Counting the cost
While the cost of living has been the main focus of this campaign, debate today will turn to how to fix the budget as the Coalition promises to cut debt by $40 billion in its long-awaited costings.
It was the question Anthony Albanese knew was coming when he stood up at the National Press Club for his 11th address as Labor leader on Wednesday.
“Are Australians better off now than they were before you were elected?”
It's an awkward one for the prime minister, considering it is difficult for Albanese to push back on claims the public isn’t doing it tougher now than three years ago. The cost-of-living crisis and comparisons between living standards now and in 2022 are also key attack lines from Peter Dutton.
“I'll tell you what — the right answer to that is that Australians would be $7200 worse off if Peter Dutton had got his way,” Albanese said.
Seven Network’s Mark Riley was right to retort that tallying up the policies that the Coalition has attempted to block is a “good debating tactic” but one that doesn’t answer the question.
