Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton in the final leaders’ debate of the 2025 election. Photo: Screenshot.
A studio of undecided voters declared Anthony Albanese the clear winner of Sunday night’s (27 April) debate with Peter Dutton, the final debate of the election campaign and just six days out from polling day.
However, the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader each had strong moments and stumbles throughout the hour-long face-off, aired on Channel Seven.
Watching in the debate’s ‘jury room’, 60 swinging voters rated the leaders as they spoke across various topics and also gave an overall score.
The post-debate data compiled by Roy Morgan showed 50 per cent of those voters gave Mr Albanese the win, while only 25 per cent gave the nod to Mr Dutton, with the remaining 25 per cent still undecided by the end of the debate.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton in the final leaders’ debate of the 2025 election. Photo: Screenshot.
On specific election issues, the Opposition Leader came out ahead on defence policy, at 43 per cent, compared to the Prime Minister at 37 per cent.
Mr Dutton was rated most favourable on Indigenous affairs (46 to 27) after suggesting welcome to country ceremonies had gone too far and were being exploited.
Mr Albanese’s inability to clearly state whether he still believed in the reasons for sending the nation to the failed Voice referendum contributed to that particular score.
For his part, the Opposition Leader couldn’t explain why he hadn’t visited any of the sites around the country where he wants to locate nuclear power stations.
Perhaps the most surprising result to emerge from the debate, however, was on the Coalition’s pet topic of cost of living.
According to undecided voters, Mr Dutton failed miserably in executing his case: only 16 per cent of the studio audience said he won the issue, while Mr Albanese got an overwhelming 65 per cent of the vote.
The Opposition Leader couldn’t correctly answer how much a dozen eggs cost at the supermarket. He guessed $4.20, well under the $8.50 price, while Mr Albanese was closer with his answer at $7.
Housing was a more even contest, with 35 per cent of the vote going to Mr Albanese, 30 per cent to Mr Dutton and a significant 35 per cent remaining undecided.
And the PM comfortably won on the topic of tax (49 to 21).
The Opposition Leader presented his case that Australians had suffered financially under Labor.
“There are very few, if any, Australians that I’ve met over the course of the last three years who can say that they are better off under this Prime Minister’s watch,” he said.
“We need to make sure that our country can be kept safe, and we need strong leadership in a very uncertain world to make sure that we can keep our country safe. And I believe very strongly that at this election, Australians will vote for change.”
For his part, the Prime Minister outlined Labor’s economic initiatives for the next term.
“Labor has a real plan for cost of living support today whilst building with investment for tomorrow,” the PM said.
“Tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer, strengthening Medicare, including through our 1800 MEDICARE line, making more things here in Australia, a 20 per cent cut in student debt and a 5 per cent deposit for first homeowners.
“We know that we live in very uncertain times and that’s why we need certainty. And during this campaign, we have put forward clear, decisive policies.
“The Opposition have chopped and changed. Australians deserve certainty. What we will deliver is just that.”
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Albanese announced a $200 million rebrand of Healthdirect to create a 1800 MEDICARE free after-hours telehealth service to be expanded to all states and territories.
The Australian Public Service also featured in Sunday night’s debate, with Mr Dutton saying the PM had turned the Coalition’s work-from-home policy into a scare campaign.
The first week of the election campaign saw the Opposition Leader cancel his pledge to force public servants back into the office five days a week.
“The point I was making is that if Australians are out there working their guts out at the moment, an extra job or a second job, they’re paying taxes, they expect their money to be spent efficiently,” he said on Sunday.
“What the Prime Minister did, as he’s done with a number of other issues, is twisted and contorted into something that it wasn’t.
“And the point I make was that, yes, the Prime Minister scared, particularly women and others, into believing that we were doing something that we weren’t, and I apologised for that.”
Mr Albanese replied that the Coalition’s backdown on the topic appeared to be only temporary.
“The truth is that this attack on public servants would then create a precedent for the private sector, which is why people were so concerned that it doesn’t understand what modern families do,” he said.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
