Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced-off with his election rival Peter Dutton in their first debate before the 3 May federal election vote.
Cost of living issues dominated Tuesday night's debate, organised by Sky News Australia and The Daily Telegraph, and the two leaders were also asked about US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Opinion polls have predicted a slim margin between Albanese's Labor Party and Dutton's Liberal-National coalition, and the possibility that either will need to form the next government with independent MPs or minor parties.
Albanese was declared the night's winner by Sky News after a vote by 100 undecided voters, who also provided the night's questions.
When the debate host asked the audience if they were having a tough time with the cost of living, most of the audience members raised their hands, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Dutton described the show of hands as a "very confronting scene" and said his plan to temporarily lower a government tax on fuel would provide immediate relief.
Albanese pointed the finger at tough global economic conditions, saying "the world has thrown a lot of challenges at Australia". But he said he had brought inflation down and wages up, and added that interest rates were starting to fall.
How to respond to Trump's tariffs was the first question of the night, to which Albanese replied that "no country is better prepared" than Australia because of his efforts.
"We'll continue to negotiate with the United States looking for a better deal for Australia because reciprocal tariffs would, of course, be zero, because we don't impose tariffs on US goods," he said.
Dutton pointed to his experience as a senior minister negotiating with the first Trump government, and argued he would be in a better position to get concessions from the White House.
"The prime minister of the day should have the ability and the strength of character to be able to stand up against bullies, against those that would seek to do us harm, to keep our country safe," he said.
