PM wins over undecided voters in final campaign debate
Kat Wong |
Undecided voters have crowned the prime minister the debate winner after a chaotic and eccentric end to the final leaders’ clash.
The 60-strong live studio audience reached its decision after witnessing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s final face-off against Opposition Leader Peter Dutton before voters head to the polls on Saturday.
But their decision was not a resounding endorsement, with 50 per cent declaring Mr Albanese the winner of Sunday night’s stoush, compared to 25 per cent who favoured Mr Dutton and another 25 per cent who remained undecided.
Many members of the undecided camp said they were looking to independent candidates.
The debate – aired on Channel Seven, moderated by Seven News political editor Mark Riley and hosted by Sunrise’s Natalie Barr – started with typical talking points.
But things quickly devolved as rapid-fire questions were lobbed at the leaders.
Mr Dutton greatly underestimated the price of eggs as $4.20 a dozen – half the real cost – and called billionaire Elon Musk an “evil genius”.
Mr Albanese, meanwhile, had a bizarre exchange around whether US President Donald Trump owned a phone.
“I’m not sure that he has a mobile phone,” he said.
“He’s an elusive character to get hold of.”
The audience gave the opposition leader some points, with 46 per cent favouring his stance on Indigenous issues to Mr Albanese’s (27 per cent) after Mr Dutton said Australians thought the Welcome to Country was overdone.
“It cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do,” he said.
Mr Dutton also took the upper hand on defence, with 43 per cent of the audience favouring him over the prime minister on 37 per cent.
When it came to the cost of living, the audience leaned towards the prime minister, with 65 per cent preferring his position to Mr Dutton’s (16 per cent).
Housing was a much closer battle – 35 per cent preferred Mr Albanese on the issue, with Mr Dutton on 30 per cent.
“I think Albanese finished with inspiration, which was a nice change instead of that nitpicking that we obviously always see,” one audience member said.
Another viewer sitting in the studio said both had good points about the cost of living, but harboured concerns.
“I’m yet to see whether they’ll actually come to fruition,” she said.
Mr Dutton continued to lean on nostalgia to build his vision for the future, drawing comparisons between himself and a former Liberal prime minister.
“Our job as a Liberal government – as was the case for John Howard – is to clean up a Labor mess,” he said.
Mr Albanese, on the other hand, tried to paint a bright picture of Australia’s future.
“We’re undertaking these measures to look after people – not to go out there, talk Australia down and to try to secure political advantage from grievance,” he said.
Almost 2.4 million Australians have already voted, casting doubt over whether any last-ditch efforts will impact the election outcome.
AAP
