The standout moment was Scott Morrison holding Anthony Albanese to account when he tried to rewrite his own history on border protection policy.
The Prime Minister went for the jugular, directly asking Albanese why he hadn’t supported boat turnbacks when he was deputy prime minister.
When Albanese claimed it wasn’t even Coalition policy in 2013, Morrison shot back: “It was our policy before the 2013 election. I designed the policy.”
Then came the killer blow. “So you were going to do turnbacks?” Morrison grilled.
“No, no, that’s right,” Albanese conceded.
Albanese accused Morrison of looking for division, but the Prime Minister said he was just looking for truth and accuracy.
The combat between the two leaders was the only moment of drama in an otherwise cautious debate. While Albanese’s tone was more emotive, Morrison was more presidential. He has the natural authority of a leader who has steered a nation through a pandemic and economic crisis.
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