Today, the nation decides who will lead it for the next three years: Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton. Photo: Screenshot.
It’s election day, and more than 200,000 Canberrans will head to the polls to decide on the next federal government, with about a third of the ACT – about 120,000 – having already cast their votes.
Canberra has featured heavily throughout the five-week national campaign, with the Australian Public Service discussed more than in any previous election.
Public service jobs, and the Coalition’s pledge to slash 41,000 of them, all from the nation’s capital, have been a hotly debated election issue.
Peter Dutton was still being asked about the feasibility of his plan for the public service right up until polling day.
The impact it would have, not just on Canberra and the public service, but on the whole country, has been a massive bone of contention throughout the election.
While campaigning in Western Australia, the Opposition Leader repeated that the initiative would improve the budget’s bottom line.
Mr Dutton also said he felt confident going into today’s election, stressing he and his team had worked extremely hard throughout the campaign.
“I have been excited to go around the country and meet Australians from every corner of this amazing country,” he said.
“I’m very humbled by the support we have received when we have been out, and this election is about how we can help people that we’ve heard are really hurting … On that basis, there’s no doubt in my mind we can be successful in the election.”
Latest polling, however, shows Labor on track to win a second term, with the potential for the Coalition to even lose seats following an, at times, clumsy campaign with too many backflips and stumbles.
Mr Dutton was asked on Friday if he would remain as Liberal Party leader if he didn’t win the election, but he dismissed the question.
“I have been clear in relation to my objective, and that is to win the election tomorrow. We are not in this for anything other than doing the best for our country,” he said.
“The best outcome for our country is to change a bad government.”
Anthony Albanese dashed around three states on Friday, which included a campaign stop in Mr Dutton’s own electorate of Dickson, which he holds with a slim margin of only 1.7 per cent.
The Prime Minister denied he was playing mind games with the Opposition Leader when asked.
“No, we’re trying to win a seat,” Mr Albanese said.
“We’re very different people. People can see that in the approach that we have, particularly towards people who need government to be respectful and play a role for them.”
One well-placed Liberal source told Region that Mr Dutton will not survive as Opposition Leader if the Coalition loses the election.
“Here are two facts,” they said.
“If Dutton loses his own seat on Saturday, he will be immediately replaced as leader by (shadow treasurer) Angus Taylor, and if Dutton loses any seats from the Coalition’s total number in the parliament, he will also be immediately replaced as leader by Angus Taylor.”
For his part, Mr Taylor suggested public servants in Canberra would be moved around the country so as to maintain frontline services.
“We will migrate people around to make sure that our numbers remain where they are in regional areas,” he told ABC radio.
Labor Senator Katy Gallagher repeated her defence of the public service, saying the Opposition’s plan would have an awful impact on Canberra’s economy if it were implemented.
“The public service in Canberra is the big employer in town,” the Finance and Public Service Minister said on Friday.
“And if you cut 75 per cent of the jobs, then that’s absolutely going to affect it.”
Senator Gallagher has played a huge role in this election campaign, spending time on the trail with the PM, the Treasurer and other ministers and MPs as a senior Labor figure in the national effort.
At the same time, she has campaigned hard in the ACT on the issue of public service jobs and the Canberra economy.
While Mr Dutton has campaigned tirelessly around the country on cost of living, he has strategically used Canberra in what he had hoped would be an avenue for the rest of the nation to vent its frustration.
How that plays out for him and the Coalition will become clear tonight.
Region will bring you election count updates throughout the evening, following the closing of the polls.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
