Easter Campaign Blitz as the Election Nears | ABC News | Insiders

Key Concepts

• Housing affordability (demand-side vs. supply-side measures)
• Negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT)
• First-time home buyers
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)
• Foundational supports
• Coalition's housing policy (mortgage interest tax deductibility)
• Labor's housing policy (shared equity scheme)
• Greens' housing policy (rent caps, public housing investment)
• Early voting
• Leaders' debate
• Taxation (bracket creep, personal income tax)
• Regional security (Indonesia, Russia)
• Cost of living
• Domestic violence
• Minority government
• Campaign strategy and messaging

Housing Policies and Affordability

• Economists' Critique: Experts largely criticized both major parties' housing policies, labeling them "dumb and dumber" and a "dumpster fire of dumb ideas." The concern is that many measures focus on demand-side stimulus rather than addressing the core issue of housing supply.
• Supply vs. Demand: While both parties have supply-side measures, economists argue that more emphasis is needed on increasing the housing stock.
• Coalition's Mortgage Interest Tax Deductibility:
  • Offers tax concessions for first-time home buyers taking out a mortgage on a new home.
  • Allows deducting mortgage payments from their tax bill.
  • Benefits higher-income earners more due to the progressive tax system.
  • Has income caps: $175,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples.
  • A $5 billion fund to help with last-mile infrastructure connections to speed up the delivery of new homes.
• Labor's Shared Equity Scheme:
  • Aims to help people struggling to get a deposit together by extending access to a loan with just a 5% deposit.
  • The Housing Australia Future Fund committed $100 million for 42 crisis accommodation projects.
• Greens' Approach:
  • Advocate for winding back negative gearing and CGT concessions.
  • Propose rent caps and increased investment in public housing.
  • Want to build more homes that can be rented out at affordable rates.
• Negative Gearing and CGT:
  • Both major parties stated they would not touch negative gearing or CGT, arguing it would hurt supply.
  • The Prime Minister denied that his government had modeled negative gearing changes, but Treasurer Jim Charas later conceded that he had asked Treasury for negative gearing modeling.
• Bank of Mom and Dad: Peter Dutton stated that he doesn't want Australia to become a country where the only way into the housing market is via the bank of mom and dad.

NDIS and Foundational Supports

• Bipartisan Support: There has been some bipartisanship around reforms to the NDIS aimed at flattening the growth in costs.
• Foundational Supports: An impass exists between the Commonwealth and the states regarding setting up foundational supports for kids who don't end up on the NDIS.
• Coalition's Position: The Coalition does not want to see a cohort of young children with ASD or developmental delay being thrown off the NDIS without a series of supports.
• Growth Target: The NDIS is growing at greater than 10% at the moment, and the target is about 8.4%.
• No Cuts: The Coalition stated that there would be no cuts to the NDIS.

Regional Security and International Relations

• Indonesia and Russia: Peter Dutton admitted he made a mistake about the Indonesian president.
• Dutton's Accusation: Dutton accused the Albanese government of a catastrophic failure for not seeing Russia's request to base aircraft in Indonesia.
• Indonesia's Response: Indonesia stated that they would never agree to such a proposal.

Campaign Strategy and Messaging

• Early Voting: Early voting begins on Tuesday.
• Timing of Announcements: The Coalition has been criticized for leaving much of its policy until the last minute.
• Connecting with Voters: Michael Sukar stated that the Coalition is running a campaign that's trying to connect with Australians when they're going to switch on.
• Unexpected Events: Election campaigns are prone to unexpected events, and the ability to manage these events is crucial.

Other Key Issues

• Cost of Living: The biggest issue for voters is the cost of living.
• Domestic Violence: Domestic violence is not an issue that's really featured much in this campaign.
• Small Business: Peter Dutton promised tax breaks for small business.
• Workers' Rights: Anthony Albanesy promised new laws to cement workers' rights to penalty rates.
• Work from Home: The Coalition's plan to end work from home for public servants was walked back.

Greens' Policies and Priorities

• Key Demands: Negative gearing reform will be a key demand in any hung parliament.
• Dental Care: The Greens have a dental care policy that the parliamentary budget office costed at $45 billion.
• Gas Reservation: The Greens do not support opening up new gas fields.
• Gaza: The Greens have been very clear that they cannot be supporting an invasion of an area half the size of Canberra with 2 million people walled into it with nowhere to go.

Notable Quotes

• Economist on Housing Policies: "It's a dumpster fire of dumb ideas."
• Peter Dutton on Indonesia: "This would be a catastrophic failure of diplomatic relations."
• Peter Dutton on Climate Change: "Of course I believe the science."
• Anthony Albanese on Negative Gearing: "That's not right."
• Michael Sukar on Housing Policy: "It's my idea."
• Adam Bant on Housing: "We can't keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result."

Conclusion

The election campaign is focused on housing affordability, cost of living, and the NDIS. Experts have criticized the major parties' housing policies, and there is an impass regarding foundational supports for the NDIS. The Coalition has been criticized for leaving policy announcements late and for missteps on regional security. The Greens are pushing for negative gearing reform and increased investment in public housing. The outcome of the election remains uncertain, with the possibility of a minority government.