Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has outlined his priorities with a raft of pre-election pledges tackling the economy, migration and spending, in his pitch to become the next prime minister.
Speaking in the marginal Labor seat of Chisholm in Victoria, the Liberal leader used his first major political event of the new year to build momentum ahead of the federal election.
“If we win Chisholm, we’re a step closer to winning government. And if we win government, we can get Victoria and our country moving again,” he said.
While the date of the federal election has yet to be announced — it must be held on or before May 17 — both Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are already on the campaign trail.
The coalition is seeking to defy almost 100 years of political history by unseating a first-term government.
Dutton said he’s planning to announce new policies in the coming days and weeks and has vowed to cut “wasteful spending”.
“The expensive Panadol policies must stop,” he told the gathering.
Economic policy and new taxes
If his government wins, Dutton said he would deliver “lower, simpler, fairer” taxes and make changes to industrial relations policies.
“We will revert to a simple definition of a casual worker. And we will curtail union militancy in workplaces,” he said.
Energy and the environment
Dutton’s alternative energy policy is to “ramp up” gas production and .
Dutton also said he we will defund the Environmental Defenders Office, a non-government organisation that provides legal support on climate change and environmental issues.
Migration and foreign home buyer bans
Dutton proposed a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing Australian homes.
He also wants to reduce the permanent migration program by 25 per cent for two years – from 185,000 to 140,000 places.
“In years three and four, we will return to a sustainable 150,000 and 160,000 places.”
Another policy would allow Australians to access up to $50,000 of their super to buy their first home, a move Dutton said would extend to assist “separated women” — without elaborating.
Dutton also vowed to impose stricter international student caps.
“We will work with major metropolitan universities to set stricter caps on foreign students to relieve stress on city rental markets,” he said.
Medicare and GP pledges
Dutton said he would restore the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20.
He also said he would grow the GP workforce by giving incentives for junior doctors to work in suburbs and regional areas.
Indigenous affairs
Dutton said as prime minister he would conduct a full audit of spending on Indigenous programs, reintroduce the Cashless Debit Card for working-aged welfare recipients and launch a “Royal Commission into sexual abuse in Indigenous Communities”.
“There are communities where safety, housing, health, education and employment are critical issues,” he said.
“That’s where our efforts must be targeted.”
