Leaders’ final pitches on Election Eve

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Last night, David Speers took us through the leaders’ final pitches to voters across the country.

Transcript

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.

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