Federal election 2025 debate: Peter Dutton stern but didn’t sell his key election claim for Coalition

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.

There was no sign of distraction or weakness from Mr Dutton despite a a medical emergency involving his father before the event. He appeared focused throughout the debate.

After the debate, he lingered in the crowd, smiling and chatting with members of the public.

The crowd in the room was notably muted during the debate. There were no cheers, laughter or heckles — little to no reaction at all.

The face-off failed to excite first-time voter Lashika Gnanachandran, who regretted giving up her evening to watch the debate. With cost-of-living top of mind, and after five years struggling to find affordable housing in Western Sydney, she said she couldn’t see how either leader would fix the problem.

Another voter, an elderly woman who recently became a renter for the first time, felt Mr Dutton was doing more than Mr Albanese — who she described as “arrogant” in his responses.

Longtime Labor voter Melissa Murdoch wasn’t convinced either. She said Mr Dutton hadn’t done enough to win her vote and was swayed by Mr Albanese’s jabs about his past performance, which raised doubts in her mind about whether she could trust the Opposition Leader’s policies.

Much of the debate was dominated by questions on Medicare, housing, and social services — areas where Mr Albanese was more comfortably positioned. It meant Mr Dutton was often on the back foot from the topics that would give him the edge.

Mr Dutton, who has leaned heavily on national security in the lead-up to the campaign — even floating a referendum on the issue — largely avoided the topic.

On the night, there was little or no mention of tough-on-security, crime and border stance he’s previously projected.