Debate moved to miss MasterChef

20 Jul 2010, 6:25 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The debate has been moved forward to 6.30pm AEST, avoiding a clash with Network Ten's popular cooking show MasterChef. (AAP)

The debate has been moved forward to 6.30pm AEST, avoiding a clash with Network Ten's popular cooking show MasterChef. (AAP)

The election contest between Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard is turning into a contrast of campaigning styles.

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A decision has been taken on the timing and format of what is expected to be the one and only leaders' debate of the 2010 election.

As expected, it won't clash with MasterChef.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will go head to head for an hour on Sunday night at the National Press Club in Canberra.

Sky News Australia political editor David Speers will moderate the debate, which will be shown on the pay TV channel and offered for re-broadcast to all free-to-air stations.

The debate has been moved forward to 6.30pm AEST, avoiding a clash with Network Ten's popular cooking show MasterChef.

The two leaders will face a pressure test of their own, with the debate to feature questions from a panel of three senior Canberra press gallery journalists.

And with no restrictions on the use of audience response meters, worms are almost certain to be on the menu.

Safer ground

Abbott has moved the political debate to safer ground, shifting the focus to the economy, while Labor continued its low-key, tightly-scripted campaign.

After getting into a twist on workplace relations in recent days, Mr Abbott managed to turn the discussion to a perceived coalition strength, announcing a further $1.2 billion in spending cuts.

The savings - created by axing programs ranging from community cabinet to a bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council - will boost the coalition's election war chest heading towards August 21.

More importantly, the coalition hopes it will enhance its reputation on the economy, marking it as serious at controlling the nation's purse-strings.

The savings add to $46 billion worth of programs the coalition indicated it would scrap following the May budget.

Labor criticised the coalition for abandoning important measures but Mr Abbott maintained it was important to show his team would tighten their belts in government.

"If households, small business (and) families have got to tighten their belts it's only right and proper that government should be tightening its belt too," he told reporters.

'Out of touch'

Prime Minister Julia Gillard painted Mr Abbott as out of touch because he wanted to scrap community cabinet meetings.

"I'm pretty surprised that Mr Abbott would think talking to Australians is a waste of time," she told reporters.

As a bonus for the coalition, there were growing expectations that interest rates may rise after the Reserve Bank of Australia meets on August 3.

Certainly RBA chief Glenn Stevens made it clear an election wasn't going to stand in the way of a rate rise if that's what was needed to keep the economy in check.

Ms Gillard had a policy announcement of her own on Tuesday, though modest by most standards.

Cadetships announced

She announced $3 million for national trade cadetships, which would enable vocational education and training to be recognised at school and count towards future qualifications.

"This is an important step forward to make it easier for kids who want to go into the trades to actually get a qualification that counts in the world of real work and real skills," Ms Gillard said.

Otherwise her campaign, centred on western Sydney, continued in the tightly-controlled manner that has marked the election so far.

She held a controlled media event at Richmond High School, in the seat of Macquarie, where Liberal supporters were asked to leave the school grounds before she arrived.

Even students were blocked from entering the yard during morning recess, though that didn't stop one wag shouting "Go prime minister! Hell yeah!" during her press conference.

While Mr Abbott was keeping the debate on safe ground, his campaigning is showing a more relaxed style than Labor.

Abbott hits the streets

For a second day in a row, he took to the streets, a venture that always has the potential to throw up the unexpected.

On Tuesday, in the marginal seat of Deakin in Melbourne, he was approached by local psychic Shirley Coventry, who despite her talents, wasn't quite sure whether a new job was part of Mr Abbott's future.

And when Mr Abbott rolled up his sleeves and tied on an apron to lend a hand at the Ringwood fruit and vegetable shop of Hayden and Kim Tran, he didn't realise he was helping a former asylum seeker.

It was a campaign event that had the potential to turn sour if not for the good manners of Mr Tran, who didn't want to raise the asylum seeker issue in front of Mr Abbott.

On Wednesday, the opposition leader will leave himself open to more surprises when he hits the screens on Hey Hey It's Saturday to be a judge on the talent quest Red Faces.

There will be potential pitfalls but Mr Abbott's preparedness to take some risks on the campaign could work in his favour, particularly compared to the extreme risk-minimisation approach being taken by the Labor team.

But all the safeguards in the world won't help either leader when they go head-to-head on Sunday night, in the only debate of the campaign.

 

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