By MAX AITCHISON, POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 23:35 BST, 13 April 2025 | Updated: 23:39 BST, 13 April 2025

Labor and the Coalition both officially launched their campaigns on Sunday, with major promises to splash the cash.

Anthony Albanese promised to introduce a $1,000 instant tax deduction if re-elected, while Peter Dutton unveiled a radical – and controversial – policy to allow first-time home buyers of newly-built properties to deduct interest payments on the first $650,000 of their mortgages. 

The Prime Minister is hitting the ground in Adelaide, while Opposition Leader is campaigning in his own backyard of Brisbane. 

Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live campaign coverage. 

Air kiss was for hygiene reasons, claims Plibersek

Tanya Plibersek has laughed off any suggestion that her awkward air kiss with the Prime Minister was a symptom of their long-standing rivalry.

As Anthony Albanese approached the podium with his fiancée Jodie Haydon for his campaign launch speech in Perth on Sunday, he soaked up the adulation of the party faithful and firmly shook hands with his ministers.

The seemingly frosty exchange was noticed by many spectators and seemingly confirmed tensions between the pair were the reason for Ms Plibersek’s recent absence from other campaign events, aside from one appearance at Paddy’s Markets in Sydney.

But now Ms Plibersek has given her own version of events, claiming the air kiss was for hygiene reasons.

‘I reckon we should still all be elbow-bumping. During an election campaign, the last thing you want is to catch a cold,’ Ms Plibersek told Sunrise on Monday morning.

‘So that’s on me. I should’ve done the elbow bump I reckon.’

Despite Mr Albanese demoting her from education to environments and overruling some of her decisions, Ms Plibersek insisted the pair were ‘buddies’.

But they both have a long and uneasy history.

You can read more about their tense relationship here:

:
LIVE: Election 2025 – Tanya Plibersek shares her side on THAT awkward exchange with Albo during Labor’s election campaign launch



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