2 weeks Ago By Dominic Giannini
Peter Dutton has pumped up his pitch to motorists railing against the price of petrol as he spruiks one of the coalition's cornerstone policies. Login or signup to continue reading The opposition leader is offering voters a 25 cents a litre cut to the price of petrol by halving the tax on fuel for 12 months if he is prime minister after the May 3 election. On the attack in the seat of Parramatta in Sydney's west, Mr Dutton filled up at a local petrol station and toured the adjacent mechanic workshop as the Liberals look to flip the Labor-held electorate.
It is held by Andrew Charlton on less than four per cent. Mr Dutton attacked Labor's income tax cuts baked into the budget, saying the July 2026 start date was too late. The coalition has promised to repeal them in favour of the fuel excise cut, with the budget too broke to afford both.
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Families need support right now, so that's where I think this election will be fought," he told reporters adjacent to a fuel truck on Friday. Despite talking to punters around the station, the attendant remained unenthused by the media circus, later saying he was only 18 and didn't really care much for the electoral theatrics. "It is what it is," he said.
Blacktown delivery driver Luong Ngo was more receptive to the fuel cut, saying he drove 200km a day and filled up twice a week, meaning he would save more under the Liberal policy. It would factor into his voting decision but wanted to see all the policy offerings before he hit the ballot box, he said, although his van was promoting the Liberals' fuel policy with a bumper sticker. Western Sydney is a key battleground for the Liberals as it targets the mortgage belt and lower-to-middle income earners by promising cheaper power bills on top of lower fuel prices.
But Mr Dutton has refused to release modelling showing how his plan to pump more gas into the energy grid to lower prices will result in cheaper power bills, saying it would come soon. He has also ruled out providing a dollar figure on how much people will save. The opposition leader is attending a western Sydney forum alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday.
Infrastructure remains a major factor out west with each side of politics blaming the other for the state of dilapidation. The coalition has pledged $230 million for arterial roads in western Sydney and business cases to look at where further upgrades are needed to ease congestion. Australian Associated Press Daily Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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