Undecided voters have judged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the winner of the final leaders debate.
Around 50 per cent of the 60 undecided voters who watched the debate hosted by 7NEWS on Sunday night were won over by Albanese's pitch, compared to 25 per cent for Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Another 25 per cent remain undecided.
It comes after a lively debate that included discussion of a range of issues. Click the topics below to jump to the relevant section.
- Dutton says is 'overdone'
- PM doesn't have
- One leader doesn't know the
- described as an 'evil genius'
- Dutton says he would have in his electorate
Dutton says Welcome to Country is 'overdone'
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has used the final leaders debate to criticise the prevalence of Welcome to Country ceremonies in Australia.
The Welcome to Country is an Indigenous ancestral cleansing ceremony to welcome someone to traditional lands and ensure they are not intending to do harm.
During the fourth leaders' debate of the aired on Channel 7 on Sunday night, Dutton said it was "fair enough" to have a Welcome to Country for the opening of parliament as a mark of respect.
"There is a sense across the community that it is overdone," Dutton said.
"It's dividing the country, not dissimilar to what the prime minister did with the Voice."
Albanese said the Welcome to Country was a mark of respect and it's up to individual organisations to decide whether to include the ceremony.
"People are entitled to their views, but we have the great privilege of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth," he said.
The renewed debate has come after a small group including a neo-Nazi Bunurong Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown during his Welcome to Country at the Melbourne ANZAC Day dawn service.
Dutton helped lead the successful campaign opposing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, which had been designed to enshrine a non-binding Indigenous advisory body in the constitution.
The Voice to Parliament was part of a broader Indigenous-led effort to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which included an advisory body as well as treaty-making and truth telling.
When the prime minister was asked if he still wanted to pursue the broader Voice process, he said "it's gone" and "there are different paths to achieve reconciliation".
PM doesn't have mobile number of US president
Both leaders were asked if they were willing to trust US President Donald Trump on defence, with Albanese responding "yes" and Dutton saying he'd trust "whoever is in the Oval Office".
But pressed on whether that relationship extends to exchanging text messages, Albanese said he was not sure "[Trump] has a mobile phone".
"It is not the way it works with any global leader," Albanese said.
Pressed by the moderator on whether Australian leaders often do have private text exchanges with world leaders (conversations between Scott Morrison and French President Emmanual Macron were leaked in 2021), the prime minister conversations between leaders usually involved "people taking notes from either side, it is not something that is a casual relationship".
"I am aware of the protocols," Albanese responded.
"I think the answer was 'no' there," Dutton responded.
The prime minister has argued Australia avoided the worst of the Trump administration's tariffs, while the Coalition argues it is better placed to negotiate a favourable deal.
Dutton doesn't know the cost of eggs
Both leaders wound up with egg on their faces when it came to being "in touch" with Australian voters.
Asked how much a dozen eggs costs, Dutton said "about $4.20", to which Riley responded "you might get half a dozen" before Albanese weighed in with a closer guess of "about 7 bucks".
The correct answer was $8.50 — so the prime minister was much closer.
But when it came to what three things would be cheaper under each government, Albanese seemed to draw a blank.
"If you are doing a TAFE course, it is zero, child care, because of " he said.
Then a pause that would have had Labor advisers groaning — "and the other measures we are putting in place, your income taxes will come down as well", he finally added.
Dutton did not skip a beat, nominating "electricity, gas and groceries".
The prime minister appeared the most tired he has thus far in the campaign, while the Opposition leader looked like he'd woken up.
Dutton describes Elon Musk as an 'evil genius'
As part of the rapid fire round, the leaders were shown an image of Elon Musk and asked what came to mind.
Albanese responded: "Tesla and a very rich man", while Dutton dubbed him an "evil genius".
That's a significant toughening in language from the Coalition around Musk, a prominent member of the Trump administration — amid concerns Dutton's vote is suffering due to being associated with Trump.
Comparisons have been made about the Coalition's decision to appoint a Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency, .
Dutton maintained the portfolio was focused on combating Labor's "wasteful spending".
Asked he was now actively distancing himself from Trump's style, Dutton said: "I have not sought to be anybody other than myself".
Albanese then interjected: "Have you followed some of the policies? Even today saying the ABC were part of the 'hate media?'"
Dutton says he would have nuclear power plant in his electorate
The Opposition leader confirmed he would be happy to have a nuclear power plant in his own electorate of Dickson, but did not answer whether he would visit a proposed site.
“I would [have a nuclear site in my own suburb],” Dutton said.
“We have a safe technology that the prime minister signed up to, and what prime minister in his or her right mind would sign up to a nuclear submarine program, or put our sailors onto one thinking there was a concern about safety?”
Dutton was referring to the AUKUS pact that will see Australia buy nuclear submarines from the United States.
On the issue of whether he plans to visit one of the seven proposed nuclear power-plant locations, Dutton repeated a claim he has made several times during the campaign that he has visited two nuclear sites.
He has made a visit to Busselton — about 50 kilometers from the proposed Collie site in Western Australia — and East Maitland, about an hour’s drive from the proposed Liddell site in the NSW Hunter Valley.
"I am proud of the fact we have taken the decision and I have not taken it for political reasons because I think we will get lots of votes," Dutton said.
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