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By MAX AITCHISON, POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 09:05 BST, 8 April 2025 | Updated: 11:39 BST, 8 April 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are about to face-off in the first leaders’ debate of the 2025 Federal Election.The Sky News/Daily Telegraph People’s Forum, broadcast from the key election battleground of Western Sydney, will kicked off at 7.30pm (AEST). The Prime Minister will be seeking to press his advantage in the polls and avoid any major slip-ups, while Mr Dutton is under pressure to reassert his faltering campaign. Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live campaign coverage. Everyday Aussie pins both leaders on tough issueBoth leaders were put on the spot by audience member Janine, 74, who asked about the vexed issue of immigration and the housing crisis.‘I worked very hard all my life. I didn’t come for money at all. I came from average family,’ Janine began her question.She said she wasn’t worries about her own future, but held grave fears for those of her children and grandchildren.‘I have not seen any government take control of a fact, and it is a fact: a lot of foreign companies and countries buy Australian farmland.‘We have a lot of migrants. Sorry, not migrants. I didn’t say that. We have a lot of students who are here visiting, who are buying housing within the city area.And we have a lot of people here, just on visas, buying properties here in Sydney, and they are now empty.She asked: ‘Is one of our governments going to turn up and say, “Australia belongs to Australians, and therefore our land remains Australian land”?’Both Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton went on the charm offensive, seeking to compliment Janine. Breaking:Dutton’s father rushed to hospital Peter Dutton’s father Bruce, 79, has reportedly been rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack.Ben English, editor of The Daily Telegraph, revealed the news less than 40 minutes before the debate was due to begin on Sky News.The paper is reporting that his father has been taken to a hospital in Queensland after a ‘serious’ medical eipsode. Long before entering politics, Mr Dutton started a small building company with his father.Dutton opens door to extending fuel excise cutA truck driver called Ian has demanded Labor match the Coalition’s pledge to cut fuel excise for 12 months.Mr Dutton has promised to slash petrol costs by 25 cents per litre, while rejecting Labor’s tax cuts announced in the Budget.‘To be honest, Mr Prime Minister, people are hurting now, not in 15 months’ time,’ Ian (pictured, below) told the audience, referencing Labor’s plan to cut income tax next year.‘Fuel is dialled into everything, not only personally people’s cars, but for me and other truck drivers. It makes the supply chain cheaper and cheaper and cheaper.’But Mr Albanese said the Treasury was ‘concerned that it was just a temporary measure, just like it happened prior to the 2022 election’.‘It then just disappeared after a period of time. And what Peter’s proposing is something that is (also) temporary,’ Mr Albanese added.But Mr Dutton hinted he might be open to extending the fuel excise cut.‘We would reassess where we are as an economy, as a people, as a nation, in 12 months’ time, and if we needed to extend it, then we could do that,’ he said.Albo and Dutton trade early blows Mr Dutton accuses the Prime Minister of running a ‘Mediscare campaign and education-scare campaign’.‘It is not a truthful statement,’ Mr Dutton said in response to the claim that the last Coalition government slashed healthcare and education funding.‘Now, what the Prime Minister is saying is that the funding didn’t go up by as much as he would want each year, but there was no year where funding was cut from hospitals or from education,’ he added.‘When I was health minister, we increased hospital funding by 16 per cent.’Mr Dutton accused the Prime Minister of being ‘misleading’.But the PM stood his ground, insisting: ‘It is a fact’.Leaders asked how to deal with ‘Trump pandemic’Michael, a member of the audience, asks how both leaders will deal with the ‘Trump pandemic’ sparked by the US President’s punitive global tariffs.Mr Albanese stresses that Australia is better ‘prepared’ than other countries but insists there are opportunities in other markets.‘It’s important to remember this 80 per cent of global trade, doesn’t involve the United States,’ he told the audience.‘So in our region…there will be opportunities for Australia, that we want to see.‘We have several have global trade missions following the missions that I’ve led to Indonesia to India and China, looking for opportunities for businesses.Mr Dutton insisted the Prime Minister of the day ‘should have the ability of the strength of character, to be able to stand up against bullies, against those that would seek to do us harm’.‘And that’s exactly what I would seek to do as Prime Minister,’ he added.First word goes to…Trumpet of PatriotsClive Palmer’s colourful new party, Trump-et of Patriots, stole the early airtime with a lengthy ad just before the debate began that will have cost some serious money.But then mining magnate Mr Palmer is not short of cash.But now to the main event, as the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader shake hands before delivering their own pitches.Albo warms up as audience files inThe Prime Minister was spotted getting the lie of the land ahead of the debate.Anthony Albanese was filmed on Sky News being shown the two podiums on the low stage and the where the crowd would be sitting (pictured, below) as members of the audience took their seats.The audience is made up of 100 undecided voters selected by an independent polling agency, who will vote later tonight on who they think has won.The debate will be moderated by Sky News’ chief news anchor Kieran Gilbert.Sky News host Peta Credlin said these debates ‘can and do make a difference’.’Dutton’s challenge is not just to pin people’s pain on Labor, but to show how he’ll make it better’ she said.’Labor’s challenge is even harder because they can’t just blame Dutton tonight – this room won’t cop it – as they know Dutton hasn’t been in power and won’t take kindly to the political sledging.’They will want to see Albanese stand up and take responsibility for their pain, rather than dodge it.’A prime minister with no record to run on and no plan for the future except for more of the same, will use every answer to attack Peter Dutton.’Teal ‘runs scared’ from her own debateAll eyes will be on Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton tonight when they face off tonight in the must-win leaders’ debate kicking off at 7.30pm.But another debate that was slated to take place between two fierce political rivals will not go ahead. Teal MP Allegra Spender, who represents the well-heeled residents of Wentworth in Sydney’s east, had enthusiastically agreed to a debate with her Liberal rival Ro Knox on Sky News.‘On March the 5th, the independent member for Wentworth Allegra Spender did agree to a Sky News debate against her Liberal contender Ro Knox,’ ’ Sky News host Laura Jayes revealed on Tuesday.‘But Allegra Spender now says she is not going to participate in that debate.’Members of the Liberal camp have accused Ms Spender of ‘running scared’.But a spokesperson for the Teal MP insisted she will ‘appear in at least six more campaign forum debates during the current election campaign’.’Allegra Spender is declining the proposed Sky debate because she no faith in the editorial standards of Sky News,’ the spokesperson added. Senator James Paterson, the Coalition campaign spokesman, said Ms Spender’s decision was ‘classic when it comes to the Teals’.‘They talk about transparency but they don’t live transparency, transparency is something that other people should do but they don’t have to do,’ he told Sky News Peta Credlin.There is certainly no love lost between Ms Spedner and Ms Knox – and a debate between the pair would have been an opportunity to crack out the popcorn.You can read more about their fractious history below:
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LIVE: Election 2025 – Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are BOTH put in their place during Sky News leader’s debate by an ‘average Aussie’ asking a tough question about a divisive issue
