Australian politics and news RECAP: PM and Peter Dutton trade penalty rates blows at Sydney Royal Easter Show

Thanks for following The Nightly’s live election coverage over the Easter long weekend, that’s all for today.

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A fresh argument has broken out on industrial relations over the holiday weekend, with Peter Dutton labelling a Labor move to legislate protections for penalty rates a stunt and a “red herring”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his cabinet colleague Jason Clare harked back to their university days working hospitality jobs to recognise how much help the extra pay for working night shifts or weekends could be.

“It paid for the public transport, it paid for the food, it paid for my life,” he said.

Mr Dutton said the move was “yet another stunt” from Labor, given the independent Fair Work Commission set the conditions.

“We don’t propose any departure from the current arrangements,” he said.

Read the full story here.

It was a busy day for kids, and bigger kids, at the Easter Show in Sydney earlier today.

With both Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese speaking to the press and returning to campaign mode, perhaps more memorable was their assigned, hands-on activities.

Between the two pollies, they were seen cuddling up to farm animals, cooking snags, shaking hands, and doing their version of relaxing in what should be a slow-paced weekend for most.

Here are some pics they’ve shared on social media summarising their appearances.

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So, who left the best impression among locals?

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Nationals leader David Littleproud has denied the Federal election is slipping away from the Coalition, saying the result will be determined seat by seat.

In Perth on Saturday, Mr Littleproud scoffed at suggestions Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party was headed for another term in office despite the Prime Minister being well ahead in the polls.

“We certainly can (win),” Mr Littleproud said.

“This isn’t a 2022 election. This election is super local. It’s seat by seat.

“When you look at our track polling in the key seats we’re looking at the Liberal Party as well, there is real movement in terms if that under current — the quiet Australian.

“So I wouldn’t be taking (notice of) national polls.”

The Nationals have repeatedly campaigned against Labor’s decision to stop the live sheep export trade by 2028.

“To the people of Perth, I say to you — please put Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party last,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Their (farmers’) livelihoods are gone.”

Labor’s national secretary Paul Erickson is taking a brief breather from the election campaign after his partner Dimity Paul had a baby girl.

Anthony Albanese describes it as “just wonderful news”.

“Paul Erickson is a dear friend of mine and Dimity is someone who is just remarkable,” he says.

“I have been able to send them very warm congratulations, and I do so publicly (too).”

Mr Albanese works closely with Mr Erickson to plan the campaign and Labor’s strategic direction.

In the 2022 campaign, he chatted with Ms Paul, a long-time figure in the Victorian ALP, and her dog on the morning of election day when Mr Albanese stopped off at a polling booth.

Anthony Albanese and his cabinet colleague Jason Clare are attacking Mr Dutton over penalty rates.

The Liberal leader earlier this morning described Labor’s move to legislate protections for penalty rates in awards as a stunt, and insisted he wouldn’t change anything.

Mr Clare muses about the past jobs he and Mr Albanese have had – working at Sizzler, McDonald’s and a pancake joint – and how much difference the extra money for working late or on weekends made.

“Penalty rates helped get me through uni. It paid for the public transport, it paid for the food and paid for my life,” Mr Clare says.

“And if Peter Dutton thinks that penalty rates aren’t important, then tell that to the hundreds of thousands, if not more, Australians who rely on penalty rates each and every day in their life. That’s more money on the table for them.”

Mr Albanese says the Liberals were the “party of WorkChoices”, harking back nearly two decades for a scare-line.

Anthony Albanese is asked about reports that Australian prisoner Oscar Jenkins, who was captured by Russia after fighting in Ukraine, is now facing criminal charges.

He says the Government will “continue to make representations to the reprehensible regime of Vladimir Putin” on behalf of Mr Jenkins.

“We will stand up and use whatever avenues we have at our disposal to continue to make those representations,” he says.

“The Russian war against the people of Ukraine is a war against international law, it’s against national sovereignty.”

Anthony Albanese has also done a tour of the Sydney Royal Easter Show today, earlier stopping past a goat enclosure where he and partner Jodie Haydon cuddled caprine kids and chatted with human kids.

Now he shares some trade news with the media, in an update from an issue that arose earlier this week: Canada has agreed to let an Aussie cafe owner use Vegemite again.

Mr Albanese labels it a win for the people in Canada who now get to enjoy “this part of Australian culture” and thanks Canadian prime minister Mark Carney for seeing sense.

“Happy Easter to all those happy little Vegemites out there,” he says.

The Prime Minister is expected to face the press shortly from the Sydney Easter Show, but not before he embraces all the fanfare, and fun fair activies on offer.

Following Peter Dutton’s visit earlier today, Albo was seen cuddling up in the baby goat pen as he stopped for a quick chat to reporters.

Asked how he felt regarding polling and his campaign chances, the PM raised his furry friend into the air rather religiously, if not re-enacting a scene from the Lion King.

“We’ve still got a mountain to climb,” he declared.

The PM appeared cautiously optimistic, as if he just can’t wait to be ‘king’... for a while longer.

Not everyone was pleased to see Peter Dutton as he tries to win over hearts and minds in the lead-up to the Federal election.

“Voldemort” one woman sniggered within earshot, as he visited a food stall.

As polling is showing sliding support for Mr Dutton and Labor surges to a new lead he was still upbeat about the coalition’s chances..

“There are a lot of Australians, frankly, who just haven’t switched their mind yet to the choices and what they’re doing on election day,” he told reporters, undeterred.

“So we’ve got a lot of time between now and polling day.”

Read the full story here.