It's on
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are locked in a contest over whether the election is a choice between the two leaders or a referendum on the prime minister’s performance.
Anthony Albanese did his best this morning to convince Australians he would be running a positive campaign based on his government’s record in managing the cost-of-living crisis and his vision for a second term.
But his press conference from the Prime Minister’s Courtyard in Parliament House, fresh off his early morning visit to Governor-General Sam Mostyn to call the election for 3 May, was jarring at times.
Just as soon as he talked up his “hope and optimism for our country”, he repeatedly veered to presenting Peter Dutton as the “biggest risk” to the country. He also warned Dutton would start his prime ministership “by cutting Medicare, and he won't stop there”. Albanese is clearly repeating Labor’s ‘Mediscare’ campaign, which nearly delivered the party an upset victory in 2016.
He's also repeating his own 2022 campaign, which was based largely on Scott Morrison’s unpopularity.
