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Highlights:
- Anthony Albanese said his labour party would focus on increasing wages to combat rising prices.
- Significant issues such as First Nations Policy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have not been yet discussed.
- Scott Morrison said rise in debt is due to Covid-19 pandemic; government had to spend more, and debt share would increase.
The second round of debate in Australia’s election campaign between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition leader Anthony Albanese transpired last weekend. The discussion was fiery and took place in front of Nine Network journalists.
As the country comes closer to the election day, May 21, let’s glance at key takeaways from the Morrison and Albanese debate.
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The debate mostly revolved around essential subjects such as electricity prices, national security, cost of living, age care and the federal integrity commission. It began at 8:45 on Sunday evening, and the format was different from the first debate. This time, there was no audience, and the three interrogators proposed the questions. So, it was precise and direct.
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Key takeaways for markets
The haughty debate touched upon several subjects. Firstly, the most crucial issue was discussed- inflation. Anthony said his labour party would focus on increasing wages to combat rising prices. He further emphasised that wages would rise more than the inflation rate under his party.
The young generation in Australia is suffering under the burden of economic and social insecurities. Thus, Albanese said, his party would provide social housing help and a help-to-buy scheme and Morrison’s would focus on enhancing the job market.
However, other significant issues, such as First Nations Policy, were not discussed in the debate. Neither any importance was given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Additionally, the two candidates were quite coarse at the moderator, Sarah Abo. This has further sparked discussions on the current state of treatment given to women in politics in Australia.
Moving on was the topic of Chinese influence in the region. Both leaders engaged in haughty conversations over China. Lastly, to speak of the current economic conditions and the rise in debt share, Scott Morrison said it's due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government had to spend more. Consequently, the debt share would increase.
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All in all, both parties have different policies to deal with the ongoing and upcoming obstacles in the Australian economy. The country needs a decisive plan to combat inflation, ensure national security, social and economic security for Aussies and other critical matters. The debate didn’t provide clear answers from both leaders; however, it did give a gist as to where the two leaders stand in their policy framework.
