Dutton and Albanese present election visions in second debate — as it happened (2025)

Thanks for joining us for another day on the election campaign and the ABC's leaders debate. I hope you’ve had fun and maybe even learned a thing or two.

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Catch ya on the flip side!

• Anthony Albanese and Peter Duttonjoined us in the ABC'sParramatta studios for the second leaders debate of this election campaign.
• Both leaders were quizzed on if they'd make changes to negative gearing. Albanese dodged the question, while Dutton said cutting the tax break would hurt rental stock.
• The PM said he'd already acted on renters rights while the opposition leader said he'd be "happy" to consider "sensible reform".
• Dutton said he was willing to use Commonwealth powers to override state level bans on nuclear if necessary.
• Albanese ducked and weaved on a question on when Australians can expect their power bills to come down.
• The opposition leader conceded he made a mistake by saying the Indonesian president had announced Russia requestedto base some of its military aircraft in Indonesia.
• Dutton wouldn't say if he trusted Donald Trump, while Albanese insisted he had no reason not to trust the US president.
• But can the leaders trust Xi?Albanese repeated his line that he didn't have a reason not to. Dutton battered the question away.
• Do we need a contingency plan for AUKUS in the wake of Trump? Albanese doesn't think so.
• The leaders were challenged on the failure of successive governments to close the gap on outcomes betweenIndigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
• Would it really be a disaster if the other guy won? Both leaders stuck to the same tune that they simply just had different visions on how to take Australia forward.

In case you missed it, here's what each leader had to say during their final remarks of the debate tonight.

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Look back at that moment here:

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We are at about the halfway point for the election campaign now and there are still many Australian voters who are undecided.

If you want to see how you align with the political parties vying for your vote you can usethe ABC's Vote Compass tool.

Eahc leader was asked during the debate if it would be so bad if the other won.

Watch that moment here:

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Both preformed poorly, the time of the majors is over. Really cemented why I'm voting Greens and Independents.

- Owen

Albanese: "Eh, she'll be right, mate."

Dutton: "I will ruin your super forever, waste billions on a terrible nuclear plan, and be mean to everyone."

Hmm. Tough choice.

-Mitchel

I'm voting Labor but I think there was no winner in that debate. I do think the most poor moment was Dutton saying he'd keep scientist make the decision regarding climate change's impact on weather events. I'm not a scientist but I know boiling water can cause steam.

-Ben

I think Dutton won that.. as a swing voter and previously voted Labor, I thought Dutton was good on housing affordability and was proactive on Labors standard Medicare tactic. Dutton did seem more formidable and credible while Albo was flailing a bit. Besides all that, I think ive decided to vote Nationals... maybe change!

-Joe

We've heard from our leaders and now we want to hear from you.

You can have your say by clicking on the link below and filling out the questionnaire.

During the debate, both leaders were asked if they trust US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Here's that moment:

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The Radio National Breakfast political correspondentMelissa Clarke says both leaders were on the defensive in this debate.

She says Anthony Albanese was forced to defend his record in office, whilePeter Dutton had to defend the lack of detail in some of his policies.

"I think that meant we didn't really get a debate of competing inspiring visions, we had two leaders who have a lot to lose out of this and I think we saw that with a very defensive approach from both of them," she says.

Dutton was the best tonight. Very strong on all issues.

- Rema

I doubt this debate will sway many undecided voters, but Albanese did a much better job of addressing the questions asked and came out looking likes he simply knows more about his policies.

-Luca

To be honest, I think Dutton is the best pick. Normally I'd go Labour, but Albanese seemed very weak against CFMEU criminals, support to Ukraine and he is super scared to criticize in any way Trump or Xi. I do understand his scope of diplomacy but Dutton seems more solid to deal with both.

I also don't mind his stance to help more people into housing. It's what got me sold on him.

-Bogdan

Albanese I feel won the debate, a feeling of more confidence and prime ministerial maturity. Dutton came off as far more reactive and to eager to engage in mega phone diplomacy.

- Loz

The ABC's chief political digital correspondent Jacob Greber says he agrees with Middleton's assessment that there wasn't a knock-out blow tonight.

Greber says Anthony Albanese "looked sufficient" on discussion about when prices would fall and Peter Dutton was effective on discussion about the budget.

But he points out that Dutton became wobbly when talking about climate change and Indonesia.

"He was very much on the back foot on Indonesia. He had to apologise for the error he made in assuming the President of Indonesia said something declarative," he says.

Karen Middleton has given the first commentary on the panel.

She says she doesn't believe there was a knock-out blow in tonight's ABC leaders debate.

"I think there was probably greater pressure on Peter Dutton and perhaps the pressure showed slightly more on Peter Dutton," she says.

She points out that Anthony Albanese couldn't say when house prices would fall, and Peter Dutton wouldn't say if climate change is getting worse.

"In the end maybe you would give it to Anthony Albanese, but I don't think there was a knock-out win."

Earlier, Dutton addressed his comments on Indonesia-Russia.

You can watch that here.

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Taking you to what happened outside the studio, around one hundred people gathered of the ABC Parramatta to protest.

The protest, which began to build slowly but gradually shortly after 6:00pm, was hosted by Students for Palestine and is calling for Australia to “stop arming Israel”.

In a post on the Palestine Action Group Sydney’s Instagram published last week, organiser Josh Lees described the demonstration as a “chance to take to the streets”, put “Palestine on the agenda”, and call on the government to end its financial support of Israel’s military.

“I think the Palestinian issue is also an Australian issue,” said Taha, one of those in attendance at the protest.

“If we see all the investment going from universities, from the government, going into the IDF, going into Israeli research in defense, in Israeli universities - essentially, that puts Australian lives in danger.”

“I want the people in charge to see what I see,” said Jacki Dand, a resident of the seat of Macquarie and another person in attendance at the protest.

“I see a genocide. I see bombs being dropped on people that are unarmed.”

The federal government has long insisted “no Australian weaponry” has been exported to Israel. However, as recently reported by the ABC Defence Correspondent Andrew Greene, the country’s military has completed trials of an advanced weapon made by a Canberra-based defence supplier.

Parramatta Greens candidate Liz Tilley was also in attendance, delivering a speech where she noted how she’s seen first-hand “that the major party duopoly takes Western Sydney for granted”.

Reporting by Sam Nichols,Abubakr Sajidand Jean Kennedy

A Rorschach test is a psychological tool where you’re asked to look at a series of ink blots and report what you see.

Tonight’s debate was a political version of that. There was nothing obvious to spot: no horrific gaffes, no catastrophic blunders, no embarrassing own goals, no especially defining moments.

It means most likely you will have seen what you wanted to see.

If you’re a rusted-on Labor voter, you will have thought Anthony Albanese made a solid case for his re-election.

If you’re a Liberal, you will have been persuaded by Peter Dutton that he is ready to be Prime Minister and would be a safe pair of hands.

As for the undecided and disengaged voters who will decide the election, it’s hard to imagine many of them would have felt inspired or been persuaded one way or another.

Afternoon Briefing hostPatricia Karvelas will be joined by Jacob Greber,Melissa Clarke and Karen Middleton to break down what we learned (or didn’t learn) during the debate.

It’ll be broadcast live on both the ABC's main channel and ABC NEWS, live streamed on ABC iView and will also be available on demand afterwards.

Coverage will also be blogged live right here on the ABC NEWS website.

We also have a stream for you at the top of the blog.

Well friends that decision is up to you!

The ABC won't be declaring a winner. But we do want to know who you thought performed best in tonight's clash.

Send us your thoughts during the debate by using the comment button above.

Alternatively, you can make your voice heard via the ABC's Your Say project.

When David Speers pressed Peter Dutton on whether Australians are already feeling the effects of climate change, the answer was evasive: "I don't know because I'm not a scientist." It was a familiar moment in a long-running saga—the Coalition once again ducking the climate conversation.

For more than a decade, the party has often found itself paralysed on the issue of climate change —more focused on managing internal rifts between moderates and hardliners than leading a coherent climate strategy. Add to that its reliance on regional seats tied to coal and gas jobs, and the path to a bold emissions policy becomes a political minefield..

Dutton's refusal to acknowledge the science outright—dodging the question with a shrug toward scientific uncertainty—underscores a broader problem: the Coalition has spent years framing climate change as a culture war battleground. That's made it hard to regain public trust or credibly pivot toward stronger action without looking opportunistic.

Anthony Albanese used the moment to underline Labor's position, speaking plainly: "The science is very clear." It was a deliberate contrast—and a reminder that while the political ground on climate may have shifted, the Coalition is still stuck in the same spot, unsure whether to move forward or dig in.