What we learned in tonight's leaders' debate
Frankly, the second (of three) leaders’ debates was a bit of a shambles. It was shouty, there were technical problems, the cost of lettuce came up yet again ... but here are the main points:
- We should try not to pay too much attention to online polls.
- Prime minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese went toe to toe a few times.
- The climate wars are far from over – the cost of electricity transmission saw the pair bicker bitterly.
- Morrison still can’t define what the “red line” is when it comes to the Solomon Islands-China security agreement.
- Both leaders say they have answers on reducing the cost-of-living pressures. Morrison says it’s the economy and jobs, Albanese says it’s wages, childcare and Medicare.
- Morrison says he’s never witnessed any corruption in the Liberal party and stuck to his existing exposure draft as his party’s plan for a federal integrity commission. He also conceded he shouldn’t have said the vaccine rollout was not a race. He also claimed he “blew the whistle” on aged care neglect (some would argue with that).
- You can, if you like, ignore the above and just read Sarah Martin’s summary.
Tomorrow we’ll have you covered with more analysis and fallout, and whatever else the penultimate week of the election campaign brings. Amy Remeikis will be here at sparrowfart to set you up for the day.
Updated
Look. I’m not saying you shouldn’t watch the second leaders’ debate (if you haven’t already subjected yourself to it). But what I am saying is that Sarah Martin did, and that she’s stripped it back to the bits you need to know:
