Federal Election 2025: Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton’s different campaign approaches in pictures
Two leaders, two very different election campaigns. Albo’s gone all soft posing with ice creams and babies. Peter Dutton has opted for a more high octane push. SEE THE PHOTOS AND VIDEO
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It’s been a case of babies versus bowsers this election campaign with Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton sticking to photo opportunities they are most comfortable with.
Both camps have carefully planned out appearances in line with their respective messages to voters.
For Mr Albanese, that’s a message about a caring government that will prioritise Medicare, childcare and cheaper education.
For Mr Dutton the message is focused on strong economic management and a tough leader who can handle international economic challenges and bring Australians immediate hip pocket relief.
The Prime Minister’s advancers have been working overtime to secure plenty of pictures with kids but it all started spontaneously — when his first campaign visit to an Urgent Care Clinic in Dickson was delayed by an impromptu visit to a gym.
There he was mobbed by a group of mums and posed for selfies with a toddler.
Mr Albanese also visited a maternity hospital in Midland in Perth where he met baby Amber who was just 27 hours old.
The same week he met a generous nonna in the electorate of Canberra in the ACT where they sat down for morning tea at her family home.
The visit to a humble family home where he held a press conference in front of the backyard hills hoist sends the message that he cares about families doing it tough.
There was also a visit to a childcare centre in Melbourne where he read storybooks to toddlers — tying into his policy of guaranteeing three subsidised days of childcare.
The first week ended with another planned interaction with kids, the PM eagerly lifting schoolchildren up in the air and posing with them as they screamed in excitement.
Apart from kids, Mr Albanese is also most at ease whipping out his Medicare card — a crucial prop for an election Labor is seeking to fight on healthcare.
The card has made it into several campaign appearances including in the first leaders debate.
Labor is pushing its Medicare legacy this campaign while running a major Mediscare campaign against the Coalition so we expect there will be many more appearances with the card.
Finally, after winning the first debate and with a pep in his step, Albo pulled out his favourite Rabbitohs sneakers, jeans and a polo for a visit to the Great Barrier Reef.
It’s all part of presenting the Prime Minister as the friendly, everyman to Peter Dutton’s tough guy act.
And the contrast could not be more clear.
Mr Dutton — who is running a campaign on national security, economic management and home ownership — has been on a national tour of petrol stations.
There have been plenty of photo opportunities with fuel bowsers as part of the Coalition’s promotion of their fuel excise discount.
Mr Dutton is pushing the message that their policy will help people immediately, not in 15 months’ time when Labor’s $5 a week tax cuts kick in.
There have also been lots of hard hats for the cop-turned-politician with the opposition leader visiting several factories — including one where he tried his hand at some of the heavy machinery — during his first weeks of the campaign.
The Coalition has repeatedly attacked Labor for failing small businesses and overseeing a “manufacturing recession” so these visits are designed to position Mr Dutton as a friend of businesses.
Mr Dutton also had a softer photo opportunity planned, playing AFL with some kids, but it all went horribly wrong when his ball hit a cameraman on the head causing a gash.
That miss aside, Mr Dutton did also opt for more soft appearances, visiting a couple’s home in Melbourne to spruik housing affordability, a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane and an Assyrian festival where even bopped along with the cultural dancers.
He also pulled out the trump card of all photo opportunities: meeting Bear the border collie at a petrol station in Launceston.
Read more federal election news here.
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Originally published as Federal Election 2025: Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton’s different campaign approaches in pictures
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