Australian news and politics recap: Jim Chalmers and Angus Taylor face off in tetchy treasurers’ debate
Scroll down for the latest news and updates.
Key events
09 Apr 2025 - 06:44 PM
Wrapping up
09 Apr 2025 - 06:38 PM
Top take aways from the treasurers’ debate
09 Apr 2025 - 06:32 PM
Final arguments: Taylor
09 Apr 2025 - 06:30 PM
Final arguments: Chalmers
09 Apr 2025 - 06:27 PM
Chalmers: We won’t form minority government with Greens
09 Apr 2025 - 06:21 PM
Taylor grilled on ‘hiding’ energy price rise
09 Apr 2025 - 06:18 PM
Chalmers grilled on decade of deficits
09 Apr 2025 - 06:13 PM
What will you do to make Australia more competitive?
09 Apr 2025 - 06:08 PM
Greenwood gets personal with Taylor
09 Apr 2025 - 06:06 PM
Greenwood gets personal with Chalmers
09 Apr 2025 - 06:03 PM
Chalmers asked to apologise for breaking energy price promise
09 Apr 2025 - 05:59 PM
Taylor: $50m food charity pledge will help people who need it most
09 Apr 2025 - 05:57 PM
We’re onto the cost of living now
09 Apr 2025 - 05:50 PM
Mediscare rolled out again
09 Apr 2025 - 05:48 PM
Taylor bats away questions on cuts
09 Apr 2025 - 05:45 PM
‘Nonsense’: Taylor fires off first broadside of debate
09 Apr 2025 - 05:41 PM
Who is best placed to take on Trump tariffs?
09 Apr 2025 - 05:37 PM
Angus Taylor’s turn
09 Apr 2025 - 05:35 PM
Jim Chalmers pitches first
09 Apr 2025 - 05:24 PM
Chalmers, Taylor to square off in treasurers’ debate
09 Apr 2025 - 04:11 PM
Tony Abbott campaigning in WA
09 Apr 2025 - 03:33 PM
Albo lashes Angus Taylor: ‘I’m surprised he’s making another appearance’
09 Apr 2025 - 03:24 PM
Labor candidate for Leichhardt leaves PM in shade - literally
09 Apr 2025 - 03:05 PM
Albo: ‘We won’t negotiate with the Greens’
09 Apr 2025 - 02:59 PM
Albanese fires up over Greens and negative gearing question
09 Apr 2025 - 02:55 PM
Labor promises to rebuild the Barron River Bridge
09 Apr 2025 - 02:08 PM
Adam Bandt pitches housing reform if Greens hold balance of power
09 Apr 2025 - 12:23 PM
‘Ludicrous’: Michaelia Cash hits out at calls for Jacinta Price to be dropped from event
09 Apr 2025 - 11:25 AM
Trump’s new drug tariff to hit Australia hard
09 Apr 2025 - 11:22 AM
Dutton shares toll of campaign trail in the wake of dad’s heart attack
09 Apr 2025 - 11:08 AM
Greens call to dump negative gearing
09 Apr 2025 - 11:07 AM
Bandt v the billionaires
09 Apr 2025 - 10:42 AM
Greens leader makes election pitch at Press Club
09 Apr 2025 - 10:41 AM
Dutton spruiks energy discount for consumers but can’t say when
09 Apr 2025 - 10:13 AM
Dutton says he’d do better at relationship with Trump amid new tariffs
09 Apr 2025 - 10:00 AM
Dutton says his dad is a ‘tough bugger’ amid health scare
09 Apr 2025 - 09:09 AM
Albo refuses to disclose if he’s spoken to Trump directly about tariffs
09 Apr 2025 - 08:52 AM
NSW Premier doubles down on WFH
09 Apr 2025 - 08:51 AM
PM denies Dutton’s WFH policy is the same as NSW Premier’s
09 Apr 2025 - 08:26 AM
Albo responds to fiery debate in US senate over Aussie tariffs
09 Apr 2025 - 08:13 AM
Albo pays tribute to family’s enormous contribution to Sydney
09 Apr 2025 - 08:06 AM
Women candidates face huge disadvantage in unwinnable seats
09 Apr 2025 - 07:41 AM
What’s planned for day 12 of the Federal election campaign
09 Apr 2025 - 06:23 AM
Leading US Senator slams ‘insulting’ tariffs on Australia
09 Apr 2025 - 05:23 AM
Dutton says dad ‘will be ok’ but had considered dropping out of the debate
09 Apr 2025 - 04:46 AM
Dutton falls short of landing his key message
09 Apr 2025 - 04:43 AM
Albanese wins debate with ‘confident’ and ‘arrogant’ performance
Dutton falls short of landing his key message
The Nightly’s Caitlyn Rintoul was at the first Federal election debate.
She writes: Peter Dutton was stern and composed in the first leaders’ debate but he appeared to fall short of convincing voters in the room the Coalition is the best economic manager.
In a debate that rarely sparked, the two leaders wrestled themselves to a lacklustre draw. Mr Dutton tried to embody the economic strongman image that past Liberal leaders have worn so convincingly. But his performance, while solid in parts, didn’t quite land with the same impact.
Much like their campaigns, it was hard to pull the two leaders apart. They’ve been engaged in a tit-for-tat race on policy announcements — from Medicare last month, to the Port of Darwin on Friday, and mental health on Tuesday.
The debate was just another battleground it will be hard to differentiate the two on.
While Mr Dutton was a steady performer, he lacked some of the sharp attacks Anthony Albanese attempted more than once.
He tried to open with charm and maintained a polite tone for much of the night, but didn’t quite nail the same effort Mr Albanese did to personalise his response to questions from the audience.
Still, by scrapping his work-from-home policy the day before, Mr Dutton dodged some of the punches Mr Albanese might otherwise have landed — though the Prime Minister tried anyway.
Albanese wins debate with ‘confident’ and ‘arrogant’ performance
The Nightly’s Ellen Ransley was at the first Federal election debate.
She writes: Anthony Albanese won the night but he only did so based on a number of cut-through moments in an otherwise status-quo performance that he failed to land the knockout blow he needed to harden soft voters.
He may have won the People’s Forum, but one-in-five of the 100 voters remain unconvinced he’s the right man to be Prime Minister come May 3.
For the most part he played it safe, whipping out his favourite prop - his Medicare card - as he butted heads with Peter Dutton over bulk-billing, and talked up Labor’s first term agenda.
He was focused, disciplined and on-message, delivering well-polished campaign lines in a gaffe-free delivery, but he struggled to keep up with Dutton on topics like migration and energy.
Albanese was polished, but was described by some in the room as a “smart arse” and “arrogant”.
Others described him as “confident”, a positive quality they told The Nightly outside the venue.
The more personable approach he took to questioners, like walking towards audience members as he answered their question and asking them details about their lives to inform his answer, also cut through.
