Struggling Australians are being promised more help as Labor pushes to “build Australia’s future” while the Liberals pledge to get the country “back on track”.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has given a glimpse into the Liberals’ campaign mantra as the unofficial election campaign ramps up and leaders and senior ministers hit the road.
Mr Dutton criticised Labor’s energy bill subsidy, branding it a “sugar hit” and said while people appreciated the support, it kept interest rates higher for longer.
He also criticised the government’s handling of inflation and the economy.
The opposition leader – who voted against the $300 energy rebate – remained coy about what his party would offer voters at the federal election, which is due by late May.
“We’ll do what we can afford,” he told ABC radio on Monday.
“We’ll manage the economy effectively and we’ll make the decisions that will bring inflation down, interest rates down.”
Mr Dutton also pledged more gas in the energy grid to cut prices.
He launched the campaign in the Melbourne seat of Chisholm, which the Liberals are fighting to take back from Labor.
Victoria is seen as vital for his bid to land Australia’s top job, as he eyes off seats to pick up after the Liberal Party went backwards in the 2022 election.
The “let’s get Australia back on track” slogan replicated the New Zealand National Party’s election-winning rhetoric and has been likened to Donald Trump’s “make America great again”.
“What it means is that we want to help families who have really struggled under this government,” Mr Dutton said.
After a week on the road across Western Australia, northern Queensland and the Northern Territory, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will convene his first cabinet meeting of 2025 with senior ministers in Canberra on Monday.
Health Minister Mark Butler criticised Mr Dutton for opposing the government’s cost of living relief measures in parliament and not offering any policies in a signature campaign speech.
“It reflects this extraordinary arrogance that Peter Dutton thinks he can skate to victory at the upcoming election simply on rhetoric and sledging,” he said.
Mr Butler criticised Mr Dutton for freezing the Medicare rebate during his tenure as health minister, during which he also tried to impose a $7 co-payment for people visiting the GP.
“(It’s) a record that Australia’s doctors described as the worst health minister in the history of Medicare,” Mr Butler said.
