27-04-2025
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton targets Teal seats and remains optimistic about May 3 despite latest polls, as final election countdown begins
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will take off on a tour of Teal-held seats during the final week of the election campaign, as he remains hopeful of securing victory on May 3 despite the latest polls.
Mr Dutton will visit 28 electorates this week in a bid to win over voters, including the independent-held seats of Kooyong and Goldstein in Melbourne as well as Mackellar in Sydney, The Australian reports.
The Liberal leader will also stop by Labor-held seats of Aston, Dunkley and Gorton in Victoria, and Boothby in South Australia.
The Teal seats of Kooyong and Goldstein, held by Dr Monique Ryan and Zoe Daniel respectively, are considered two of the battleground electorates this federal election.
In his latest analysis, Sky News Chief Election Analyst Tom Connell has predicted out of all the Teal seats won at the 2022 election, Goldstein is the most likely to go back to the Liberals.
In the lead up to Australians casting their ballots, Mr Dutton has doubled down on his optimism about the election going in his favour.
"We are in the fight of our lives over the course of the next six days. I have no doubt in my mind that we can win this election," Mr Dutton told a campaign rally in the safe-Labor seat of Hawke on Sunday.
The Opposition Leader spoke about the importance of garnering support from Australians in regional areas.
"There are millions of forgotten Australians... people who are living in outer metropolitan areas, people who are living in regional towns - they are just starting to stir and they understand that their vote is going to count more than ever this election," he said.
"(Let's) get rid of a bad government to vote in great candidates and to install a Coalition government which will get our great country back on track."
Mr Dutton, a former police officer, has also opened up about his "softer side" as the final election countdown begins, saying he hopes voters will be able to see this part of him as a person.
'I am an emotional person,' he told The Daily Telegraph in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
Mr Dutton pointed to crime as a topic in particular which does have an impact on him personally, especially in regards to women and children.
'I actually struggle to read those stories. They are deeply upsetting," he said.
'So yes, there's a different side (of me) that people get a glimpse of on occasion.'
Recent polling has shown Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holding a steady lead over Mr Dutton, retaining a two-party preferred edge over the Coalition 52 to 48.
The Newspoll, published for The Australian last week, mirrored the pre-election numbers that preceded Labor's 2022 victory.
However, Liberal insiders have been buoyed by internal numbers showing gains in traditional Labor heartlands, such as Whitlam, where Labor holds an eight per cent margin.
