Anthony Albanese dismissed claims that his stop in Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson was meant to mess with his rival’s head, saying the visit was about campaigning, not “mind games.”
When a reporter noted that the Prime Minister began his campaign in Dickson and appeared to be ending it there too, Albanese replied with a laugh, “You’d be disappointed if I didn’t.” Asked if he was trying to psychologically unsettle Mr Dutton, he said, “No, we’re trying to win a seat.”
Dutton narrowly holds Dickson with a margin of just 1.7 per cent, and Labor has long viewed the seat as within reach. The last time the ALP held it was in 2001, when Cheryl Kernot lost to Mr Dutton. This year, candidate Ali France is making her third attempt to unseat the Opposition Leader.
Mr Albanese, Deputy PM Richard Marles, and France paid a brief 10-minute visit to the local campaign office this morning, where they thanked volunteers and motivated them to stay energized through the final stretch.
The PM promoted key Labor policies like more affordable childcare, Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, free TAFE, and tax cuts, while also taking a swipe at Dutton for his past interest in running in Macpherson and his comment about moving to Sydney’s Kirribilli House rather than the official Canberra residence.
Albanese implied such remarks raise questions about Dutton’s commitment to Queensland, while the brief nature of the visit — focusing on campaign staff rather than engaging directly with voters — may indicate that Labor’s internal polling suggests the seat could remain just out of reach.
