Leaders make first pitch to voters as campaign begins
A five-week federal election campaign has kicked off with voters being asked to choose between a plan to “keep building” or a “better way” forward on May 3.
Voters are being asked to choose between a plan to âkeep buildingâ or a âbetter wayâ forward in opening election pitches by Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.
The May 3 polling date announced by the prime minister on Friday sets a five-week campaign for candidates and parties.
In his opening address to Australians, Albanese drew contrasts between his governmentâs policies and those of the opposition.
He urged voters to reflect on how his government had helped lay foundations for the future, ahead of a campaign destined to be dominated by cost-of-living issues.
âThe world has thrown a lot at Australia in uncertain times â we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond,â Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
âYour vote has never been more important and your choice has never been more clear. This election is a choice between Laborâs plan to keep building or Peter Duttonâs promise to cut.
You might like
âThe very best reason to be optimistic for our nation remains the courage, kindness and aspiration of all Australians.â
Launching his campaign in Brisbane, Dutton asked voters to focus on cost-of-living concerns during the Albanese governmentâs first term.
âThe question Australians need to ask is âare you better off today, is out country better off today than three years agoâ,â he said.
âAustralia is going backwards⌠I donât believe that we can simply afford to continue down the current path, and that means we canât afford three more years of Labor.â
Albanese is vying to be the first prime minister since John Howard to win back-to-back elections.
Cheaper medicines, a boost to Medicare and fair funding for all schools were all first-term achievements that show Labor was working in the interests of all Australians, the prime minister said.
Stay informed, daily
Albanese also appeared to highlight similarities between Dutton and Donald Trump, in reference to the opposition leaderâs vow to slash public servant jobs.
âWe live in the greatest country on earth, and we do not need to copy from any other nation to make Australia even better and stronger, we only need to trust in our values and back our people,â Albanese said.
âNow is not the time for cutting and wrecking, for aiming low, punching down or looking back.
âThe biggest risk to Australiaâs future is going back to the failures of the past â the tax increases and cuts to services that Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party want to lock in.â
Dutton also evoked his own role as assistant treasurer in the Howard government in pitching his government experience to voters, while saying the Coalition was ready to lead again after one term in opposition.
âOur team is united, experienced and ready for the responsibility of governing Australia,â he said.
âAustralian families need relief now, and we must do better. And there is a better way, and the coalition has an achievable plan to get our country back on track.â
The opening addresses to voters come after Duttonâs budget reply speech on Thursday night, where he spruiked coalition plans for an east coast gas reservation, along with cutting the number of public servants and reducing the migration intake by 25 per cent.
Polls have shown a tight contest is on the cards, with a hung parliament looming as a likely outcome.
The Greens have already begun celebrating the possibility and vowed to use the opportunity to force the government to act.
âPeople want more voices represented in parliament,â Greens leader Adam Bandt said.
âThey understand that we canât keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result.
âThis is a once-in-a-generation chance to kick Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act.â
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
