Soft voters stir election hop for the Coalition and nerves for Labor

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The inflation figure rapidly fed into election campaigning, centred on the cost of living. The treasurer pointed to the likelihood of 4 or more official rate cuts in the months beyond this Saturday poll. And Peter Dutton asked voters to examine whether they actually feel any better-off.

Transcript

00:00Hello.

00:02Very handsome today.

00:04Flattery came faster than the food.

00:06You look great. Welcome to Chisholm.

00:08On Peter Dutton's culinary tour of Melbourne, yum char in Chisholm.

00:13Thank you, sir.

00:14Pastries in Aston, at a business that feels the symptoms of inflationary pressures.

00:20I've never seen Australia in such a bad state, to be honest with you.

00:23While contributing to the cause.

00:25So it's a story across the economy, right?

00:27Yeah.

00:28And it's the reality of the last three years.

00:29It is lower, much lower.

00:31When official inflation figures landed, a radiant Treasurer looked forward to multiple rate-cutting responses from the Reserve Bank.

00:39And if that eventuated, that would deliver hundreds of dollars every month to Australians with a mortgage.

00:48But the data distills to one persistent question.

00:51Are Australians better off now than they were before you were elected?

00:55What they'll consider is who has the best offer for them in three years' time.

01:01If the Prime Minister can't be straight with the Australian people, I will be.

01:04Australians are worse off under this government.

01:06This is Hamper of Hope Room.

01:08The cost of living and its flow-on effects for charities gave purpose to Peter Dutton's day.

01:14Oh, not your first radio, there we go.

01:16But he left room for an unexpected reload on events from 18 months ago.

01:21Send him a message at this election that, no, we're not going to support the voice legislated by Labor and the Greens.

01:28Picking up on comments Penny Wong had made reflecting on the voice.

01:32We'll look back on it in ten years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality, don't you reckon?

01:37The opposition leader asserted Labor had unfinished business.

01:41Say no to Labor because they didn't hear you the first time.

01:44Untrue, Anthony Albanese counted, maintaining the voice verdict was final.

01:49Something I said I would do, and we did.

01:53We also said we would respect the outcome, and we have.

01:57His hour at the press club was the final set piece of Anthony Albanese's campaign.

02:02From here he'll sweep through all six states in two days.

02:06Peter Dutton's not returning to the capital, though.

02:09He'll use his time remaining to exhaust the dozen or so seats left on his target list.

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