How Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton spent Good Friday on campaign trial
Toto Albanese has made her debut on the campaign trail while former prime minister Scott Morrison joined Peter Dutton at the country’s largest Good Friday service.
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Toto Albanese has made her debut on the election trail while Peter Dutton has spent Good Friday morning at the day’s largest religious gathering.
Anthony Albanese, his fiancee Jodie and their cavoodle Toto went for a walk in Lane Cove West on Friday morning.
They were joined by Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale, his partner Jo Taranto and jack russell terrier Toby – who jokingly said they had told Toby to be “on his best behaviour for this important meeting”.
Mr Albanese met other families walking their dogs, and shared his confidence that the Rabbitohs would win their game today.
“Souths are going to win, the Easter bunnies,” he said.
Dutton attends Good Friday service
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has been joined by Scott Morrison at the country’s largest Good Friday gathering, with the pair heading into a Labor stronghold in south-west Sydney to mark the religious event.
Mr Dutton and wife Kirilly sat in the front row of the hour and a half service at St. Charbel’s Maronite Catholic Parish in Punchbowl, led by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, with an estimated crowd of 15,000.
Bishop Tarabay could be seen making his way down the line of politicians and partners, shaking hands and enquiring how Mrs Dutton’s arm – still in a protective cast after a fall at home – was healing.
Mr Dutton was joined by former PM Scott Morrison, the Coalition’s foreign affairs spokesman David Coleman, Labor’s home affairs Minister Tony Burke and state MPs Mark Coure and Jihad Dib.
Mr Morrison wouldn’t be drawn on the prospects of a miracle win for Mr Dutton after the service – saying he was just happy on Good Friday to be spending it with the Maronite community.
“Jenny and I have a longstanding relationship with them, and we’re here every year, and we’re going to have a meal with them,” he said.
The Punchbowl event is the largest Good Friday gathering in the country.
The huge crowd was largely standing room only, with those marking the religious occasion decked mostly in black and spilling out onto the street outside.
It’s a well trodden path for politicians, with Anthony Albanese going to the same site during the 2022 campaign.
The school grounds where it was held were subject to a bomb threat just earlier this month, with parents sent a message that read the “school received an anonymous bomb threat this morning”.
The school was then evacuated as a precaution before police cleared the site.
The site sits within Mr Burke’s electorate of Watson, which is one of the safest Labor seats in the country with a 15.2 per cent margin.
But just to the south is Mr Coleman’s Liberal electorate of Banks, which he holds on a slim margin of 2.7 per cent.
Sutherland Shire local Daniel Azar, 21, will vote for the first time in this federal election.
He said his Catholic-faith community had a strong desire for more reform on social issues, such as late term abortions and euthanasia, which are both largely state jurisdictions with federal links.
“As a Catholic, things like abortions … euthanasia and giving certain types of funding towards churches …(our key) focuses (are issues) like that,” he said of the major factors for his community.
PM wishes Australians a happy Easter
Mr Albanese has wished Australians a “very happy Easter”.
The Prime Minister said it was an important time for people of faith, particularly Christians.
“This year, I’m aware, being the representative from Marrickville, we have Orthodox Christian Easter at the same time as Catholics and others are celebrating and commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday,” he said.
“It’s an important time of the year and I hope people get to spend time with their loved ones and that it is a happy and holy time.
“Of course, for the young ones, I hope they have success in their Easter egg hunts and don’t eat too much chocolate.”
Originally published as How Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton spent Good Friday on campaign trial
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