What we learned – and didn’t – from Peter Dutton’s unofficial campaign launch
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There was his log cabin story, an official slogan and the promise of a policy booklet – but no new announcements in Melbourne. Peter Dutton emerged from his summer break on Sunday to launch the Coalition’s unofficial election campaign. In a 38-minute pre-prepared speech to MPs and party loyalists at a campaign-style rally in Melbourne, the federal opposition leader framed the upcoming contest as a “sliding doors moment” for Australia.
Here’s what we learned – and didn’t – from Dutton’s opening pitch ahead of the 2025 poll. The blue backdrop behind Dutton during his speech was emblazoned with the Coalition’s official 2025 election slogan: “Let’s get Australia back on track”.
The slogan is also the title of a new brochure Dutton launched on Sunday, which outlines the Coalition’s 12 priorities for governing the country. Dutton argued the nation had veered off the rails under Labor, which he described as one of the most “incompetent governments in history” led by Anthony Albanese – “one of our weakest prime ministers in history”.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email. The Coalition’s slogan will be pitted against Albanese’s “Building Australia’s future” motto, which he pushed during last week’s blitz of seats in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
The opposition leader didn’t use the rally to make any new announcements, instead rehashing the Coalition’s broad-brush positions on nuclear, housing, immigration, “practical action” for Indigenous Australians, health, regional Australia, defence, community safety and border security.
