ABC to host first free-to-air 2025 federal election leaders’ debate

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will go head-to-head live on 16 April.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will participate in a debate on the ABC during the election campaign. Image: ABC News: Emma Machan.

The ABC will host the first free-to-air leaders’ debate of the 2025 federal election campaign with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton going head-to-head live in prime time.

The debate will be held at ABC Parramatta at 8.00pm AEST on Wednesday 16 April and moderated by National Political Lead and Insiders host David Speers.

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Paul Dalgarno is author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020); the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015); and the creative non-fiction book Prudish Nation (2023). He was formerly Deputy Editor of The Conversation and joined ScreenHub as Managing Editor in 2022. X: @pauldalgarno. Insta: @dalgarnowrites