Volumes haven’t really spiked for the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader at all since a July 2 election became a certainty, despite yesterday’s announcement of a huge submarine contract won by the French that will see 2,800 jobs in manufacturing, mostly in South Australia. The vast majority of people are most definitely still not in “election mode”. Nevertheless there were a few other big political developments this week that saw plenty of movement further down the list.
Usually very low profile Environment Minister Greg Hunt rose 28 places as he committed $50m for Great Barrier Reef water quality projects following the worst bleaching episode in recorded history on the reef this season, and the government ratified the Paris Climate Treaty. Climate change looks set to be a significant election issue once more with the opposition set to announce its ETS policy.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton bounced back into the list after a rare week off as the PNG Supreme Court declared the detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island to be unconstitutional. Dutton quickly stated the decision would not change government policy, but the future of the 800 or so asylum seekers on Manus remains up in the air.
Health Minister Sussan Ley was the other big mover as she announced $5 billion worth of subsidies for dental care for all children and concession card holders, which the opposition claimed represented a cut of $1 billion from previous commitments.
Crikey Political Index: April 21-27
Treasurer Scott Morrison got almost as many comments as the PM this week, mainly in relation to negative gearing, but with a bit of same-sex marriage thrown in.
Social Media Top Five
Again a pretty broad slate on talkback, no one issue dominating, although negative gearing certainly got a considerable airing, as well as a Royal Commission into the finance sector.
Talkback Top Five
The most brilliant musician of his era is gone. Shall we ever see anyone with that amount of pure talent again? I hope so, I fear not.
Comparison of media mentions
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