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An election campaign isn’t just about the seat-by-seat results, it’s also about playing the mother of all mind games, writes Joe Hildebrand.
View in browser 30th March 2025
 

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Joe Hildebrand
Federal election correspondent

It is said that in Australian politics there is no such thing as a safe seat anymore, but even so Chris Bowen must have been rubbing his eyes in disbelief when Peter Dutton dropped by his western Sydney electorate this morning.

Bowen holds the seat of McMahon by more than 10 per cent and it’s hardly on the Liberal hit list, so why did the Opposition Leader pop into a brickmakers to unveil candidate Carmen Lazar?

I’m glad you asked!

READ MORE: Shock new poll reveals who will lose key seats

imageCartoonist Brett Lethbridge suggests this election campaign isn't going to be pretty.

An election campaign isn’t just about the seat-by-seat results on polling day, it’s also about playing the mother of all mind games.

As Climate Change and Energy Minister, Bowen is a favourite punching bag for the Coalition and of course energy prices are a white-hot election issue. 

So applying the blowtorch to Bowen in his own backyard is a ploy to put him under as much pressure as possible and keep his name in the spotlight.

CLICK HERE FOR JOE HILDEBRAND'S FULL ANALYSIS

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Malcolm Turnbill II, the show stopping cocky on Albo’s tail

Anthony Albanese’s election campaign was upstaged by the cameo appearance of an elderly cockatoo named Malcolm Turnbill II. The chatty bird was more than 50-years-old and greeted the press pack with “hello”, at a press appearance in the electorate of Canberra. The bird belonged to the family of Ren Knerr, a single mother who lives with her elderly mum Filomena as well as her two kids Hawkins, 2, and 11-year-ole Teilo. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

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