Australia election 2025 live: AEC expects half of votes to be cast before 3 May amid pre-polling surge
More than 1.1m votes already cast in federal election
More than 1.1 million Australians have already voted in the federal election, according to the Australian electoral commission.
The AEC says it’s expecting about half of Australians to vote before 3 May.
According to the AEC’s latest data (which isn’t live), Carnes Hill in the seat of Werriwa which is held by Labor, has the highest number of pre-poll votes so far with 2409.
That’s followed by Rosebud in the Liberal held seat of Flinders, with 2263, and Cleveland in the LNP held seat of Bowman, also with 2263 pre-poll votes.
It puts more pressure on the major parties to sell their messages and detail all their costings before the rest of the country votes.
Key events
Labor has announced trade minister Don Farrell will travel to Rome to represent Australia at Pope Francis’ funeral.
Farrell is travelling today, and will be there with Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and Nationals MP Michael McCormack.
In a statement, Farrell says the Pope will be remembered for “his unwavering commitment to social justice and his dedication to serve those most in need”.
Pope Francis was an inspiring, global leader who championed compassion, peace, and unity.
It is one of the greatest honours to represent Australia, and our Catholic communities, at this solemn occasion and to pay our nation’s respects alongside leaders from around the world.
More than 1.1m votes already cast in federal election
More than 1.1 million Australians have already voted in the federal election, according to the Australian electoral commission.
The AEC says it’s expecting about half of Australians to vote before 3 May.
According to the AEC’s latest data (which isn’t live), Carnes Hill in the seat of Werriwa which is held by Labor, has the highest number of pre-poll votes so far with 2409.
That’s followed by Rosebud in the Liberal held seat of Flinders, with 2263, and Cleveland in the LNP held seat of Bowman, also with 2263 pre-poll votes.
It puts more pressure on the major parties to sell their messages and detail all their costings before the rest of the country votes.
How well are you surviving this election campaign? I’m being fuelled by sugar and afternoon hot choccies.
Anyway, self-proclaimed longsuffering election viewer James Colley tells you how he’s surviving the election, and how the last few days of the campaign have gone:
Labor says details of $1.2bn critical minerals strategic reserve to be worked out through consultation
Almost all the details around the critical minerals strategic reserve are up in the air, though the government has said it will commit $1.2bn to the plan.
The government is yet to choose which critical minerals and rare earths will be stockpiled under the reserve, or where they could be held.
How the minerals would be priced is also still in question.
The resources minister, Madeleine King, tells Sky News it will all be worked out through consultation:
Having the principle of a reserve is a really important step … a very important part of the Albanese Labor government’s approach in the critical resource industry is that we do consult with industry.
If the proposal that you’re putting forward is that we should, you know, make these things up right now, well, I don’t support that kind of approach to policy development.
In pictures: from suits to hi-vis
The Albanese camp attended the West Australian’s breakfast event in the morning, before heading out to the seat of Bullwinkel on the outskirts of Perth.
At the end of his press conference, Albanese backed his candidate for Dickson, Ali France, following reporting by News.com.au that France previously shared social media posts depicting Peter Dutton (who she’s running against) as a Nazi and backed claims Israel is an “openly racist apartheid regime”.
Albanese says he has no idea how old the tweets are that have resurfaced, but calls France an “extraordinary Australian”.
People will go after people’s history going back to more than a decade during the last campaign, Ali France was attacked for using her disability as an excuse for why she lived in the home that she lived in. Ali France is someone who lost her leg saving her child’s life when she pushed a pram forward and was hit by a motor vehicle. Ailey France is an extraordinary Australian.
‘This is insane’: Canberra-based Labor MPs say Coalition’s public service plan could lead to departments closing
Henry Belot
Andrew Leigh, a Canberra based Labor MP, says the Coalition’s plan to trim the size of the public service by 41,000 positions in the ACT only is “insane”.
Earlier today, Dutton clarified the Coalition’s target of removing 41,000 positions by the end of the decade does not apply to states and territories beyond Canberra.
According to the Australian Public Service Commission, there are 68,435 public servants based in the nation’s capital. That’s roughly one-third of the overall APS workforce. Based on those figures, removing 41,000 positions from the Canberra based workforce – through a mixture of voluntary redundancies or natural attrition – would reduce its size by 59% by the end of the decade.
Leigh said “this is insane”:
Even if Dutton closed the head offices in Canberra of 12 departments — Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Attorney General’s; Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; Defence; Education; Finance; Foreign Affairs and Trade; Health and Aged Care; Home Affairs; Prime Minister and Cabinet; Treasury; Veterans’ Affairs – he’d still have less than 41,000 job cuts. Dutton makes Doge look restrained.
David Littleproud says he believe in climate change
Back to the press club, Anna Henderson asks Littleproud whether, following the recent devastating floods in Queensland, he believes in climate change.
Littleproud replies: “Yes, I do”:
Thargomindah is a perfect example. We had a flood event through there [in] 1974, [this time it was] 7.65 metres… beat it by nearly a metre.
So obviously, I respect the science, and we’ll do whatever we can to make sure that we have an energy grid that’s zero emissions …
In pictures: Peter Dutton at petrol stop number 14
Dutton is in the seat of Lyons, which is held by retiring MP Brian Mitchell for Labor on a very tight 0.9% margin.
The seat is being contested by former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White and Liberal candidate Susie Bowers (who you can see in the background).
Social license for nuclear ‘already won’ says Nationals leader
While Peter Dutton has been fronting questions about why he hasn’t visited a nuclear site during this election campaign, Littleproud says “there’s no need” because the Coalition has already won the social license.
It’s an interesting point he makes, and it goes against some of the other reporting that shows communities aren’t happy with the prospect of nuclear in their backyard.
He tells the press club:
There’s no need to go in an election campaign where you have already won the votes. We have already won the social licence in those seven communities. Our polling clearly shows that.
