doing this, Lambie responded:

Right now we’re going through quite a rough patch because of what’s happened with [Donald] Trump – they’re not with the people themselves, of course. We need to put this under a magnifying glass … Let’s have a good look at our relationship with the USA and get it out on the table.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has also been up on ABC Afternoon Briefing this afternoon, where she said the Indonesian matter had been “overblown” by Peter Dutton.

She said that “certainly we need to keep an eye on it” because “Indonesia does buy a lot of arms from Russia.” But she said the matter had been “blown out of proportion.”

People are doing it tough. They’re very concerned, they’re on edge, it doesn’t help with stability … Let’s be clear and careful when we are speaking about national security issues …

Indonesia came out and said there’s nothing to see here, they seemed to have shut it down straightaway. Let’s just hope there is nothing to see here. Everyone would hope so.

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