Federal Election 2025 - Australia Votes

Anthony Albanese says it early intervention is "absolutely central" to stopping the cycle when it comes to domestic and sexual family violence.

"The figures show that so many perpetrators have been themselves victims. It is tragic that you have that intergenerational issue and that is why it is such a challenge," he says.

"That is why there isn't a simple fix here. That is why we need to work as a whole of society to address this."

Anthony Albanese has made several references to the show Adolescence throughout this press conference.

So, a reporter asks if he's so concerned about the content young people are viewing on their phones, why YouTube has been made exempt from the government's social media ban and if the government has directly engaged with YouTube.

The PM says the government is still in the year-long implementation phase it gave itself to get the process right.

"We want to make sure that people don't get excluded from access to things that they should have access to, in terms of their education. We know that with education in 2025, a lot of it is online. This is a matter of getting it right," he says.

So is the PM leaving the door open to YouTube being included in the ban?

He doesn't say.

Anthony Albanese is asked about a rapid review into domestic violence he commissioned last year.

"Some of the recommendations were that you should restrict access to alcohol and gambling. What is your view on that recommendation and are you committed to doing those two things to take quick action as a government in your next term?" he is asked.

"We are committed to making a difference," Albanese says.

"We do have a $4 billion national plan. We are working through a range of issues with state and territory governments as well. One of the issues that a commitment that we made before the election was for 500 community service workers. Of those, we stepped up, we were unhappy with how slow that was to be implemented. We have to find the staff to do so. Four hundred and eighty of those are in place today.

He is pressed about gambling and alcohol specifically.

"We will work through all of the issues," he says.

"It is not — there's not a single issue that you can say if you do this you will solve these problems.

"In some cases, we need to work through changing attitudes of young Australians as well, the education — the thing we were speaking about before, of changing attitudes."

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said the Coalition's plan to cut 41,000 public servants from Canberra would mean a prolonged depression for the area and surrounding suburbs.

The PM is asked if he agrees with this assessment.

"You bet it would," he says.

"It would have a devastating impact on Canberra.

"I tell you what I'm more worried about, the impact it would have on Australians.

"The impact it would have on Australian veterans who would go back to waiting and in some cases the men and women in uniform who have served our country, not getting their entitlements."

He says it would also affect Services Australia, the pension system, ASIO, disaster recovery services and more.

"This would have a devastating impact on gutting the capacity of the Australian government to serve the Australian people and it's just one example of how they are just unfit."

During the debate last night, Anthony Albanese suggested the reason why he didn't have Donald Trump's number was because the US president didn't have a phone.

It's in the context of the PM not being able to secure a third call with Trump as Australia tries to negotiate a carve out from US trade tariffs.

Albanese doesn't agree that his inability to get the US president on the phone represents a failure of government.

"Not at all," he says.

"I don't have Donald Trump's number. I didn't have Joe Biden's number. It is not the way it works between the Australian prime minister and the US president," he says.

"There are formal processes that take place. I have had two very warm conversations with President Trump."

Anthony Albanese doesn't believe Australia is heading towards a minority government, after 25 per cent of a studio audience remained undecided following last night's leaders debate.

The audience of 60 undecided voters handed the PM the win, with 50 per cent of the votes. Peter Dutton won over 25 per cent of the viewers while the rest went home undecided.

The PM is asked if the outcome suggested a minority government is now inevitable.

"No," he says.

"The truth is that out of every person who chose Peter Dutton, two chose myself. 60 people in the room, 30 for me, 15 for Peter Dutton. What that indicates is a clear outcome."

He says it was a bigger majority than he won over Scott Morrison back in 2022.

"I chose scrutiny, transparency. I agreed to four debates. No Prime Minister in Australia's history has had four debates as far as I'm aware," he says.

The prime minister is asked next what he will do for those on the Jobseeker payment if re-elected.

"We did increase the rate," he says.

"One of the things we have done is to provide opportunities for career paths into jobs.

"Free TAFE is making an enormous difference in opening up those opportunities. We have created over 1 million jobs in our first term, more than any government in history. We have, in addition to that, had the lowest unemployment rate of any government in 50 years."

He is asked: "Is the message to those on JobSeeker to just get a job?"

"No, that frankly that deserves a bit better than that and I deserve better in treating you with respect without being verballed," he says.

"So very clearly, I have concern about people, but I do want people to get into employment.

"My government is a compassionate government that has provided support.

"So I reject the characterisation that you put forward. I don't think that's fair, and I don't think it relates to the answer that I gave."

Anthony Albanese is asked if younger Australians have a reason to be resentful given both sides of politics won't act on negative gearing to bring down the cost of housing.

The PM says he knows "young people aren't getting a fair crack" and that's why he's promising to cut student debt by 20 per cent.

A reporter brings him back to the question of negative gearing. The PM doesn't directly answer the question. He says supply, and the $10b Housing Australia Future Fund, is the "key".

"The sort of support that we’re having here, that this organisation does in increasing social housing, but also affordable housing for rentals is important," he says.