BREAKING NEWS Peter Dutton gets a reality check as Nat Barr hits him with a blunt question: 'Does some of that hurt?'
Sunrise host Natalie Barr has confronted Liberal leader Peter Dutton over new polling that shows 45 per cent of voters are not voting the Coalition because of his personality.
Mr Dutton accused the Labor government of running a scare campaign that falsely claimed he would cut Medicare and that his nuclear power plan would cost $600b.
'If you throw mud in the game and put $20million behind it, then it has an impact,' he said. In relation to the nuclear figure it's a complete fabrication.
'I am a truthful, Independence person I have always said during the course of this campaign and the course of my career that I will stand up for what I beleive in.
'Sometimes you can make some people unhappy, but I truly believe that crime and law and order is a serious issue and I want to do more to keep our country safe and help families who are really struggling at the moment.
He pointed to a proposed 25-cent-per-litre fuel tax cut and a $1,200 tax return as key Coalition policies aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures.
'That is what the election will be contested on, not the personalities and mud being thrown by Labor,' Mr Dutton said.
But Barr disagreed.
'It sounds like it will be contested on personality when you have nearly half the electorate in these surveys saying it is your personalities. Does some of that hurt?'
Dutton remained defiant, pointing out that polling ahead of the 2019 election had predicted a Labor victory - but it was ultimately won by Scott Morrison and the Liberals.
'Australians are hurting. That is the reality. People are going backwards and we've what a household recession for nearly two years for families.
'The question is how can we help people and are people better off after three years of this governmnent. I don't believe they are.'
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