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By BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 23:40 BST, 15 April 2025 | Updated: 01:09 BST, 16 April 2025
The Prime Minister and Peter Dutton both begin their day in Melbourne as the election campaign passes the halfway point. Both party leaders will go head to head in their second debate tonight.Australians go to the polls on May 3.Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live campaign coverage below. Australia eyeing bespoke trade deal with the Trump administrationThe US government has revealed it is considering trade deals with at least 15 countries following Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs.’We’ve had more than 15 deals, pieces of paper, put on the table – proposals that are actively being considered,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.The specific nations who have offered the deals have not been confirmed by the US government, however, the Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is prioritising quick agreements with Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.PM suggests Opposition inflaming international tensionsAnthony Albanese kicked off his day at a press conference in Melbourne with Treasurer Jim Chalmers.Mr Albanese drew parallels between Peter Dutton’s recent comments on Indonesia and Scott Morrison’s handling of China relations when he was in office – a period in which the communist superpower imposed huge tariffs on Australian goods.’China is responsible for actions which China took,’ Mr Albanese said.’But … some of the rhetoric which was given by the Australian government was not conducive towards having a constructive relationship.’The $20billion of trade impediments hurt Australians. It hurt the lobster industry in Geraldton, it hurt the barley industry in South Australia and the eastern states, it hurt the wine industry in Margaret River.’We have engaged diplomatically, where our approach to China is to cooperate where we can, to deal respectfully, to not dial things up to 11 at every opportunity.’To disagree where we must, and we do disagree on a range of issues, but we deal like adults.’Dutton slammed over shocking TV interviewOpposition Leader Peter Dutton is copping backlash over a TV interview in which he claimed the Albanese government dropped the ball on Russia attempting to base military aircraft near Darwin.Mr Dutton made the alarming claims that Australia’s northern neighbour, Indonesia, had confirmed Russia wanted to move aircraft into their country.That seemed to be news to the Indonesian government, however, who said it would never agree to such a proposal.’There’s commentary I have seen reported from the Indonesian spokesperson,’ Mr Dutton told Patricia Karvalas on the ABC.’That obviously comes from the administration. There are reports of negotiations or discussions that have taken place between Russia and Indonesia.’He claimed Foreign Minister Penny Wong and DFAT had made a ‘catastophic error’ if the plan was unknown to them.Senator Wong responded this morning by saying that ‘Peter Dutton fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president’.She said the Australian government had confirmed there was no such plan being considered.’Now, this is an extraordinary thing for a man who wants to be the prime minister to do – to actually try and verbal the president of Indonesia in order to make a domestic political point. He is simply too reckless and too aggro.’We engaged through the appropriate channels – that is, me to the foreign minister, the defence minister to the defence minister, as well as at diplomatic levels, and very quickly we gained the confirmation.’Speaking in Melbourne this morning, Mr Albanese called Mr Dutton’s comments an ‘extraordinary overreach’.
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LIVE: Election campaign 2025 – Huge development in US tariff saga as Donald Trump considers deal with Australia
