Voter Verdict: What Australian really want from the leaders
Readers remain torn over our next prime minister, with furious debate continuing just weeks out from the election. HAVE YOUR SAY
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Readers remain torn over our next prime minister, with furious debate continuing just weeks out from the election.
After another week of thrills, spills and controversies, you have had your say on the campaign so far.
Many suggest Peter Dutton still isn’t showing enough to oust Anthony Albanese, with the latest poll results supporting this.
Others, however, claim the PM has led Australia poorly for the past three years.
Meanwhile some insist the country is lost with either option.
See what you have to say below and join the conversation >>>
The reader reaction comes as undecided voters are struggling to tell Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton apart despite the election campaign being in full swing and both leaders pushing very different visions for Australia.
A majority of the Voter Verdict panel of undecided Australians felt the Prime Minister secured a narrow win against Mr Dutton this week, but most felt neither leader was so far worthy of their vote come May 3.
WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VOTER VERDICT VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Aaron Teboneras from Southport in Queensland said both leaders were failing to set themselves apart from the other.
“I feel that Peter Dutton hasn’t done anything absolutely remarkable from the previous weeks, hasn’t done anything to really stand out,” he said.
“I say the same with Anthony Albanese. He also hasn’t done anything to stand out from the crowd.”
Parag Khandekar from Rowville in Victoria added: “I really think they are both trying to cash in on each other’s weaknesses rather than finding solutions.”
“I feel that both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton weren’t 100 per cent honest during the debate,” Sydney student and Kellyville resident Emily Cookson said.
Australians also feel both sides are still not doing enough on the cost of living despite Labor promising a $5 a week tax cut in 15 months and the Coalition giving Australians a 25 cent discount per litre of petrol.
“I still want to see a little bit more cost of living change. It can’t always be about electricity and gas and groceries. There’s a lot of other elements out there that I’m sure that they can help with some relief,” Rachel Zappia from Concord West in Sydney said.
Karen Treloar from Basin Pocket in Queensland agreed and said the leaders should focus more on the issue than nuclear energy or a health scare campaign.
“They didn’t address the cost of living really well at all this week. This is what we’re really on about … not nuclear power plants and well Medicare is going to be here to stay.”
Katie Hows from Woodvale in Western Australia added: “We all know there is a cost of living crisis right now, everyone is feeling it.”
Apurva Soni from Sydney’s North Parramatta said the current settings were failing to make a dent in household bills.
“Honestly, we are drowning in cost of living pressures and they are still thinking around the edges.”
Many of the panellists wanted more immediate hip pocket relief, but Brett Terry from Hampton Park in Melbourne said it was important to address “the elephant in the room”: government deficit.
“All I’m hearing at the moment is spend, spend, spend, and there’s no plans for any time soon to stop the spending so we’ve got to address that in some way shape or form in the future.”
Apart from the two leaders vying for the Lodge – a third world leader remained on voters’ minds with several panellists wanting to know more about which side will better handle US President Donald Trump.
Queensland retiree Gail McIntyre said she would like both leaders to talk more about defence given the two wars in Europe and the Middle East and the US’s trade war on China.
“A big issue I feel they aren’t addressing is the defence of our country,” she said.
“There has been talk of AUKUS and defence personnel numbers but I’m not sure where they are going to get these people from and how they are going to entice them to join.”
Trump’s tumultuous tariff war, which saw the ASX have the biggest single day slump since Covid and caused superannuation funds to sink, also weighed heavy on voter minds.
“The landscape is quite complicated and it’s very hard to navigate the challenges in the coming government,” fellow Queenslander Muhammad Ahmad Ashrafs said.
“A lot of tariffs imposed by Trump which are affecting the Australian economy, Australian dollar, and which will or which may cause an increase in prices.”
Western Sydney resident Dinesh Nagappan Anitha wanted more reassurance from both leaders on how they will handle Trump 2.0.
“I felt disappointed that neither of the leaders actually said anything to calm the markets … with all the turmoil that’s going on with the Trump tariffs like having a 10 per cent drop in the stock market and super being questioned and all of that,” he said.
“It’s just very destabilising so some assurance for the public as to how they would be addressing it in the coming term would have been helpful.”
The week’s big policy announcements – a solar battery incentive from Labor and the Coalition’s work-from-home backflip also resonated with voters.
“He admitted his work from home policy had been misunderstood and caused outrage and he walked it back in, kudos to him for that,” Ms McIntyre said.
South Australian and Kalangadoo resident Julie-anne Perich welcomed Labor’s commitment to solar batteries but wanted the government to go further.
“I have solar and I think they’re not going far enough with that. I need a battery, yes …(but) the batteries don’t go far enough.”
Other big-ticket announcements like the Coalition’s $20bn regional Australia fund to improve childcare, healthcare and roads in the bush and a $1bn mental health commitment from Labor didn’t make a dent with voters.
A kerfuffle over the Port of Darwin, where Labor sought to get ahead of a Coalition announcement, also made little difference to the panel.
WHO WON THE WEEK
Albanese 5.7/10
Dutton 5.2/10
Emily Cookson, 24, Student
ELECTORATE: Mitchell
Who won the week? ALBANESE
Albanese: 5/10
Dutton: 4/10
Karen Treloar, 56, Homemaker
ELECTORATE: Blair
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 6/10
DUTTON: 5/10
Dinesh Nagappan Anitha, 32, Engineer
ELECTORATE: Greenway
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 6/10
DUTTON: 4/10
Gail McIntyre, 63, Retired
ELECTORATE: Fairfax
Who won the week? DUTTON
ALBANESE: 5/10
DUTTON: 6/10
Rebecca Free, 51, Manager
ELECTORATE: Lyons
Who won the week? DUTTON
ALBANESE: 4/10
DUTTON: 5/10
Muhammad Ahmad Ashraf, 39, IT professional
ELECTORATE: Forde
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 7/10
DUTTON: 6/10
Katie Hows, 30, Chartered Accountant
ELECTORATE: Moore
Who won the week? DUTTON
ALBANESE: 4/10
DUTTON: 7/10
Julie-anne Perich, 47, Homemaker
ELECTORATE: Barker
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 7/10
DUTTON: 4/10
Rachel Zappia, 50, Office Manager
ELECTORATE: Reid
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 7/10
DUTTON: 5/10
Apurva Soni, 33, Project Officer
ELECTORATE: Parramatta
Who won the week? ALBANESE
ALBANESE: 7/10
DUTTON: 4/10
Brett Terry, 56, Security officer
LOCATION: Hampton Park, VIC
ELECTORATE: Holt
Who won the week? DUTTON
ALBANESE: 6/10
DUTTON: 7/10
Parag Khandekar, 43, Chartered Accountant
ELECTORATE: Aston
Who won the week? DUTTON
ALBANESE: 5/10
DUTTON: 6/10
Aaron Teboneras, 41, Business Owner
ELECTORATE: Moncrieff
Who won the week? DRAW
ALBANESE: 5/10
DUTTON: 5/10
WHO WON THE WEEK: ALBANESE
Albanese 5.7
Dutton 5.2
Voter Verdict is a series of exclusive and candid election analysis by everyday Australians from all walks of life during the federal election..
Pollster Redbridge has selected the panel — offering a wide intersection of Australians of all ages, lifestyles, professions and political interests.
See what you have to say below and join the conversation >>>
WHAT YOU SAID
We ask too much
Jodes
It seems there is a lot of ‘give to me’ going on in the electorate as always. I acknowledge that we have cost of living pressures and some are affected more due to low incomes however our Governments only have so much they can spend
Lynne
I wish people would stop looking for the promise of a handout at election time! The last 3 years is an indication of where that mentality lands us!!
Ron
“What do Australians want from their leader?” It’s painfully obvious - more free stuff. Endless free stuff. Too much is never enough
BD
Our young generations have been fed so many scare and doom messages about the environment that when they start to realise it was exagerated they still take a while to fully believe something different.
Say no to Labor
Peter W
If you can’t see the pain Albanese’s Labor Green Teals have done to Australia. God help us all we will be in for a lot more pain under Albanese’s labor Greens (Bandt just a communist activist)
Free Speech Matters
I just don’t believe what the left is trumpeting. Compared to Dutton ,Albanese is paper thin.
The Real Hoff
To the bolted on Labour supporters who just don’t get it can you honestly say you are better off today under 3 years of your idols?
Halina
After all the straight-out lies from the Labor party and our energy and cost of living through the roof, it beggars belief that people are willing to accept this for another three years. What is wrong with voters?
David
If we vote Labor back in, enjoy trying to pay your power bills, folks.
Say no to LNP
Justin
Wheels fell of the LNP campaign with the work from home policy backflip and commitment to slash the public service.
Greg
Good to see the electorate is starting to wake up to the “hollow” LNP - no policies, no details, no costings
Chris
Dutton and the LNP powerbrokers seriously overestimate Trump’s sway this side of the Pacific. Too many of us are far more inclined to California in our mindset, the WFH backflip shows this complete failure to ‘read the room’
Jane & Anthony
Dutton’s mob is flip flopping all over the place. Nuclear is a dumb idea. Vastly expensive to build and run and delivers the most expensive power possible.
Robyn
Sadly they have short memories and believe his porky pies,
Originally published as Voter Verdict: What Australian really want from the leaders
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