LIVE: Election 2025 - Dan Andrews' surprise return to politics as his pivotal role with Albanese is revealed

Anthony Albanese has enlisted the help of controversial former Victorian premier Dan Andrews for tonight's leaders debate.

Mr Albanese is gearing up to debate Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in western Sydney.

In recent months Mr Andrews has been role-playing as Mr Dutton in practice debates with Mr Albanese.

The former premier resigned in 2023, leaving behind a legacy marred by controversies.

Mr Andrews was criticised for harsh lockdown measures in Victoria - particularly among business owners - earning him the moniker 'Dictator Dan'.

Mr Albanese refused to answer questions today about his practice sessions with Mr Andrews.

Mr Dutton made a tongue-in-cheek comment when asked about Mr Albanese's practice partner.

'I hope that Daniel Andrews is out publicly with the prime minister (tonight), if it’s good enough for him to tell the prime minister how he should run the debate, or how we should run the economy, and how good he did in Victoria.'

Cheap Chinese goods from stores like Kmart and Bunnings will be pricier under Trump's tariffs, an economist has warned.

Prices will increase across the board as it becomes harder for countries to quickly and cheaply import components, Professor Alberto Posso from Griffith University told The Daily Telegraph.

Multiple countries are often involved in creating a product before it is assembled in China.

Prof Posso said retailers like Kmart and Bunnings were particularly vulnerable to disruptions in supply.

'Their supply chains are heavily dependent on affordable imports from China and Southeast Asia,' he said.

'To adapt, they will need to diversify and look for other supply routes and potentially other suppliers.'

China on Tuesday vowed to 'fight to the end' in an escalating trade war with the US.

The Prime Minister has teared up while describing a battle his friend's niece had with anorexia.

Anthony Albanese was pledging to pour $1billion into Medicare mental health centres in an announcement in Sydney on Tuesday morning.

Speaking about his personal experiences with mental health, Mr Albanese recalled his friend's niece had once been admitted to hospital with an eating disorder.

'That was really confronting. I was still pretty young at the time,' he said, fighting back tears.

'I haven’t seen anything like that. She almost died. She is now well... and has children of her own. But that was really confronting.'

The Prime Minister has refused to rule out a recession in the wake of global turmoil caused by Trump's tariffs.

But he inisisted the country was prepared for the possible downturn thanks to his government's policies.

'Wages grow five quarters in a row. We have, in addition to that, seen tax cuts for every taxpayer dealing with cost-of-living relief, and we’ve seen inflation, importantly, brought down to 2.4 per cent,' Mr Albanese said in Sydney on Tuesday morning.

'We had a six in front of it when we were elected, it peaked at 7.8 for in 2022. And what happened in 2022? In the lead-up to that election was a March budget, which saw a massive spike in the deficit.'

A young woman says she interrupted the Prime Minister's press conference on Tuesday to draw attention to his 'hypocrisy' on climate change.

Alexa Stuart told Sky News the Albanese government was 'continuing to fuel the climate crisis by approving new coal and gas projects'.

Ms Stuart began screaming while Mr Albanese was speaking to media and had to be ejected from the Sydney venue.

She is a member of the climate group Rising Tide.

A hysterical protester has interrupted Anthony Albanese's press conference in Sydney.

Mr Albanese was in the middle of criticising the Coalition for walking back its policy to stop public servants working from home in Canberra when a woman began screaming.

'You say you care about young people, and yet since getting elected your government approved 33 new coal and gas projects,' she said while being ushered outside.

The woman continued yelling while being led away, amid laughter from the press.

'It just encourages them,' said a calm Mr Albanese said when asked for comment.

Anthony Albanese has promised to pour $1billion into Medicare mental health centres, headspace clinics and youth specialist care centres if re-elected.

Labor is seeking to outdo the Coalition's $400million mental health package, which involves a boost to headspace, the non-profit organisation for young Australians.

Though the government wants the election fought on Medicare grounds it has been seen as weak on mental health, after Health Minister Mark Butler cut the number of subsidised psychology sessions from 20 to 10 a year.

The Opposition has slammed the move.

'Last year, a quarter of young Australians delayed or avoided seeking professional support for their mental health needs because they just could not afford it,' Coalition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said last week.

Peter Dutton has vowed to restore the 20 subsisdised sessions at a cost of $500million.

If Mr Dutton was planning to attack the government over its mental health record at Tuesday evening's leaders debate, Mr Albanese will now have his answer.

Australia should look to India and South East Asia for trade amid a cooling relationship with the US, Health Minister Mark Butler says.

Mr Butler told ABC Breakfast the country should distance itself from America and look for better alliances elsewhere.

'We’ve got to diversify our trade; we have focused on South-East Asia – a big strategy put in place over the last year or so,' he said.

'We (need to) focus heavily on India, where frankly we could lift our economic partnership.

'Not focusing on any single market is critically important. We learned that from the tariffs put on by China that we were able to live. We can’t have eggs in any single basket, whatever basket that is.'

Peter Dutton has slammed Anthony Albanese's relationship with Donald Trump as the US president's tariffs spark a global market meltdown.

The Opposition Leader told ABC Breakfast that the Coalition was better at managing Trump when they were last in power.

'Joe Hockey’s work as ambassador was crucial in doing this – identifying people who could have an influence in the decision in and around the administration,' Mr Dutton said.

'This prime minister just hasn’t got any of that connection.

'There’s been no work done in the run-up to what was obviously being announced and I think for us, the question at this election is who is best able to manage the relationship?'