Key events
How would each leader deal with Trump?
The first undecided voter has asked a question – how Australia will cope with the “Trump pandemic that we’re going through right now”, and what each leaders strategy is going forward?
Anthony Albanese responded first, saying Trump had undertaken an “act of economic self harm for the United States” through the tariffs.
Australia got the best deal of any country on the planet … No country is better positioned to take advantage of the trade opportunities. And it’s important to remember this – 80% of global trade doesn’t involve the United States, so in our region in particular, there will be opportunities for Australia that we want to seize.
Peter Dutton said the prime minister of the day should “have the ability and the strength of character to be able to stand up against bullies, against those that would seek to do us harm, to keep our country safe and to make sure that we can make the right economic decisions for our country as well.”
And that’s exactly what I would seek to do as prime minister.
Dutton makes opening remarks
Peter Dutton is now giving his opening remarks, saying it has been a tough three years for Australians. He says the government has made a number of mistakes, “starting with the voice [referendum]”:
Almost 30,000 small businesses have gone broke … when you go to the supermarket now, you’re now paying 30% more for groceries, paying about 32% more for your electricity …
We want to make sure that we can get gas for Australians, so that we can fix up the energy system, which is driving up the cost of everything. And if we can do that, we can get our country back on track.
Leaders’ debate begins
The debate between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton has officially kicked off, with the leaders shaking hands on stage.
The prime minister is the first to speak, noting the various challenges thrown at Australians in recent years – “the Covid pandemic followed by the biggest inflation spike since the 1980s, and the biggest energy crisis since the 1970s.”
But what matters is how you respond, and we’ve responded the Australian way.
Albanese points to inflation coming down, wages being up and low rates of unemployment. He continues:
Now is not the time to cut. Now is not the time to look backwards. Now is the time to look forward and see the opportunities and build Australia’s future.
Dutton’s father suffers medical emergency, according to reports
Just minutes ahead of the debate kicking off, reports have emerged that Peter Dutton’s father has suffered a medical emergency.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Bruce Dutton has suffered a heart attack and has been taken to hospital in Queensland.
We are working to confirm these reports and will bring you the latest as soon as we can.
Leaders arrive ahead of debate
Sarah Basford Canales
The leaders have arrived. Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are standing on either side of the stage minutes before we go live, greeting some of the audience members in the first few rows.
Sarah Basford Canales
More politicians filtering in ahead of debate
More politicians are filtering in to the backstage here to watch their leaders battle it out in the first debate.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and home affairs minister, Tony Burke, have joined Katy Gallagher (who we mentioned arrived earlier).
On the opposition side, the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, and shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, join Angus Taylor.
Sarah Basford Canales
Ten minutes until leaders’ debate kicks off
The media pack for both campaign buses have joined together in the Wenty Leagues club.
Journalists are seated behind the audience, along with political staff members and TV crew, so we can watch the debate and see the audience’s responses.
We’re about 10 minutes off kick off time.
Dutton shares video ahead of debate
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has shared a video from the green room ahead of tonight’s debate – set to kick off in about 15 minutes.
Sarah Basford Canales
Where is tonight’s debate being held?
The first leaders’ debate is being held in Sydney’s western suburbs at the Wenty Leagues club.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, arrived with an entourage but took a bee line for an undercover car park away from the press pack.
Other federal politicians took the front door, including the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, and finance minister, Katy Gallagher.
The former Coalition speaker Bronwyn Bishop strolled in while the Fowler MP Dai Le was on her way out after recording a segment with Peta Credlin.
Le said she would be watching the debate from home on her high-definition TV.
Everything to expect from tonight’s leaders’ debate
Before we get stuck into the debate, Ima Caldwell has outlined everything we can expect tonight – plus the other debates to keep an eye out for over the coming weeks.
Welcome to the first leaders’ debate
Emily Wind
Good evening, and welcome to our live blog for the first leaders’ debate between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.
At 7.30pm AEST, Albanese and Dutton will face off in a “People’s Forum” event, hosted by Sky News and the Daily Telegraph.
Similar to the 2022 election campaign, the prime minister and opposition leader will respond to questions from 100 undecided voters in western Sydney – where Albanese previously won against the former prime minister Scott Morrison.
The debate will be moderated by Sky News’ chief anchor, Kieran Gilbert, and broadcast live on the Sky News channel and website, as well as the Daily Telegraph website – all of which require a subscription.
But fear not, we will bring you all the key moments right here on our live blog.
