LIVE: Election 2025 – Peter Dutton’s father is rushed to hospital just hours before he is due to face off against Anthony Albanese in the Sky News leaders’ debate
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are about to face-off in the first leaders’ debate of the 2025 Federal Election.
The Sky News/Daily Telegraph People’s Forum, broadcast from the key election battleground of Western Sydney, will begin at 7.30pm (AEST).
The Prime Minister will be seeking to press his advantage in the polls and avoid any major slip-ups, while Mr Dutton is under pressure to reassert his faltering campaign.
Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live campaign coverage.
Breaking:Dutton’s father rushed to hospital
Peter Dutton’s father Bruce has reportedly been rushed to hospital.
Ben English, editor of The Daily Telegraph, revealed the news less than 40 minutes before the debate was due to begin on Sky News
The paper is reporting that his father has been taken to a hospital in Queensland following a ‘medical emergency’.
Albo warms up as audience files in
The Prime Minister was spotted getting the lie of the land ahead of the debate.
Anthony Albanese was filmed on Sky News being shown the two podiums on the low stage and the where the crowd would be sitting (pictured, below) as members of the audience took their seats.
The audience is made up of 100 undecided voters selected by an independent polling agency.
They will vote later tonight on who they think has won.
Teal ‘runs scared’ from her own debate
All eyes will be on Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton tonight when they face off tonight in the must-win leaders’ debate kicking off at 7.30pm.
But another debate that was slated to take place between two fierce political rivals will not go ahead.
Teal MP Allegra Spender, who represents the well-heeled residents of Wentworth in Sydney’s east, had enthusiastically agreed to a debate with her Liberal rival Ro Knox on Sky News.
‘On March the 5th, the independent member for Wentworth Allegra Spender did agree to a Sky News debate against her Liberal contender Ro Knox,’ ’ Sky News host Laura Jayes revealed on Tuesday.
‘But Allegra Spender now says she is not going to participate in that debate.’
Members of the Liberal camp have accused Ms Spender of ‘running scared’.
But a spokesperson for the Teal MP insisted she will ‘appear in at least six more campaign forum debates during the current election campaign’.
‘Allegra Spender is declining the proposed Sky debate because she no faith in the editorial standards of Sky News,’ the spokesperson added.
Senator James Paterson, the Coalition campaign spokesman, said Ms Spender’s decision was ‘classic when it comes to the Teals’.
‘They talk about transparency but they don’t live transparency, transparency is something that other people should do but they don’t have to do,’ he told Sky News Peta Credlin.
There is certainly no love lost between Ms Spedner and Ms Knox – and a debate between the pair would have been an opportunity to crack out the popcorn.
You can read more about their fractious history below:
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LIVE: Election 2025 – Peter Dutton’s father is rushed to hospital just hours before he is due to face off against Anthony Albanese in the Sky News leaders’ debate
