Highlights of the final election debate: Albanese vs Dutton

Australian Community Media

Highlights of the final election debate between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, hosted by 7 News Australia. Video by 7 News Australia

Transcript

00:00Now, let's begin. Here is your moderator this evening, 7 News political editor, Mark Ryan.

00:05Here is a dozen eggs. Mr Dutton, do you know how much they cost?

00:11About $4.20. No, you might get half a dozen.

00:14Mr Albanese.

00:16$7 if you can find them, because it's hard to find them at the moment.

00:19Yeah, I reckon you're looking at 8 plus.

00:22Yeah, there you go. It's the Sunny Queen 12 eggs from Woolies.

00:25They are $8.80 from Coles. They're slightly cheaper at about $8.50.

00:30Can we trust Donald Trump to have our back on security?

00:33Yes, and the US system, of course, is very important.

00:36Mr Dutton, can we trust Donald Trump to have our back?

00:39We can trust whoever's in the Oval Office, Mark, and we respect the views of the American people.

00:45They've elected a president.

00:46Simple question. Which country poses the biggest threat to Australia's security, Mr Dutton?

00:52If you were to believe the intelligence that I received as Defence Minister and as the Leader of the Opposition,

00:57and no doubt that the Prime Minister receives as well, the biggest concern from our intelligence agencies

01:02and our defence agency is in relation to the Communist Party of China.

01:06Mr Dutton, name China. You didn't.

01:10No, no. I said China is the country that seeks influence in the region to extend its influence.

01:18Biggest threat, yes.

01:19And that is what we are dealing with.

01:21Biggest threat.

01:22Well, I'm the Prime Minister of a country, and how you deal as Prime Minister is diplomatically,

01:28and that is what we continue to do.

01:31In relation to the welcome to country otherwise, I think there is, and people have said this to me as we've moved across the country,

01:37There is a sense across the community that it's overdone.

01:42For the opening of Parliament, fair enough.

01:45It's respectful to do.

01:46But for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game,

01:51I think a lot of Australians think it's overdone, and it cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do.

01:57It divides the country, not dissimilar to what the Prime Minister did with the voice.

02:01OK, all right. I've got to go to the Prime Minister.

02:02Well, from my perspective, it's a matter of respect, but it's also, of course, up to the organisations that are hosting an event

02:11of whether they have a welcome to country or not.

02:15It's up to them, and people will have different views, and people are entitled to their views.

02:19But we have a great privilege, from my perspective, of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth.

02:27But, Prime Minister, do you think it's overdone, the welcome to country?

02:29It's up to people to determine whether they have a welcome to country or not.

02:35But from my perspective, from my perspective, for major events, it is, of course, a sign of respect.

02:43So you're going to continue to do it, and you're going to do it as selected events, only major events.

02:48I think at the opening of Parliament, it's appropriate, and I think at other very significant events of that nature, yes.

02:54But I do think that the most important thing we can do is provide practical reconciliation.

02:58Okay.

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