Federal election 2025 LIVE updates: Dutton predicts 2019-style Coalition win; nearly 7 million votes already cast

Peter Dutton spent the past three years, and first three weeks of the election campaign, deriding Anthony Albanese as a “weak” prime minister.

But after a faltering election campaign Dutton’s characterisation of his opponent has flipped from weak to “liar”.

Both sides label their opponents as dishonest, and there’s nothing new to politics in that. But what is significant is Dutton’s perception of Albanese.

Previously Albanese was cast as the passenger prime minister who was too weak to get a phone call from Trump, couldn’t deliver the Voice to parliament and too weak to stand up to China.

But now, as Dutton’s support slips in the polls and expectations of an election loss rise, Dutton is referring to Albanese as the protagonist in the campaign.

That’s why the Coalition leader is instructing voters to ignore the campaign, treat the election as a referendum on the past three years and focus on the time when Albanese was weak.

Faced with the potential for an election defeat tomorrow night, and a threat of being dumped as Liberal leader, Dutton is casting around for blame.