Election 2025: Peter Dutton looks for a Scott Morrison-like election miracle at church service

Dubbed the biggest annual gathering of Good Friday worshippers in Australia, Peter Dutton sat with an unpopular former PM who nonetheless knows what it takes to deliver an election ‘miracle’.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton with former PM Scott Morrison at the Good Friday Mass held at St Charbel’s in Punchbowl in the electorate of Watson in southwestern Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson / NewsWire

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Peter Dutton may not be a particularly religious man but he must have been tempted to pray for a turnaround in his campaign fortunes when he attended a major Good Friday service with Scott Morrison in western Sydney.

The Opposition Leader and Mr Morrison were among about 20,000 Maronite Catholic worshippers at St Charbel’s Monastery in the electorate of Watson, as Anthony Albanese skipped church to walk his dog Toto in the marginal Sydney seat of Bennelong.

Dubbed the biggest annual gathering of Good Friday worshippers in Australia, Mr Dutton sat with an unpopular former prime minister who nonetheless knows what it takes to deliver an election “miracle”.

While Mr Morrison is a man of faith who wore his Christianity on his sleeve during his time in parliament, Mr Dutton is a conservative who is not driven by spirituality and barely goes to church.

But surely this lapsed Catholic was pondering the merits of divine intervention on Friday’s 1.5 hour service as he faces a fortnight that will determine his destiny.

Mr Dutton was seated at the front row of the service with his wife Kirilly as Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay used his homily to declare Jesus could help people overcome “trial and suffering”.

“His love gives us strength,” Bishop Tarabay said.

The Bishop greeted Mr Dutton with a handshake while return attendee Mr Morrison was welcomed with a double-cheek kiss.

Jenny Morrison was also at the service, which was dominated by Lebanese-Australians wearing black to mourn the day Christ died on the cross.

Local member and cabinet minister Tony Burke showcased his credentials as a practising Catholic by confidently reciting the Hail Mary, while fellow Catholic and Liberal frontbencher David Coleman looked at ease with the formalities.

Mr Dutton may have been slightly less assured about the rituals but his appearance at the famous service was designed to show Australians of faith and multicultural communities that he was the man for them.

There were so many people at the Parish and its surrounds that an entire street was closed off in the suburb of Punchbowl, which is safe Labor territory but also socially conservative.

One man at the service, Daniel Azar, travels every day from his home in Sutherland to worship at the western Sydney church.

Mr Azar said he was unsure who he would vote for at the next election, but declared the Liberal Party would have definitely had his vote if Mr Dutton opposed abortion and euthanasia.

Mr Dutton told his anti-abortion MPs after the Queensland election to keep quiet on the issue, given the damage it did to the ultimately successful Liberal National campaign.

But Mr Azar said issues of conscience should not be dropped “just because you don’t want people to hate you”.

The Liberal and Labor campaigns agreed to put guns down for the most sacred day on the Christian calendar but that didn’t mean campaigning stopped altogether.

Mr Albanese pledged $2m for this year’s Royal Children’s Hospital’s Good Friday Appeal, while Mr Dutton stayed in the seat of Watson to showcase his support for the Indian-Australian community at the Australian Sikh Games.

Mr Dutton did not take political questions from journalists but offered a short statement that Easter was a time for all Australians “whether you are of a Christianity belief or not”.