Labor tells voters “you’ll be worse off under Dutton” in new campaign ad

Labor has gone after the Coalition’s history of voting against the government’s key cost-of-living measures as it firms up one of its key messages ahead of the federal election.

The government launched its latest campaign ad urging voters they’ll be “worse off under Dutton”, highlighting Peter Dutton’s opposition to the government’s revamped Stage Three tax cuts, its $300 energy bill rebate, free TAFE policies, legislated pay rise for aged care and early childhood workers, increased discounts to PBS-listed medicines, and it’s election promise to wipe 20 per cent off HECS debts.

The ad will be played on free-to-air TV, YouTube, on-demand video services and Meta platforms from Sunday evening.

Government modelling also claims the average duel-income household would be about $7200 worse off under a Coalition government.

The figures includes Labor’s energy rebate, and tax relief which would have been scrapped under the original tax cut policy with benefited high-income earners.

The modelling also assumes wage growth would have only remained at 2.2 per cent, instead of the 4.4 per cent under Labor.

The Coalition, however, has said Labor’s increased spending has resulted in stickier inflation and prolonged high interest rates, with Mr Dutton vowing to cut excess spending if he wins the next election.

In recent days he has taken aim at the increase in Canberra’s public service workforce, which they claim will bloat to 36,000 employees under Labor, adding a recurring expense of about $6bn a year.

While the election must happen on or before May 17, April 12 is firming up to be the likeliest date, with Mr Albanese expected to call the federal election after the WA state election on March 8.

The government could also get at least one or even two rate cuts from the Reserve Bank, with Tuesday’s lower-than-expected inflation update increasing the likelihood of a cut when the board updates the cash rate on February 18.

If so, this would be the first rate cut since November 2020 when the cash rate was dropped to 0.1 per cent.