Pope’s death and campaign pause make it more difficult for Peter Dutton to regain momentum

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

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The death of Pope Francis has led Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton to cut back on election campaigning in what is another major disruption to a disrupted five-week campaign.

The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader properly acted quickly in expressing their sorrow and condolences over the Pope’s death and immediately pared back their campaigning, which is due to resume with a television debate on Tuesday night.

The political reality is that another disruption to the campaign, following the insertion of Donald Trump’s tariff trade war at the beginning, a Reserve Bank decision to hold interest rates, Vladimir Putin’s mocking of Australia’s strength in the region, the Easter suspension of campaigning on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and the Anzac Day long weekend to come means it is more difficult for Dutton to regain momentum.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher spoke on Tuesday morning about Albanese’s Catholic upbringing and education after the Prime Minister attended an early morning mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne.

Last week Albanese attended St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and talked about his schooling there and how the Catholic Church helped his single mother to keep him at the school between years 5 and 12.

Albanese has always referenced his Catholic background as a child but has only recently returned to the practice of his mother, attending Mass occasionally at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra and speaking of his need to seek a quiet time and prayer since becoming PM.

While campaigning in Orange in regional NSW, Dutton paid tribute to the Pope and said he would also cut back his electioneering.

In remembrance of the Pope, Dutton said: “To dedicate your life to a cause that you believe in so passionately and to help save lives and lift people up from incredibly difficult circumstances is something that should be greatly admired.

“He should be an inspiration for all human beings to be better people and to take from his example his mercy and the sacrifices he made during the course of his life.”

But the death of the Pope, who was seen as an opaque leader and at times showing disruptive and contradictory behaviour, will make it harder for Dutton to resume campaigning with his big defence announcement before Anzac Day and going into the final week of the campaign.

Dutton has fallen in the national polls in the past few weeks and Albanese is starting to face more difficult issues over the national security confusion created by the story of a Russian bid for a military base in Indonesia and the preferencing of Greens candidates despite all the criticism of anti-Semitism and radical policies.

There was always the chance Labor could use the Easter break to “freeze” the campaign, deflect public opinion and simply use the default to the status quo to deny Dutton a platform for revival.

Many marginal seats are still in the balance, but the Pope’s death will be another distraction and cause for uncertainty.