Federal Election 2025 Voter Verdict: meet the undecided voters
These undecided Australians represent millions who are sitting on the fence this federal election. Find out what makes them tick and how the major parties can earn their vote. See the video.
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Introducing Voter Verdict
This group of undecided voters will share their honest, no-holds-barred opinions in videos, online and in the newspaper.
Pollster Redbridge has selected our panel — offering a wide intersection of Australians of all ages, lifestyles, professions and political interests.
The group will weigh in on both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton as they make their pitches to be the next Prime Minister.
WATCH THEIR BLUNT VOTER VERDICT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.
They will update us weekly on who in their view won the week and weigh in on key policies from both sides.
On election day, the voters will reveal which party will get their vote.
Follow along to see how this group of undecided Australians makes up their mind on who should win the next election.
NAME: Apurva Soni
AGE: 33
OCCUPATION: Project Officer
LOCATION: North Parramatta, NSW
ELECTORATE: Parramatta
North Parramatta local Apurva Soni plays cricket and goes camping in his spare time.
While he’s initially “inclined towards Anthony Albanese”, the project officer said he has been “impressed by Peter Dutton” over his comments on national security and immigration.
Like our wider group of undecided voters though, Mr Soni said neither leader has fully convinced him of their plan for Australia so far.
“None of the leaders and none of the parties have a convincing narrative,” he said.
“I cannot make any decision to whom to vote and therefore … I’m waiting for the right narrative.
“I will make my mind based on that.”
NAME: Karen Treloar
AGE: 56
OCCUPATION: Homemaker
LOCATION: Basin Pocket, QLD
ELECTORATE: Blair
Homemaker, caregiver and mum-of-four Karen Treloar, 56, enjoys craft, gardening and being out in nature.
Ms Treloar said for her it’s not about the big issues, instead this election will be won or lost on how the major parties make day-to-day lives easier.
“The biggest issues are housing and just living day by day. It’s not about getting the big things … it’s about just living, just feeding your family. It’s about being able to afford the electricity to stay on,” she said.
Ms Treloar said she worried about the future for her kids and wants them to be able to afford their own homes and live independently.
“It’s the future, I want my kids to enjoy it,” she said.
“I want my kids to grow and be able to have their own home.”
NAME: Rebecca Free
AGE: 51
OCCUPATION: Manager
LOCATION: Honeywell, TAS
ELECTORATE: Lyons
Fellow mum Rebecca Free has two kids aged 16 and 10.
When she’s not working, she loves to read, do crafts and caravan with family and friends.
A typical day in Ms Free’s life starts with a half-an-hour commute to work which includes dropping her kids off to their bus stop or school on the way.
When it comes to politics, Ms Free is undecided with both leaders offering policies she’s interested in.
“For Peter Dutton, I do like his promise of lower and fairer taxes and also the two-year ban on foreign investments for people buying residential property,” she said.
“In relation to Anthony Albanese, I do like his promises around education and health in particular … I also like the fact that there are the promises of more Fee Free TAFE positions.”
NAME: Aaron Teboneras
AGE: 41
OCCUPATION: Business Owner
LOCATION: Southport, QLD
ELECTORATE: Moncrieff
Aaron Teboneras wants Australia to have a leader who is more like US President Donald Trump.
The business owner is married with no children is a supporter of Peter Dutton’s bold nuclear policies.
If elected, the Coalition has vowed to build two nuclear reactors in Tarong and Callide in Queensland in addition to five others around the country.
“I support Peter Dutton’s policies …(like) looking at ramping up gas production and going nuclear, which I think is extremely vital for the country moving forward,” he said.
NAME: Julie-anne Perich
AGE: 47
OCCUPATION: Homemaker
LOCATION: Kalangadoo, SA
ELECTORATE: Barker
Julie-anne Perich is homemaker and keen vegetable gardener from the small town of Kalangadoo in South Australia.
The mum-of-three is closely connected to her tight-knit community with her kids playing at the local football club.
Ms Perich said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was her first choice for the election but she now has “mixed emotions” thanks to Labor’s decisions around live sheep exports.
South Australia is also slated for a small modular nuclear reactor but Ms Perich is not sold on nuclear energy, flagging safety concerns.
“I just don’t see how safe it is going to be, I really don’t understand it,” she said.
“I really don’t think it’s a good fit for Australia.”
NAME: Brett Terry
AGE: 56
OCCUPATION: Security officer
LOCATION: Hampton Park, VIC
ELECTORATE: Holt
Security guard Brett Terry is currently on a career break and lives in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Mr Terry does not have children but has been “an uncle many times over”.
He loves to spend his time collecting AFL trading cards and is passionate about cricket and the AFL, particularly the Western Bulldogs.
Mr Terry said going into the next election, he feels indifferent about Anthony Albanese.
“I have no opinion of him one way or another which is rather unusual for me as I have an opinion on everything,” he said.
For Mr Dutton, he said the opposition leader was “better than what they (the Coalition) previously had in the past as far as leadership goes.”
Mr Terry is most concerns about the cost-of-living, housing affordability and ensuring Australia’s infrastructure can support it’s migrant intake.
NAME: Dinesh Nagappan Anitha
AGE: 32
OCCUPATION: Mechanical Engineer
LOCATION: Blacktown, NSW
ELECTORATE: Greenway
Western Sydney engineer Dinesh Nagappan Anitha is married to his beautiful wife Roshni and loves to catch up with friends, go on long hikes, star gaze and take photographs in his spare time.
Mr Anitha said Peter Dutton has been pushing a strong “anti-incumbency message” with a lot of focus on reducing government spending.
While the 32-year-old credits Labor for trying to bring the cost-of-living down, he said it didn’t happen “fast enough”.
Housing was a big issue for the undecided voter who purchased his first home in the last year.
‘It was incredibly challenging,” he said.
“I’d be hoping for what kind of policies they can enact to ensure that more new builds come into the market that are more apartments, and not just inflated house prices … I’d (also) be looking at migration.”
He added that as a migrant himself, he was also interested to see how Australia would balance the important roles migrants play in the economy with infrastructure needs to support the population growth.
“It needs to be done right,” he said.
NAME: Denzel James
AGE: 19
OCCUPATION: Student
LOCATION: Para Hills, SA
ELECTORATE: Makin
Originally hailing from Northern Adelaide, Denzel James is currently studying in Victoria.
In his spare time, Mr James said he loves “diving into politics” and “analysing what is going on in the real world”.
He also loves spending time with his family and friends and hitting the beach after a busy week.
Housing is a big issue for the student who is yet to crack into the property market.
“Housing is a huge thing. It’s hard for me at the moment to get on the property market and that’s very hard,” he said.
He’s also concerned about climate change and mental health supports.
“And then we have climate change … (and) mental health which is affecting many of us.”
“This is something we’re already dealing with as young Australians and we need to take action, especially us as young people.”
NAME: Emily Cookson
AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: Student
LOCATION: Kellyville, NSW
ELECTORATE: Mitchell
Hailing from Sydney’s northwestern suburbs, Emily Cookson loves travelling or lounging at home watching a footy or tennis match.
Ms Cookson, who is a social services student, described herself as a “very big mental health advocate” and hopes to work in that space after graduating.
“We need to address the) mental health crises in Australia,” she said.
“I really do think we need a lot more support in that aspect, mental health support is nowhere near where it should be.”
Speaking of the two party leaders, Ms Cookson said they had more in common than they let on.
“I think they have more in common than they like to let on. Including the fact that they would probably make a whole lot of promises that they probably won’t deliver on,” she said.
Ms Cookson also shared a “controversial” take, saying she wants mandatory voting abolished in Australia.
“I think that we need to change the mandatory nature of voting in Australia. I really don’t think that we can say we live in a democracy if we’re forcing people to do things, including voting.”
NAME: Katie Hows
AGE: 30
OCCUPATION: Chartered Accountant
LOCATION: Woodvale, WA
ELECTORATE: Moore
Chartered accountant Katie Hows is currently in the midst of renovating her own home.
When she’s not doing her weekday job, she works as a disability support worker.
Ms Hows said she’s unsure who will get her vote this federal election but wants more focus on people like her: who work two jobs to be able to pay their mortgage and afford a renovation.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the politicians have to offer this year, specifically focusing on cost of living.”
NAME: Parag Khandekar
AGE: 43
OCCUPATION: Chartered Accountant
LOCATION: Rowville, VIC
ELECTORATE: Aston
Chartered accountant works in the manufacturing industry as a chief financial office but his real passion is “being a health conscious person”.
The 43-year-old said away from work he is trying to be “as fit as possible”.
Looking to the election, Mr Khandekar the government had not yet delivered on cost of living and migration but Peter Dutton also had a track record of not delivering during his time in government.
He also took a swipe at Mr Dutton’s record as health minister, saying he had made some controversial claims historically about Medicare.
“For me the party is not that important,” he said.
“The key issues are reducing the cost of living, reducing inflation, and providing good medical facilities to the residents and citizens of Australia.”
NAME: Rachel Zappia
AGE: 50
OCCUPATION: Office Manager
LOCATION: Concord West
ELECTORATE: Reid
Rachel Zappia lives in Sydney’s inner-west and is married with two daughters, aged 15 and 19.
When she’s not working as an office manager at a local airconditioning company, she loves to cook, try new menus pilates, swimming and walking.
“I walk for an hour-and-a-half everyday, it’s great for mental health and getting out and about and clearing your mind,” she said.
When it comes to this federal election, Ms Zappia said Peter Dutton was more of a “people person” than Anthony Albanese and that was starting to come through to voters.
She added that the Prime Minister’s popularity was declining but that’s a common trope with incumbent governments.
Cost-of-living was Ms Zappia’s number one issue heading to the polls.
“Cost of living is extremely expensive and it’s definitely something my family really takes note of,” she said.
“So anything that can be done to ease the cost of living is going to help everyone in every different demographic.
NAME: Muhammad Ahmad Ashraf
AGE: 39
OCCUPATION: IT professional
LOCATION: Logan Reserve, QLD
ELECTORATE: Forde
Mr Ashraf has three kids with his partner and the family are copping the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis,
Mr Ashraf feels opposition leader Peter Dutton is “very rigid” and “very conservative” as a politician.
“I don’t think he is going to deliver what is required,” Mr Ashraf said.
NAME: Gail McIntyre
AGE: 63
OCCUPATION: Retired
LOCATION: Mountain Creek Qld
ELECTORATE: Fairfax
Retired Queenslander Gail McIntyre said she finds the state of the world is “really frightening right now”.
The Mountain Creek local has children who are approaching middle age and a young grandson, and it’s concern for their future that’s influencing her this election.
“We have the US spending everything we thought we were supporting in Europe,” she said.
“I have children who are coming up to middle age and I have a very young grandson and I just want his future to be safe.
“I want the world to be a safer place and I just feel like we are going backwards.”
Ms McIntyre said she would like to see more spending on defence.
“I would like to hear more about how we will shore up Australia’s defence.”
Ms McIntyre said both leaders had “a lot of work to do”.
“What I want from the election is to see the country moving forward so that all Australians benefit,” she said.
“Keeping Australia safe should be really prominent during the election … when you look at what’s happening in the world it makes me feel really uncertain.”
Originally published as Federal Election 2025 Voter Verdict: meet the undecided voters
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