Albanese and Dutton’s bidding war for suburban Australia finally gets underway

Anthony Albanese made his speech then upped and left, taking half the room with him. This left Peter Dutton speaking to a somewhat thinned out crowd, writes Joe Hildebrand.

If anyone doubted Anthony Albanese’s commitment to public service, look no further than his impromptu stage dive at an event in Newcastle yesterday afternoon.

Albo had just been warning of the dangers of earthquakes in the Hunter Region when an extremely localised seismic event occurred beneath his feet.

The PM fell from the stage — or, as he later put it, gracefully dismounted — thus providing the Australian people with the most entertaining moment of the campaign so far.

It was a bold and selfless move by the PM to deliver some much needed colour and movement — a rather sudden movement — to a first week that had all the dynamism of a pile of unwashed dishes.

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton meet at the Future West event in Sydney.

But then we got to Day 8 of the campaign and the first head-to-head showdown of the two leaders in Western Sydney this morning.

Albanese and Peter Dutton descended on the Blacktown Workers Club for The Daily Telegraph’s Future Western Sydney forum and immediately commenced a bidding war for the hearts and minds of surburban Australia.

Needless to say the Telegraph was well pleased with this outcome.

PM Anthony Albanese speaks at the Future Western Sydney event at Blacktown Workers Club in Sydney today. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

As a display of sheer brute force politics, the PM played a blinder. He brought half his cabinet, their army of staffers and the travelling press pack with him to hear his carefully detailed speech, plus a friendly dig in a Q&A with Editor Ben English.

Asked if he was heading to Homebush to watch his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs take on mortal enemies the Roosters, the PM lamented he was not.

“I’m not allowed to have fun anymore,” he joked. “I get in trouble.”

Daily Telegraph Editor Ben English interviews Peter Dutton at the Future Western Sydney event at Blacktown Workers Club in Sydney today. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Then, amid the warm loving glow of the ensuing bonhomie, the PM upped and left, taking half the room with him.

This left Peter Dutton speaking to a somewhat thinned out crowd, although the proportion of Coalition supporters increased considerably.

Both leaders talked up their small business instant asset write-offs and sprinkled some much-needed millions for local road projects, while Dutton had just come from a servo where he lamented paying 25 cents more a litre than he would if he was PM.

Finally the campaign has really hit the road.

Originally published as Albanese and Dutton’s bidding war for suburban Australia finally gets underway