Anthony Albanese ensured that all Labor’s themes – from a Medicare scare and nuclear dump – were paraded in his first head-to-head contest, with Peter Dutton responding with cost-of-living concerns and declarations of the need for safety and security in “precarious times”.
Importantly, neither leader made any mistake and there was no stumble.
But, and this was important for the Opposition Leader who desperately needed to avoid any error or setback that would have lost him more momentum, Dutton appeared more confident and assertive.
At the moment of truth, Dutton delivered, knowing that his campaign would stall completely if he failed in this debate.
Dutton was more prepared to engage the audience in Western Sydney and challenge the Prime Minister over questions of fact.
Albanese was not nasty towards his opponent but didn’t miss the opportunity to raise the Medicare scare, Coalition cuts “ripping the guts” out of education and health, and the need to fund a $600bn nuclear plan.
He tried a couple of times to point to the Coalition’s nuclear plan, and flipped a positive discussion about Dutton’s halving of the petrol excise to the Coalition’s backflip on the limits to working-from-home in the public service.
The Prime Minister was quick to identify the areas in Western Sydney the questioners came from and talked about a “truckie mate” who had discussed petrol excise with him.
Albanese said Dutton “hasn’t been able to stand up for his own policy, so I don’t know how he can stand up for Australia”.
“Working from home is a really important component in modern workplaces … the truth is that public sector work conditions often then flow through to the private sector. And the truth is, as well, that every public servant isn’t in Canberra, they’re all around Australia,” he said.
The format probably suited the taller Dutton, who looked confident and interacted more naturally with the audience.
He was also more assertive in asking questions of his opponent and tended to deliver more effective political blows, alluding to “weakness” of leadership and the need to “stand up to bullies”.
In response to a Dutton point that the Albanese government had been the biggest spender since the Whitlam government – a sore point for Labor and a dig Dutton uses often – Albanese sought again to flip the issue.
“The only government that has delivered two surpluses is the one that I lead in the last 20 years, going back to the Howard government,” Albanese said.
Dutton was the winner in presentation and interaction with the audience – and he needed to be.
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