Albanese vs Dutton: The Final Pitch as Australia Decides

Albanese banks on stability amid global uncertainty, while Dutton pushes for change and cost-of-living relief, hoping silent voters deliver a surprise.

A combination diptych created on March 5, 2025 of Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton (L) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R). AAP Image/Mick Tsikas, Lukas Coch

With just hours remaining in the federal election campaign, both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are making final appeals to voters in a contest that has pitched stability against change.

Albanese is urging Australians to stick with what he describes as “continuity in uncertain times,” while Dutton is pushing for a national reset, declaring it’s time to “put Australia back on track.”

If Albanese leads Labor to victory tomorrow, he will become the first prime minister to win back-to-back elections since John Howard in 2004, and the first Labor leader to do so since Bob Hawke in 1990.

Asked whether that historical milestone weighs on him, or whether he is buoyed by favourable polling, Albanese was cautious.

“We have a mountain to climb,” he told ABC radio on May 2.

He quickly pivoted to his central message, “I think Australians in uncertain times need continuity.”

Dutton Banks on Quiet Voter Shift

Dutton, meanwhile, is drawing parallels with the surprise 2019 election result.

Despite most polls suggesting a Labor win, he is hoping that quiet, frustrated voters could again defy the odds and win.

“We’re seeing a 2019 situation, where you’ve got a lot of interesting contests playing on the ground, where we’ve had a very significant effort by great candidates, and I think there'll be some big surprises on election night, because people have had enough,” Dutton told ABC Radio.

Albanese, whose party was stunned by the 2019 result, is refusing to take anything for granted.

“I certainly take nothing for granted. I think 2019 shows the folly of pretending that you know the outcome of an election before the ballots are counted,” he said.

“I‘ll be in three states today—in Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria—and we will work right up to six o’clock tomorrow night,” he added, urging Australians to question whether the Opposition is ready to govern.

Labor Attacks Policy ‘Chaos’

Albanese used his final pitch to attack the Coalition’s shifting positions throughout the campaign.

He cited backflips on working from home, school curriculum changes, and EV tax rebates.

“They haven’t been able to keep policies for three days. They’re asking Australians to trust them with government over three years,” he said.

Dutton defended the changes, saying their focus had narrowed to the issues Australians care most about: cost of living, housing, and national security.

“There are other policies that we’ve had done that cost a lot of money, and we haven’t been able to find the resources for those policies in this election,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean that a Liberal government won’t be good for the economy more generally. If you manage the economy well, then you can invest more into education, health, and housing.”

Trump, Tariffs, and Misfires

U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariff impositions briefly entered the campaign narrative, with Dutton criticising Albanese as “weak” for failing to personally negotiate terms with the US.

However, some political analysts say Dutton’s overt efforts to position himself as someone who could build a stronger relationship with Trump may have backfired.

Lately, Labor ministers repeatedly attacked Dutton for being overly influenced by the U.S. President on domestic policy.

Asked about the Trump factor, Albanese remained measured in response.

“I think that people vote on Australian issues, but we’re a different country to the United States,” he said.

Dutton, too, dismissed the impact of international politics on the campaign.

“I don’t think families are focusing on that,” he said.

Dutton Rejects Claims of Faltering Campaign

Dutton also brushed off reports circulating within his own party that his campaign has underperformed.

When asked whether this has been the worst Liberal campaign in history, Dutton responded: “All I’m worried about is how we can help families, and that’s what we’re targeting.”

He cited the 30,000 small businesses that had gone under during Labor’s term.

“We’re going to help restore their dream of making sure that when they work hard, they can be rewarded for that, and they can pay taxes and employ people and contribute to the economic productivity of this country,” he added.

He also admitted that his campaign might have gained more traction had he taken a more aggressive stance earlier.

Both Sides Hold The Line

Neither leader is willing to entertain the idea of defeat.

“I’m determined to do is to work every minute of today and tomorrow and work towards getting a majority Labor government,” Albanese said.

He reiterated that Labor stands for stability, in contrast to what he described as the Coalition’s lack of vision.

“The Coalition has come to the election without a clear and coherent alternative proposition for the Australian people—just cuts and chaos going forward.”

Dutton, too, remains confident.

“I believe that we can win this election,” he said.

“We’ve got great candidates in marginal seats who, in some cases, got higher name ID. They’ve been out working harder than the incumbent Labor members in traditional Labor seats.

“There are forgotten and angry Australians who feel let down by this government and just know that they’re not better off after three years of Anthony Albanese—and that they need to change the government to get their lives back on track.”