Cost of Living and Medicare Dominate First Day of Australian Election Campaign

Power Bills and Medicare Take Center Stage in Australian Election Campaign

The first full day of Australia's federal election campaign saw both major parties focusing on the cost of living, with energy prices and healthcare taking center stage.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton declared that power bills would be cheaper under a Coalition government, but declined to specify by how much. He pledged that his gas reservation plan would bring down energy prices by the end of the year, but refused to put a dollar figure on the promised reduction.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, focused on healthcare, warning that Medicare would be under threat from a Coalition government. He brandished a Medicare card as a prop and declared, "at this election, this little card here, your Medicare card, is what is at stake."

Health Minister Mark Butler furthered the attack, declaring that the Coalition leader would institute "American health care where every single person pays to see the doctor."

Mr. Dutton has repeatedly said he would not cut Medicare if elected and has vowed to match many of Labor's healthcare policies.

The cost of living is set to dominate the five-week election campaign, with both Labor and the Coalition recognizing that it is front of mind for voters.

Mr. Albanese declared he was "out to win seats" when asked why he decided to hold his first campaign event in the electorate of Dickson, which the Coalition leader holds by a thin margin.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dutton painted himself as the underdog when he bumped into journalists travelling with the Labor leader on the streets of Brisbane. He said there had not been a change of a first-term government since 1931, so "of course we are the underdog.