Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have gone head-to-head in the first debate of the election campaign.
Hosted by Sky News, the debate was held in western Sydney at Wenty Leagues Club.
It was a rather tame affair with no major curly questions or unexpected twists, though things got a little heated over Medicare funding and bulk billing.
Albanese told the forum the election was about “what happens next” after a period of challenge for Australians.
“You can’t control everything that happens and we know that in the world it is uncertain, but I’m absolutely certain of this – now is not the time to cut, now is not the time to look backwards. Now is the time to look forward,” he said.
Dutton agreed it had been a challenging time but said the government had contributed to that.
“People have seen the government make mistakes starting with The Voice and priorities that just haven’t accorded with your priorities,” he said.
The first question from the floor came from Michael, who asked how Australia would survive the “Trump pandemic” and the tariffs that would now impact Australia.
“Australia got the best deal of any country on the planet. 10 per cent is 10 per cent more than we would like but nobody got a better deal than us,” Albanese said.
“We’ll continue to negotiate with the United States, looking for a better deal for Australia.”
Dutton said he had been in Cabinet during the first Trump Presidency, and the Coalition had previously avoided tariffs being implemented on Australian exports.
The leaders had their first squabble over education funding, with the pair arguing over whether budgets had previously been cut.
They later battled over the Budget, with Dutton accusing Albanese of overseeing the biggest spending government in 40 years.
Other questions from the floor surrounded the Opposition’s proposed cap on international students and migration more broadly, the conflict in Gaza and Dutton’s nuclear energy plan.
“We are paying three times the cost for electricity compared to Ontario where they have nuclear in the system,” Dutton said.
“Our policy is to make sure we can underpin our economy with a stable energy market for the next 100 years.”
Albanese was asked why he wouldn’t match the Opposition’s commitment to cut the fuel excise and deliver immediate cost-of-living relief, and said he would prefer to focus on long term, permanent solutions.
Dutton said: “Our argument is that we want to provide support immediately… the fuel tax is 50 cents in every litre and we’re reducing that to 25 cents a litre. We do it for 12 months and then we’ll reassess after that.”
One attendee, Ian, asked Dutton if he would extend the fuel excise cut for his entire term if elected. The Opposition Leader shadow boxed around the question and said the state of the economy in 12 months would decide of that.”
At one stage, Albanese tried to again drive home an assertion that Dutton’s previous policy around sending public servants in Canberra back to the office would impact others in the broader workforce. Dutton didn’t bite, as the conversation turned back to the economy.
One woman asked about having to pay for medical appointments, calling for more Medicare funding.
“This is one my government’s priorities,” Albanese said, before saying increased funding was aimed at increasing bulk billing rates.
“Labor created Medicare, will strengthen Medicare and will make sure in the future we get those bulk billing rates back up to 90 per cent.”
Dutton said: “I’ve heard the Prime Minister run this stunt before with only needing your Medicare card. It’s not true. Bulk billing rates have decreased under this government.”
Dutton spoke about the Coalition’s health policies and funding commitments, saying he too was about lifting bulk billing rates.
That prompted Albanese to bring up previous Coalition policies that he says prompted bulk billing to enter freefall.
“That is factually incorrect,” Dutton retorted.
The two leaders will debate again later in the month in Parramatta.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.