A day after the press pack covering Anthony Albanese’s election campaign arrived in Brisbane, Labor’s campaign bus headed north, revealing the Labor leader’s main target was not the Greens but Peter Dutton. Standing alongside Labor’s candidate Ali France at a Medicare urgent care clinic in Dickson, a marginal seat, Albanese pledged to run a serious campaign, with Labor needing victories outside Melbourne and New South Wales. Although Dutton matched Labor’s Medicare funding boost, Labor’s Mark Butler and Jim Chalmers highlighted Dutton’s health policies and criticized him for attending a Sydney fundraiser during Cyclone Alfred amidst Labor’s policies on housing and immigration. Despite scrutiny about power prices and a heckle from a far-right activist, there were no major blunders on Albanese’s first campaign day. He then ventured to Bundaberg to announce a $20m “Buy Australia” campaign, hinting at concerns over Trump’s protectionist policies and reiterating Australia’s stance against potential US trade action.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/29/federal-election-2025-anthony-albanese-sends-peter-dutton-message