Dutton walks a tightrope
Capital Brief spent time in two electorates that demonstrate the balancing act required of Peter Dutton as he seeks to win government.
While Anthony Albanese is increasingly looking like he'll lead his party to another victory on 3 May, the difference between a Labor majority, which would be heralded as a major coup for the prime minister, and a minority could hinge on two or three seats.
It was with that in mind that I travelled to two very different NSW seats last week: Bradfield, in Sydney’s leafy north, and Hunter, located north of the city in what's known as the “mines and wines” region.
The contrast between the electorates underlines the tall order facing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as he seeks to defy history — and recent polling — by defeating the Labor government after just one term.
The Coalition’s failure in 2022 in affluent city electorates, where a host of moderate female independents won previously blue-ribbon seats, posed an existential question for the Liberal Party: how can it win the support of two disparate groups of voters who appear to be moving further apart?
