Analysis: Bill Shorten’s surprising victory in Leaders’ debate

ANALYSIS: IT WAS Malcolm Turnbull’s hi-tech innovative comfort zone, but ended up Bill Shorten’s surprise victory.

ANALYSIS

IT WAS Malcolm Turnbull’s hi-tech innovative comfort zone, but ended up Bill Shorten’s surprise victory.

The Prime Minister began the groundbreaking news.com.au and Facebook online debate feeling he was right at home, while the Opposition Leader looked like he had walked into the wrong house.

However, Mr Shorten adapted swiftly and upped the energy of his jousting with Mr Turnbull, impressing many in the 30-strong live audience who watched them.

They judged the engagement a 17-7 win for the Labor leader.

The pace of the debate — and the online medium — was faster than for the traditional televised events, and Mr Shorten was better at matching it.

A debate result is not an election outcome, but the Labor leader will be pleased he was able to enter his opponent’s territory and succeed.

It wasn’t just a matter of nimbleness and speed. Mr Shorten stuck to the Labor script with a practiced determination honed over the many weeks of this campaign so far.

Mr Turnbull was more discursive and at times defensive. That was the impression left with many in the audience.

Malcolm Turnbull was outdone by Bill Shorten in the news.com.au and Facebook debate at Facebook HQ in Sydney. Picture: Kym Smith

There were stark policy moments as well.

Mr Turnbull made it clear, to a well-asked live question, that his government had no plan to remove penalty rates.

But he said a Turnbull government would not make a submission to the Fair Work Commission asking weekend wage premiums be retained.

That would be interfering with the independent umpire.

Mr Shorten sharpened Labor’s attack on proposed tax cuts for business — set to eventually cost $48 billion. He called Mr Turnbull’s argument that this would increase jobs “one of the greatest lies of this election”.

This occurred during the duelling economic policy section of the debate.

But the issues closer to home came from the online audience and those in the room with the leader.

They included jobs to keep young people in the region, housing affordability, mental health, the mechanism for achieving same-sex marriage and trust in politicians.

Neither man was keen to reduce MP entitlements further, and Mr Shorten’s answer seemed to be to leave their superannuation alone and increase the mandatory contribution for everyone else.

And then there was the NBN.

Mr Turnbull made good points about the rate of broadband connections in recent months compared to six years of Labor.

These connections might have allowed more to see his defeat.