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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton have faced off in their first leaders’ debate ahead of the 3 May election.
On Tuesday night, the leaders took questions from 100 undecided voters in the key battleground electorate of Parramatta in western Sydney.
Gaza, United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs, economic management, Medicare, cuts to migration, and Australia’s energy transition were among the topics covered during the live debate hosted by Sky News and the Daily Telegraph.
In his opening statement, Albanese said it was not the time to go backwards as he vowed to build Australia’s future.

Meanwhile, Dutton kicked off the debate by promising to get “Australia back on track”, stating the economy had gone “backwards” under Labor.

Both leaders were cautious in their responses and neither leader delivered a major blow.

Here’s what you missed:

Anthony Albanese questions how nuclear will be funded

Australia’s energy transition was a key point of contention, with Dutton starting his pitch to voters by reminding the room that Labor had promised to reduce energy bills by $275.
But Albanese questioned how the Coalition plans to pay for its proposed seven nuclear reactors, asking: “What are you going to cut to pay for it?”

Dutton said due to the longer lifespan of the nuclear reactors, “the cost is spread over that time”.

“If renewables are so much cheaper, as the prime minister keeps telling me, why has he broken his promise of a $275 a year cut to your electricity bill, when, in actual fact, it’s gone up by $1,300 under this government?” Dutton said.
“The difference between the two policies is that our policy is 44 per cent cheaper, and in the interim, we increased the supply of gas into the market because gas helps create electricity.”

Albanese responded: “The only gas policy that the Coalition has [is] the gaslighting of the Australian public.”

Cost of living pressures deliver ‘confronting’ moment

Host Kieran Gilbert asked the room, by show of hands, how many people were doing it tough.

Unsurprisingly, many voters raised their hands, making it clear that cost of living remains a key issue.

Anthony Albanese gestures with his hands as he speaks, with members of the audience seated in front of him.

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton addressed the audience of undecided voters in western Sydney during the first leaders’ debate. Source: AAP / Jason Edwards

Dutton described the moment as “confronting” twice, including in his closing remarks.

“Prime minister says that this has been a successful three-year period; it’s just in defiance of the reality of people’s lives and where we are as a country right now,” he said.
Both leaders have spoken about the cost of living measures in the first week of the campaign.
Labor has been campaigning on and , while the Coalition has by halving the fuel excise for 12 months.

Gaza

Both leaders said they want peace in the Middle East after taking a question from an audience member with loved ones affected by the conflict in Gaza.
“This has been a very traumatic period for many Australians with family in Israel and Gaza and indeed, in Lebanon,” Albanese said.

“My government’s approach is that every human life matters, and we want a ceasefire. We want to see hostages released. We want to see aid get through to Gaza.”

Dutton defended Israel’s actions, saying if the same were to happen to Australians, “there would have been an expectation for our government to react”.
“I want to make sure that in our country, people can celebrate their heritage and celebrate their connections to a country of origin, or to a country which is important to them,” he said.

“But when you come to our country, it’s about celebrating being Australian.”

Dutton dodges young voters’ question on migration

Dutton was repeatedly asked about migration, including a question from a young woman on what he could do to avoid “demonising” migrants.
“What will you do to ensure migration discussions remain respectful and avoid demonising migrants?” she asked.
“I think we are a greater country because of our migrant story and I think we should celebrate it more as a country,” Dutton responded.
“But we have to have a well-managed program.”

Dodging the question around rhetoric, he instead reiterated a Dutton-led government would cut migration by 25 per cent.

Two men in black suits smile as they stand side-by-side in front of a black background.

Gaza, nuclear energy, the cost of living and Trump’s tariffs dominated the first leaders’ debate on Tuesday night. Source: AAP / Jason Edwards

Who won the debate?

Albanese was declared the winner of the first leaders’ debate, with 44 of the 100 voters in the room choosing the prime minister. Thirty-five voted for Dutton and 21 were undecided.
It was a sentiment reflected by IT worker Nizer, who praised Albanese’s performance.
“His confidence was attractive, to be honest. He was very confident about his policies, he was very good with the numbers and very steady and smiling every time,” he told SBS News.
In contrast, he felt Dutton appeared nervous.
— Additional reporting by Naveen Razik
 For the latest from SBS News, and .
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