Anthony Albanese has named the date for the federal election and five weeks from now he will know whether the country wants him or Peter Dutton to sit in the prime minister’s chair.
Politically, the two are at each other’s throats – but how do these hopefuls stack up head-to-head?
Full name
Anthony Norman Albanese: No longer the only Australian political leader with an Italian surname, thanks to Queensland premier David Crisafulli and the Northern Territory’s Lia Finocchiaro.
Peter Craig Dutton: If elected, would surprisingly be the first PM to be called Peter. We’ve had six Johns.
Age
Albanese: 62 – probably Australia’s last boomer PM.
Dutton: 54 – very near the average age for newly elected PMs (53).
Appearance
Albanese: 178cm tall (5ft 10in). Propitiously for him, the shorter candidate has won in six of the past 10 Australian elections. Notoriously slimmer than he used to be, but his hair is greyer than when he first took the top job.
Dutton: 185cm (6ft 1in). The bigger man, but still 9cm short of Australia’s tallest prime minister, Gough Whitlam. Would be Australia’s first completely bald PM.
Qualifications
Albanese: First in his family to finish school. Made it into economics at the University of Sydney by two marks, then got his degree without failing a course, according to a 2016 biography.
Dutton: Enrolled in a bachelor of business at Queensland University of Technology but reportedly ended up failing more subjects than he passed. The 19-year-old was too busy running as a Liberal candidate in the 1989 Queensland election. He went to work as a police officer and finished his degree a decade later.
Net worth
Albanese: Famously owns a $4.3m waterfront house on the New South Wales Central Coast plus his $2.5m family home in Sydney, neither of which are negatively geared, he says. Earns over $600,000 a year and has sold three investment properties in the past three years for a combined $4.7m.
Dutton: He’s refused to say – but between his reported $18m in property sales, “astute” share investments and past childcare businesses, the opposition leader and family are undoubtedly sitting on multiple millions. Hardly a surprise given he bought his first home when he was 19. Meanwhile he’s earning a tidy $432,239 salary and could be in for a substantial pay rise.
Fashion statements?
Albanese: Once sported a ratty mullet and an earring and ran around in Dunlop Volleys. Had a wardrobe upgrade while campaigning for the top job and bought new glasses and white sneakers, but can still be spotted dressing dadcore in a band T-shirt.
Dutton: Almost always wearing a button-up shirt (even in front of his dog, apparently). Shares a taste for thousand-dollar Tag Heuer watches with the PM. Not a fan of a colourful wardrobe – a sartorial opinion he imposed on his department staff when he ordered them to stop wearing rainbow clothing for diversity morning teas.
Are they party boys?
Albanese: Joined Labor straight out of high school, started his university’s Labor club, worked for a Labor MP, helped run the party’s NSW branch. He had one full-time job, working at his local Commonwealth Bank branch, but has worked exclusively for the Australian Labor party for the four decades since.
Dutton: Joined the Liberals straight out of high school and hung around the Young Liberals even after his doomed state campaign. Spent almost a decade as a police officer then ran a childcare business before becoming an MP 23 years ago.
Let’s try that again. How hard do they party?
Albanese: Whoops. Well, Albanese has been going to gigs for as long as he’s been mucking about in the Labor party, starting off with AC/DC as a teenager and now taking every chance to score some free tickets as PM. He even moonlit as a DJ before he took the top job (though critics say he was mostly playing 80s rock off his iPhone). He’s had to give up the booze ever since his health kick – apart from New Year’s Eve, when he admits he “went real hard”.
Dutton: He doesn’t strike you as the hard-drinking type, does he? But he says one of his earliest memories of his wife, Kirilly, was when he went up to her on a night out, one vodka Red Bull in hand and another 20 already down the hatch. He’s partial to a bit of Billy Joel but apparently can’t sing, dance or play a ukulele – and once failed to name a single AC/DC song when asked on radio.
How do they keep in shape?
Albanese: After a near-death car crash in 2021, Albanese hit the treadmill and cut back on beer and pasta – tough going for an Italian with a brew named after him. He lost nearly 20kg by the time he became prime minister and has kept healthy by sticking to a seafood diet.
Dutton: Says he starts every day with a gym sesh or a walk but has promised he won’t be spotted campaigning in activewear (unlike Bill Shorten). He also skips breakfast on occasion to fit in the many lunches and dinners he attends – and on the spiritual side, recommends mantra meditation to clear the mind.
Sporting prowess
Albanese: He’s been a Rabbitohs fan since he was born but tennis is easier on his ageing joints, and he’s made good use of The Lodge’s courts (and free tickets to the Australian Open). He’s a fierce defender of his local golf course though he never plays, preferring to walk his dog around the green. John Howard set the standard for cricketing incompetence among PMs, but photos suggest Albanese isn’t exactly Steve Smith either.
Dutton: Keen cricketer as a youngster and still goes to a game on occasion – reportedly with reluctant guests. Backs the Broncos but declined to take on Albanese in parliament’s annual State of Origin match, leaving the field for former Coalition deputy PMs Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce.
Cats or dogs?
Albanese: Dogs, easy. Adores his nine-year-old cavoodle, Toto, to a fault: his advisers kicked her out of the 2022 campaign, worried she made him look too cuddly. Toto has loved the perks of office – free rein to run around The Lodge grounds, flying on the PM’s plane and playing catch with Australian federal police bodyguards. Also, he has declared war on feral cats.
Dutton: Proud owner of a spoodle, Ralph, which may bode well for him since Albanese and Scott Morrison both also have poodle crosses. But he also says Ralph “identifies as human” and sends his kids videos of both cats and dogs on Instagram Reels. Softening his image to chase the cat-lovers’ vote?
Family ties
Albanese: Engaged to Jodie Haydon, women’s officer for the NSW Public Service Association, with a wedding expected in the spring (where Toto will be ring bearer). Has a 24-year-old son from his previous marriage with former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt.
Dutton: Born to a childcare worker and a builder, descended from a colonial politician and some sheep farmers. Married to Kirilly, with whom he’s had two kids, and has a daughter from a previous relationship – all of whom have sworn off politics, so no Dutton dynasty.
