There were neither knockout blows nor falling on their faces as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton met for the first of their federal election leaders’ debates.
Polite as the two men might have been, there was no shortage of accusations of lying in the Sky News debate in front of 100 undecided voters in western Sydney.
Inflation, energy policy, healthcare costs, migration and funding for essential services were all discussed throughout the hour-long event.
The audience at the debate gave Mr Albanese the win (44 per cent to 35 per cent), with a quarter of people still undecided.
Here are five take-outs from the clash.
Leaders accuse each other of lying
A consistent through-line was Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton’s willingness to accuse the other of falsehoods.
Right from the start, as the prime minister accused the former Coalition government of cutting health and education funding when it was last in power, the opposition leader immediately shot back.
Mr Dutton suggested Mr Albanese had made “not a truthful statement” and described Labor’s attack lines on Coalition cuts as “a very dishonest proposition”.
The audience comprised 100 undecided voters. (News Limited: Jason Edwards)
Mr Dutton conceded while Coalition spending hadn’t increased as much as Labor might have wanted, funding for hospitals and education never went backwards.
“Now the prime minister might say it should have gone up by more, that’s fine for him to say that,” he said.
“To say that the funding was cut, and you can go and look at the budget papers, that is not a factually correct statement, it is misleading, it is designed to scare people and I think it is dishonest from a man who wants to be re-elected as the prime minister of our country.”
It wasn’t long before Mr Albanese returned fire and accusing Mr Dutton of falsehoods.
When Mr Dutton described Mr Albanese’s government as the biggest spender in 40 years.
“That is not true,” Mr Albanese said, pointing to Coalition COVID-era spending.
Leaders clash over Medicare cards
The leaders again clashed when Mr Albanese, as he does on a daily basis, pulled a Medicare card from his pocket.
The prime minister used the card to insist people would have a better chance of having their visit to the GP bulk-billed.
Mr Dutton seized on the moment and asked the audience member who’d asked about medical costs what her experience was of visiting the GP, namely if she could only use her Medicare card to pay for it. The questioner said she usually faced a $70 to $80 gap fee.
Peter Dutton used the debate to highlight increasing living costs in recent years. (News Limited: Jason Edwards)
“Yours is the story of… millions of Australians as well,” Mr Dutton said.
“I’ve heard the prime minister run this stunt with ‘you only need your Medicare card’.
“It’s not true. Bulk billing rates have reduced under this government.”
Mr Albanese shot back, reminding voters Mr Dutton was the health minister when the former Coalition government sought to introduce a Medicare co-payment when people visited a doctor or emergency department.
He then said the Coalition froze the Medicare rebate for six years and his government inherited bulk-billing rates in “free fall”.
Sticking to well-worn political lines
Both leaders largely stuck to their well-worn political lines.
Mr Albanese focused on the cost of living support his government had given voters, he insisted that the hardest years of inflation were in the past and Labor deserved a second term to further implement its agenda.
Mr Dutton reminded voters how much more expensive life had become in recent years, that Labor had failed to deliver its pledge to cut power bills and had been distracted with the Voice referendum.
Anthony Albanese talked up Labor’s economic credentials. (News Limited: Jason Edwards)
Each took aim at the other’s energy policies.
“If the renewables are so much cheaper as the prime minister keeps telling you, why has he broken his promise of a $275 a year cut to your electricity bill?” Mr Dutton said.
The Coalition is promising government-owned nuclear power plants to replace coal-fired power plants, with gas offering base load power in the years in between.
“The only gas policy that the Coalition has is the gaslighting of the Australian public,” Mr Albanese said.
Just a fleeting mention of Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has played a dominant role in the election campaign to date.
But despite being the focus of the first question, neither the leaders nor the audience sought to discuss him directly beyond that.
More broadly, foreign affairs had just a fleeting mention in the debate, which took place in the electorate of Parramatta.
In nearby seats of Watson and Blaxland, Labor is facing criticism in safe seats for its response to the war in the Middle East.
Responding to a question, Mr Albanese said no Australian weapons were being used by Israel in Gaza and he reaffirmed his desire for a peace deal.
Polite tone between leaders
It was an otherwise respectful and polite encounter from two men familiar with heated clashes inside the parliament.
Audience members asked the leaders the questions at the debate. (News Limited: Jason Edwards)
But there was no mention of Mr Dutton’s father, who was admitted to hospital with an undisclosed condition prior to the debate.
The ABC confirmed Mr Dutton’s 79-year-old father Bruce, who he started his first business with, was in a stable condition last night.
They will next meet for a debate on the ABC next Wednesday.
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