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April 25, 2025 13 mins

Paul Bongiorno is one of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who mourned the loss of Pope Francis this week.

As he read tribute after tribute of the impact of the Pope’s life, he noticed what wasn’t on the front page – Peter Dutton’s last-minute policy announcements.

“The Pope is a world figure… and of course, it swamped the world’s media, including here in Australia. So it’s not surprising that the death of this pope would overshadow anything that our leaders were doing in the election campaign. In fact, it would blow the campaign out of the water for a few days.”

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on how the Pope’s death changed the election.

 

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

Photo: AAP / Domenico Stinellis

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Paul, we thought of you when the Pope passed away.
You were once a Catholic priest. What did you make
of his passing and what did it mean to you?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well, I've got to say it meant a lot to me, really,
because this pope, in many ways epitomizes the sort of
Catholic Church that well I was educated in immediately after
the Vatican Council back in the mid to late sixties.
He was inclusive, he was human, and he actually showed

(00:33):
what I believe is the core of not only the
Catholic faith, but of the Christian belief of love and mercy.
So it's no surprise to me that the whole world,
whether they're believers or not, mourn a figure of this sort.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Paul bon Jorne is one of one point two billion
Roman Catholics him on the loss of Pope Francis this week,
and as he read tribute after treatbute of the impact
of the pope, he noticed what wasn't on the front
page Utton's last minute policy announcements.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
The Pope is a world figure. There's absolutely no doubt
about that, and of course it's swamped the world's media,
including here in Australia. So it's not surprising that the
death of this pope would overshadow anything that our leaders
were doing in the election campaign. In fact would blow
the campaign out of the water for a few days.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
From Swarts Media, I'm Daniel James. This is seven AM Today.
Calumnist for the Saturday paper. Paul Bonjorno on how the
Pope's death derailed Dutton and whether he can recover. That's darting,
not the Pope. It's Saturday, April twenty six, Paul. Peter

(01:48):
Dutton had a major policy announcement on Monday which was
lost in the coverage of the Pope's death, but it
was about law and order.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Well, this is Peter Dutton positioning himself not just as
a potential future prime minister, but also remind us he
is a former police officer and also a dad who
knows right now parents they're two biggest concerns a drugs
and keeping children safe.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
What do you make of this move by Dutton.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well, look, this isn't a surprise at all. This is
an area of security, law and order crime.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
So today when now it's a seven hundred and fifty
million dollar package, which is a real game change in
relation to how we can help keep our communities and
our homes and our towns and suburbs safe.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
While it is true certainly at the state level law
and order, for example, played a very big role in
the Queensland state election. I think people are aware that
the federal issues are a bit broader than the law
and order tack that Dutton is taking. The other thing
is I actually thought the launch was a bit hyperbolic,

(02:46):
if I can put it that way. There's a lot
of hyperbole with the one of the Liberal candidates saying
that you know, people are scared to go shopping in Melbourne.
People don't feel safe, and they're on horns, they're businesses
taking public transport, are even at the shop. And I
actually don't think that it's resonating in the federal campaign
anywhere near, say, as strongly as the whole issue of

(03:07):
cost of living.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Peter Dutton managed to break through when he won the
third Leader's debate on Tuesday night. Is he sharpening as
we're getting closer to the finish line.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well, look, I would dispute that he did break through
On Tuesday night. Dutton gave Labor an enormous piece of
ammunition when he confirmed that there would be significant cuts,
but said he had to wait till he got into
government before he could tell where they would be, what
agencies and what department.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
So we will look at government expenditure and as again
we've done in the past as a liberal government, we will.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Look at the budget.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
We'll see where the government's wasting money. I think every
Austrains look at their own budgets now and if they're
having to tighten their belts, so too should the federal
government because if we don't.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
And in my view, in another lapse by Peter Dutton,
he seemed to lose his cool with Alberanisi when Alberanzi
was accusing him of cutting what was it about eighty
billion dollars from the health budget.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
Prior to you come into office. You ripped eighty billion
dollars out of those two items.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Dudn't shot back. You couldn't even lie straight in bed.

Speaker 5 (04:12):
In two thousand and four, minister, You couldn't lie straight
in bed.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Honestly, this is unbelievable.

Speaker 5 (04:17):
It can go to abuse.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
It was I think Albanesi's retort that hit the mark
when he said.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
Look, abuse, that's a sign of desperation.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Frankly, as he's lying.

Speaker 5 (04:28):
That's a sign of desperation. Go to the twenty fourteen
budget papers.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
And Labor strategists tell me that Dunn't has to be
on his guard in these debates against reinforcing the view
that he's nothing more than aggressive or as Malcolm turmul
once called him, a thug. Whereas this lapse, as it were,
plays into this overly aggressive persona.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
As you mentioned before, Paul, one of the key moments
during the leader's debate was when Dutten conceded there would
be significant budget cut but refused to outline where they'd fall.
How is that moment played into Labour's narrative about trust
and transparency.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Well, probably in light of the arguments that the Labor
have been using throughout the campaign. The Coalition campaign headquarters
released a list of the sort of cuts they would make,
and this only reinforces the vulnerability of the Liberals in
claiming that they will make tough decisions and cut labors

(05:28):
in inverted commas wasteful spending. But when you look at
the list, it's quite gobsmacking on a couple of levels.
First of all, it goes counter to what you might
call is liberal holy writ They always attack labor for
wanting to pay for its spending by upping income tax.
Well that's exactly what they're doing here.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
Paul Dunne has announced an increase in defense spending.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
What we announced today is a record investment into defense,
which is going to be a particular benefit here in
Western Australia and South Australia.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Given the chaos out of the United States that has
loomed over this campaign, will it be politically popular?

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, look, the presumption is that Australians, or a majority
of Australians actually support massive defense spending.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
Australia has an important role to play on the global
stage and in our own region. But most importantly, a
good Australian government will always invest into keeping us safe.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Now, there was a study that was written up in
The Conversation this week, a survey done by the War
Studies Research Group at the University of New South Wales,
and it found that only a third of Australians support
increasing defense spending. So, in other words, even though we
have uncertainty, even though we have Donald Trump in the

(06:44):
White House telling us to look after yourselves, only a
third of Australians support a massive defense spending at this
time because it's vying with another thing that Australians do support,
and that is relief so that they can make ends
meet for their families, that they can pay their bills.
He simply hasn't done the homework to build this into

(07:07):
a major election issue at this time.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Coming up after the break, what record pre polling numbers
say about the mood of the electric.

Speaker 6 (07:23):
Hi Ruby Jones. Here seven Am tells stories that need
to be told. Our journalism is founded on trust and independence,
and now we're increasing our coverage. Every Saturday until the election,
will bring you an extra episode to break down the
biggest political moments of the week. If you enjoy seven Am,
the best way you can support us is by making
a contribution at seven am podcast dot com dot au

(07:46):
forward slash support. Thanks for listening and supporting our work.

Speaker 1 (07:52):
Paul headed Anthony Albanezi spend the week well.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
He started the week basically mourning the Pope.

Speaker 5 (07:59):
Today, there of more than a billion people from all nations,
in every walk of life go with Pope Francis to
his rest.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
I mean he was very fast off the mark, noting
the Pope's death, paying a great tribute to him, but
then he suspended for a full day his campaigning.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
I have vast the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
that all flags from the commult Government of Australia will
fly at half mast tamaraw as a sign of respect.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Albanize came back into the fray by going up to
Sydney and debating Peter Dutton on Tuesday night, then campaigned
in Liberal marginal seats in Melbourne, and then he's gone
over to Perth to one of the Liberal's strongest seats
in wa Colli.

Speaker 7 (08:53):
The Prime Minister, Energy Minister and West Australia's Premier Roger
Cook coming to Collie, south of Perth, one of seven
sites where Peter Dutton plans to build nuclear reactors if
he wins the election.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
Albert Easy, We're there, as it were, hang a bright
lantern over the fact that Dutton won't even come here
even though he wants to put a nuclear plant here,
and that nuclear is the least best option for dealing
with the transition to net zero emissions.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Albert Eazy has consistently ruled out doing a deal with
the Greens in the event of a hung Parliament. So
given how likely a minority government still is, what should
voters make of what will happen if Labor doesn't win
out right.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
Look, it was a bit gobsmack Daniel when in the
debate the moderator thought that when albert Is he ruled
out doing a deal with the Greens, that we're going
to go to another election. That's not the fact at all.
In fact, the whole cross bench, including the Greens, except
the fact that you don't have to have a formal
coalition agreement as it were with the minority government. For

(09:59):
a mon minority government to exist, all you have to
do is to guarantee confidence and supply and then tackle
every issue and every bit of legislation on its merits.
And that's the game plan, certainly for Albanisi, and it's
also the game plan for people like Andrew Wilkie, who

(10:20):
as late as Thursday reinforced that he wouldn't be doing
a deal with any minority government like he did with
the Gillard minority government because he said they don't keep
this side of the bargain. So what we would see if,
for example, there is a minority government and there are
no formal coalition agreements like we have on the non

(10:40):
Labour side of politics with the Liberals and the Nationals.
The most likely thing would be that the Governor General
would call the Parliament to convene and for the party
with the biggest number of seats to test on the
floor of the Parliament if it had confidence. That would
probably be the way that we would go forward.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Early polling has been going game busters and the first
day alone, more than half a million people voted, smashing
the previous record in twenty twenty two by one hundreds
and thousands of votes. What do you think it says
about the sentiment in the community that people are making
their minds up well before the campaign is Overpaul.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, it's There are various theories on this, Daniel, and
I've noticed some vox pops that have been done outside
the polling birds and you get the impression that, well,
these voters have had enough, they don't want to hear anymore,
and in fact most of them have made up their minds.
They're saying now that by the time we get to

(11:40):
a Saturday week that over half the electorate that is
about nine million people will have voted.

Speaker 1 (11:46):
There's still another leader's debate that come. Given what we've
seen with early voting, what's the point do you still
think voters haven't made up their mind could be moved
by yet another debate.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
Well, there could be one or two who might be moved,
looking for something to give them a reason to vote
one way or the other. Interestingly, Anthony Alberanizi is the
first prime minister to agree to four of these debates.
We've had as few as one. I think three was
the last best number and people were wondering why Albanizi

(12:17):
was so keen. But it seems that the labor camp
or of a view that the more people see of
Peter Dutton, the worse it is for him. And the
News poll shows, among other polls this week, that Peter
Dutton has gone backwards quite dramatically in his approvals during
the campaign. Minus twenty two is his net approval in

(12:41):
the News poll. One seasoned liberals said to me, that's
change of leader territory. Well, we'll see in over a
week's time whether that change will be forced upon the
Liberals by the voters.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
Well, it's going to be fascinating to see how it
all plays out in the final week. Well, thank you
once again for your time and your insights.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
Thanks mate. Bye.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
Seven Am is a daily show from Schwartz Media and
The Saturday Paper. It's made by Adigus Bastow, Shane Anderson,
Chris dan Gate, Eric Jensen, Ruby Jones, Sarah mcveee, Travis Evans,
zolten Vecchio and me Daniel James. Our theme music is
by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan of Envelope Budio. Thanks
for listening, Catch you on Munday.
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