CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Prime Minister Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have both declared unanimous support for the decision to pause the Federal Election campaign today, following the news of Pope Francis’s death overnight.
Albanese held one press conference in Melbourne this morning – to confirm the cancellation of a number of events, as well as to order that Commonwealth flags fly at half-mast for the rest of the day.
Dutton also agrees that now is s not the time for “big politicking” – while confirming the suspension of his own campaign.
This comes after a big Easter long weekend from both parties, which saw each leader attending a number of church and community events, where they posed for photographs and manned barbecues in an effort to win over Australia’s last undecided voters.
Early polling has also begun today, meaning that anyone who has already made up their mind over who they want to lead the country for the next three years, can now cast their vote.
The campaigning is expected to begin again at the back-end of the week, at which time the Australian public will already be clocking off for yet another public holiday.
This is not ideal for Peter Dutton, who has struggled to find his feet throughout the last few weeks – with bitter in-fighting and policy backflips defining his party’s gaffe-riddled campaign.
Recent opinions polls shows Dutton’s Coalition has lost significant ground in Australia’s middle class suburbs, with women in particular swinging back toward Labor at the back end of the campaign.
The Liberal Party’s hopes to come up for oxygen in the final fortnight appears less likely than ever, with Australians preparing for yet another long weekend to switch off from the news cycle.
Friday morning will see Australians partaking in ANZAC dawn service ceremonies alongside returned servicemen and women and their families. By about midday, the crowds will begin to rally around the two-up circles, for the one the one day of the year where it is legal to gamble with cash in a pub beer garden.
The last week of the campaign will be dominated by the conclusion of the Vatican’s 9 day mourning period, the Pope’s funeral, as well as the NRL Magic Round in Brisbane – where hundreds of thousands of footy fans will descend upon Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for three days of rugby league and lots of beer.
