Federal election 2025: Dutton, Albanese keep sweeteners 'up their sleeves' before campaign launches
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will formally launch their election campaigns this weekend as the major parties try to cement their pitches to voters before a slew of public holidays.
Labor’s formal launch will be in Perth on Sunday, while the coalition is expected to hold its event in Sydney on the same day.
Campaign launches tend to be held much later during the five-week race but the Easter long weekend is approaching, and the Anzac Day weekend follows at the same time as school holidays.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Up to half of voters cast their ballots early, and pre-poll centres for this election will open more than a week after the formal launches.
The steep increase in early voting revealed how little campaigns mattered overall, ANU political scientist Jill Sheppard said.
“The fact that they are going a little bit earlier this year suggests that they have something up their sleeve,” she said.
“The Liberal Party has been pretty wide on policy detail so far, so I suspect that there will be an old-style, big splash announcement ... and possibly the same for Labor as well.”
The vast majority of voters at this point had either made their minds up or were getting ready to vote early, Dr Sheppard said.
“What we’ll see in the campaign launches is policy announcements that reveal the exact groups of voters the parties are targeting,” she said.
“Unless one leader was to make a disastrous campaign misstep, it’s not really going to shift folks at this time.
“It’s all about maintaining the appearance of competence.”
Western Australia was key in delivering Mr Albanese his 2022 election victory, with the location of Labor’s launch showcasing its importance to the party’s re-election hopes.
Mr Albanese clocked up his 30th visit to the mining state as prime minister in the first week of the campaign.
Mr Dutton has targeted voters in western Sydney, spruiking the coalition’s cost-of-living measures to those doing it tough in mortgage-belt seats.
