The tariff turmoil ripped through the election campaign today as the two leaders sought to convince voters that they have what it takes to respond. But day 10 on the hustings will be remembered for a spectacular policy back-down with Peter Dutton forced to retreat on his proposed ban on public servants working from home.
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00:00As far as campaign climb downs go, this was a big one.
00:10Peter Dutton's tanked his work from home crackdown and softened plans to cut the public service.
00:22Over in Victoria, Labor was ready.
00:26The Prime Minister in Labor held McEwen, paying a visit to a family taking advantage
00:31of flexible work.
00:40First announced a month ago, it will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal Government
00:45that all members of the Australian Public Service work from the office five days a week.
00:50The Coalition's policy drew a fierce backlash from female voters.
00:55Peter Dutton sought to allay concerns.
01:04But when coupled with plans to save billions by cutting 41,000 public sector jobs, he struggled
01:10to shake off comparisons to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
01:17Culminating in today's sensational back down, no work from home ban.
01:28And no forced redundancies in the public service.
01:31Jobs to go through a hiring freeze and natural attrition.
01:44The change tacked so early in the campaign shows how deeply unpopular this policy had
01:49become.
01:50Peter Dutton can only hope that by owning the mistake and making the call now, he can
01:55stem the damage with early voting to begin in a fortnight.
01:59The latest news poll has Labor ahead of the Coalition in a result that mirrors the outcome
02:05of the 2022 election.
02:06We've got work to do, there's no question about that.
02:08We are the underdog in this race, but we're the only party who can provide support to
02:13Australians in a very uncertain age.
02:15Amid fears of a global recession, both leaders are positioning themselves as best placed
02:20to navigate the turbulent times.
02:22You can't change global events, what you can do is prepare for them.
02:29And hope you don't veer off course.