Last night, David Speers took us through the leaders’ final pitches to voters across the country.
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00:00We're in the ABC election centre and this is what's at stake tomorrow night.
00:07The big board shows us all the seats in play.
00:11Will Anthony Albanese hold onto power?
00:14Will Peter Dutton defy the polls and become Prime Minister?
00:17They've both been campaigning frantically across the country trying to win your vote.
00:21Tonight we'll hear from both.
00:23Let's start with the Prime Minister.
00:24Anthony Albanese joins us from Melbourne.
00:27Welcome to you.
00:28G'day David, good to be with you.
00:30So, if there are voters watching tonight who feel disappointed with your first term, can
00:35you give any assurance that your second term would be any different?
00:39Well, we'll deliver cost of living relief today while investing for tomorrow.
00:45Tax cuts for every taxpayer, 20% off student debt, 5% loans for first home owners, make
00:52more things in Australia, cheaper childcare, free TAFE.
00:57We have a plan to make sure that we deal with that inflation issue.
01:02We've got it down to within the Reserve Bank band.
01:05Interest rates have started to fall.
01:07Before we were elected, they started to rise.
01:10Real wages are increasing.
01:12And our opponents are just offering higher taxes, higher deficits and savage cuts to basic
01:19services, including now saying that they'll cut pensions if people go overseas for more
01:25than four weeks.
01:26OK.
01:27Well, a lot of what you said there, Prime Minister, does involve more spending and debt.
01:31Does this leave Australia in a more vulnerable position as we face an uncertain period ahead?
01:35Now, we do face uncertain times, which is why you need the certainty of our economically responsible
01:43management.
01:44That's what we've put in place.
01:45We've delivered two budget services.
01:47We've halved the deficit this year.
01:51The first government to deliver back-to-back budget services in 20 years.
01:56We have been responsible.
01:57We've got inflation down to just 2.4 per cent.
02:01It had a six in front of it when we were elected, and interest rates have started to fall.
02:06Now you obviously want to win a majority government again.
02:09But if Australia votes for a hung parliament, will you be able to get much done?
02:14Look, I prefer, obviously, I want to have a majority government.
02:19I want people to vote number one for the Labor Party.
02:23I think that gives the country the stability that it needs in these uncertain times.
02:29My government has repaired our relations with the world going forward, and our opponents
02:36have changed their policy positions every three days, and now they're asking for three
02:41years, and they'll tell you all of the cuts that are going to occur after the next election.
02:46And if you don't win, Prime Minister, will you stick around in parliament, or will you go?
02:50Oh, look, I'm focused on tomorrow, and I'm focused on making sure that we can continue the good
02:58economic management, the good social policies that put women at the centre of our economic
03:04agenda, not as an afterthought.
03:07Continuing to deliver on education from early childhood education, better and fairer funding
03:12for schools, free TAFE, making sure that Medicare is strengthened with 50 more urgent care clinics,
03:19making sure people have access to that 1800 Medicare telephone hotline so they can get advice 24-7
03:27under my government.
03:29All right, Anthony Albanese, thanks for joining us tonight.
03:31Thanks very much, David.
03:33And we're joined now by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, joining us from Perth.
03:40Welcome to you.
03:41Thanks, David.
03:43So, we've seen some confusion through this campaign over a number of your policies, work
03:47from home, public service cuts.
03:49Are you really ready for government?
03:52We are, David.
03:53And this election obviously is about who do people trust to manage the economy.
03:57Cost of everything has gone up over the last three years, and Australians just can't afford
04:01three more years of a Labor government, so a coalition will always manage the economy
04:05more effectively, and it means that we can reduce inflation and therefore the cost of
04:09living pressures.
04:10It's about our positive plan, which is to reduce the cost of petrol by 25 cents a litre,
04:15to give $1,200 back by way of a tax rebate to help with the cost of living pressures.
04:19But it's also about restoring the dream of home ownership for young Australians through
04:23our five-point plan.
04:25And we are very determined to make our community a safer place, and also our country a safer
04:31country in a very uncertain part of the world in a very uncertain time.
04:35That's what I think the election comes down to, David, and it's a sliding doors moment.
04:38Most Australians I've met over the course of the last campaign period don't believe they
04:43can afford three more years of this government.
04:45You mentioned a couple of your measures there on fuel excise and the one-off tax break.
04:49These are temporary.
04:50The end of three years, will Australians be better off?
04:54Australians will be better off because they know that we manage the economy well, and they
04:58know that before this government was elected, the coalition government was able to provide
05:02support.
05:03We took Australians through COVID with the JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments, and we managed the
05:09economy effectively during that time.
05:11Interest rates have gone up on 12 occasions, and the Prime Minister's promise of $275 a year
05:17tax cut for electricity prices hasn't eventuated.
05:21In fact, prices have gone up by $1,300.
05:23So our plan is to make sure that we can reduce the cost of electricity and gas and therefore
05:28food as well through our East Coast Gas Reservation Plan.
05:32And our policy means that the price of wholesale gas comes down by 23%, which means we can drop
05:39the cost, lower the cost of many of the items that people have in their household budget across
05:43the economy.
05:44You've been in Parliament for 21 years.
05:47If you're unsuccessful tomorrow night, will you stick around and will you want to stay on
05:51as leader?
05:53Well, David, I'm only 54 and all my focus is on how we can win the election because I do
05:58believe it's a sliding doors moment.
05:59And I think three more years, particularly if it's a Labor-Greens government, it would
06:03be a disaster for families.
06:0530,000 small businesses have closed over the last three years.
06:08I want to make sure we can implement our plan, help immediately Australians who are really
06:12doing it tough and get the economy well managed so that we can get inflation down, bring
06:17interest rates down and put downward pressure on the cost of living crisis that Australians
06:21are experiencing at the moment.
06:23Peter Dutton, thanks for joining us this evening.
06:25Thanks, David.
06:27So that's the final pitch from the leaders.
06:30Now it's up to the voters to decide.