Federal election: Gina Rinehart wants huge rise in defence spending
Australia's richest person, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, has called for defence spending to be increased to 5 per cent of GDP – far more than either party is proposing – at an Anzac Day Eve event with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese again bizarrely denied he had fallen off a stage – despite hours earlier saying 'falling off the stage' was his worst moment of the campaign.
The PM also defended a Labor candidate who once shared a fake image depicting Mr Dutton as a Nazi, saying she was an 'extraordinary Australian'.
HERE'S HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED
Originally published as Election campaign live: Gina Rinehart calls for defence spending to be more than doubled at Anzac event with Peter Dutton

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Age
28 minutes ago
- The Age
ASX extends gains on US-China talk hopes; Monash plummets on IVF bungle
The Australian sharemarket extended its gains in early afternoon, buoyed by hopes constructive talks between the US and China will ease global trade tensions as officials struck a positive tone after the first day of negotiations. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 64.7 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 8580.49 as of 1.11pm AEST. Nine of the 11 industry sectors rose, with banks, consumer and energy stocks leading the gains. CBA hit a fresh record high, while Monash shares plummeted following news of another IVF bungle. The bourse was closed on Monday for the King's Birthday holiday. The Australian dollar strengthened overnight, and was flat at US65.18¢ at 1.13pm AEST. American and Chinese officials met in London on Monday to talk about a range of different disputes that are separating them. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the discussions were 'fruitful' and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited a 'good meeting'. 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy,' President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House. 'I'm only getting good reports.' The advisers will meet again on Tuesday at 10am in London, according to a US official, as the two sides look to ease tensions over shipments of technology and rare earth elements. Loading Markets across Asia edged up as traders closely followed the talks between the two economic superpowers. On the ASX, consumer discretionary and financial stocks led the local market higher as investors stepped up their bets for a de-escalation of the global trade war. 'There's this growing optimism again that the negotiations will ultimately reach an agreement,' said Takeru Ogihara, a Tokyo-based executive strategist at Asset Management One. 'If the US and China can come together, it will be a positive development for the global economy.'


Canberra Times
29 minutes ago
- Canberra Times
Australian shares post record close as financials surge
The Australian dollar is buying 65.05 US cents, up from 64.41 US cents on Friday at 5pm, but still seemingly unable to break above 65.40 US cents, after a tepid rebound in consumer sentiment boosted the likelihood of more Reserve Bank interest rate cuts.

ABC News
32 minutes ago
- ABC News
Why AI means reform in Albo's second term
Anthony Albanese has used his first National Press Club address since Labor's thumping election win to lay out his second term vision. And with a renewed focus on productivity — including a round table — is the Prime Minister preparing the ground for reform? And while the PM condemned the "horrific" and "targeted" attack on nine journalist Lauren Tomasi while she covered the LA protests, he wouldn't be drawn on whether he would raise the matter directly with Donald Trump. Patricia Karvelas and David Lipson break it all down on Politics Now. Got a burning question? Got a burning political query? Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@