Opposition Leader Peter Dutton campaigning in Western Sydney today

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has made an appearance at a service station in Western Sydney today, where both leaders are campaigning ahead of a forum.

Transcript

00:00We've been wondering when he would get to the Bowser and pump up someone's car for them

00:07and he's done it today on the last day of the first week.

00:10We're here in Parramatta, it's a Labor seat, it's a 3.7% margin, so it is in that collection

00:15of seats in Western Sydney that you will see the Coalition campaigning particularly hard

00:20on.

00:21And they are campaigning on one of the policies they think will resonate most with your average

00:27person, particularly people in Western Sydney who have to drive long distances to work,

00:31and that is the halving of the fuel excise.

00:34So they're going to take 25 cents per litre, according to Peter Dutton, off the price of

00:39petrol.

00:40He says that will mean for someone who fills up their car about once a week, that's a $14

00:45a week saving.

00:46And he's comparing that to the Albanese government's tax cut policy, which would be about $5 a

00:52week initially.

00:53So he's trying to say that his cost of living measure technically ends up a bit better for

00:59people in these early days initially.

01:02He also talked about his gas policy, he was asked questions about his response to the

01:07tariff situation with the US, he talked about offering up more in terms of defence, which

01:13he's spoken about as well yesterday, offering up more of what Australia can offer on defence

01:18to try and get a better deal on tariffs.

01:19I was also able to ask him about his relationship with the mining magnate, Gina Rinehart.

01:24The ABC's reported that she has had a cooling off of a relationship with Mr Dutton.

01:30Some articles have been shared on her website which are negative, or I guess talk down the

01:36Coalition's gas policy.

01:38I was able to ask him about that relationship, this is what he had to say.

01:42Firstly, first point I'd make is that I have respect for Gina Rinehart as Australia's most

01:47successful businesswoman.

01:48She employs thousands of Australians and normally the Labor Party would celebrate that as well.

01:53There is an enormous contribution that the mining sector makes to Australia and we just

01:58evidenced that yesterday in Western Australia.

02:01Without WA pumping as an economy, we aren't paying for roads here in Western Sydney and

02:07we aren't paying for schools and we aren't building tunnels and infrastructure without

02:11that revenue from the mining sector.

02:14And we'll have points of difference with many people, but that doesn't mean that it

02:18impacts your friendship or your relationship with different business people.

02:22An interesting answer there, it doesn't impact his friendship he says with Gina Rinehart

02:26but does point out those points of difference.

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