Policy and messaging focus →

As the first week of the 2025 election campaign wraps up, Labor will likely be quietly satisfied with how things unfolded, with no major stumbles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese staying on message. This is in contrast to the shaky start of his 2022 campaign, when he forgot the cash rate. This time, Mr Albanese used his past mistake as a reminder that early campaign gaffes are not necessarily fatal.

Labor’s decision to launch in Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson was symbolic. The seat is technically winnable, but the visit was less about numbers and more about signalling that Labor intends to challenge the Coalition on its home turf. In contrast, the Opposition’s start to the official election campaign failed to build momentum, which has been lacking after the election date was postponed due to the impact of Cyclone Alfred in Queensland and New South Wales. Whilst Mr Dutton has been campaigning in key target seats in Victoria and Western Australia, a perceived lack of policy detail in election commitments currently announced has been increasingly scrutinised by the media Labor has been quick to attack Mr Dutton at every opportunity, including accusing the Opposition Leader of already “measuring the curtains” after he flagged his preference to live in Kirribilli House in Sydney rather than the Lodge in Canberra should he be elected.

Mr Dutton’s difficulties continued with confusion over whether a Coalition government would pursue various referenda, and remarks about the federal Department of Education, suggesting its existence was questionable and tying funding to the content of state curriculums. This was heavily criticised by Labor who drew comparisons to recent policy shifts in the US under Donald Trump and gave Labor a clear line of attack, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers even labelling Mr Dutton “DOGE-Y Dutton” in reference to Elon Musk’s DOGE.

The overall impression from week one is of a government sticking to its script, while the opposition struggled to gain traction amid strong Labor attacks and a perceived lack of policy detail in announcements. While not a decisive win for Labor, the party avoided trouble and remained in control.