Federal election 2025: Hey kids, want some more sugar?

Tax breaks and handouts rained from the campaign clouds this week as both Labor and the Liberal National Party (LNP) traded sugar hits.

Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced an instant $1,000 tax deduction for work-related expenses – no receipts (and arguably no expenses) required.

He also pledged to expand the first home guarantee scheme which allows first home buyers to pay just 5% deposit on a home with the government guaranteeing another 15% so as to avoid the requirement for mortgage insurance, a saving of as much as $20,000 on a home purchase.

Albanese said his government would also work with state governments to accelerate land releases and planning approvals as these drop further behind his original commitment in the National Housing Accord to build 1.2 million homes in five years.

This comes on top of the $17B in personal income tax cuts and a bag of other candy canes in the April Budget, including another $250 energy bill rebate and a 20% reduction in student debts.

In riposte, opposition leader Peter Dutton promised a $1,200 one-off cost-of-living tax offset for anyone earning less than $144,000 a year.

He also announced that a LNP government would make mortgage interest payments for first home buyers tax deductible for five years, estimated to cost around $10B.

He indicated the Opposition would soon announce a ‘significant’ new commitment in defence.

These commitments come in addition to the LNP’s promised 25% reduction in the petrol excise tax for at least one year.

Locally, in the federal seats of Robertson and Dobell, the spending pledges were also flying thick and fast.

The ALP promised the Medical Health Centre in Tuggerah will be upgraded to a full-service centre and more funding to existing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Charlestown and Lake Haven to boost their capacity.

Labor also promised a $2.1M contribution toward the Beaches Shared Pathway at Avoca Beach, $325,000 to improve irrigation and drainage at Slade Park and $35,000 to install new fencing at Halekulani Oval in Budgewoi.

Liberal candidate for Robertson Lucy Wicks announced a major $3.5M initiative by the LNP to upgrade a number of Central Coast sporting facilities including $1.8M to redevelop amenities at Hylton Park Oval No. 7 in East Gosford, $1.2M at Erina Oval and $500,000 at Patrick Croke Oval in Kincumber.

The collective impact on future public deficits and debt of these measures left economists wringing their hands.

Nothing much appeared to change for the broader populus however, with the latest Newspoll (conducted between April 7 and 10) showing the ALP remains ahead of the LNP 52-48 on a two-party preferred basis.

The coalition primary vote did fall to 35 however (down from a high of 40 back in November last year) and Peter Dutton also suffered a one point drop in his popularity as preferred prime minister.

An even more recent YouGov poll suggest Labor has stretched its lead further to 52.5 – 47.5 on a two-party preferred basis.

We can only presume therefore that there is more sugar to come, at least from the LNP, as parties like to “bring it home” with a knock-out punch in the final days of the campaign to keep things fresh in the minds of voters.

This may have changed in recent times as more people vote in pre-polling and, as the ABC’s Brett Worthington noted, John Howard liked to remind his party “you can’t fatten the pig on market day”.

Ross Barry