Leaks, lies and sabotage: The Coalition’s second-week election meltdown

We analyse the turbulent second week of the 2025 federal election campaign, where the Liberal–National Coalition’s strategy descended into chaos. The week’s headline issue – the Port of Darwin lease to a Chinese company – was rebranded by Peter Dutton as a national security crisis, only to be politically outplayed by Anthony Albanese, exposing the Coalition’s hypocrisy in approving the deal back in 2015. Behind the scenes, internal sabotage from the NSW Liberal division is threatening Dutton’s campaign, allegedly paving the way for Angus Taylor as a post-election leader. Meanwhile, the Coalition’s hasty withdrawal of its work-from-home policy reveals its lack of preparation and voter resonance, while the credibility of Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer was shattered by revelations she owns multi-million-dollar properties despite claiming to be a struggling renter. Internationally, both major parties remain silent on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza – only the Greens and a few independents have called out the massacre of Palestinian aid workers – while Penny Wong and Albanese offer evasive platitudes. On the climate front, Albanese faced criticism for Labor’s approval of new coal and gas expansions, while Dutton made headlines for kicking a football into the head of an Iraqi–Australian cameraman – a moment symbolic of his broader political insensitivity. As polls continue to favour Labor, global instability, Trump-style economic chaos, and Coalition disunity threaten to derail the opposition’s chances.

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Song listing:

1. ‘Good Stuff’, The B-52s.
2. ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, Serge Gainsbourg (French Accent Remix)
3. ‘Familiar’, Agnes Obel.
4. ‘Wild’, Spoon.
5. ‘Bumper’, The Cannanes.
6. ‘Humiliation’, The National.