Once Channel Seven had cleared Big Brother Australia, it was time for The Final Showdown. If the third leaders’ debate is destined to remain the final such encounter of the campaign, one of the participants has made his last appearance in the format.
This time Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese kept things civil, more or less, and the word ”shouty” will not appear in any coverage.
But for a campaign that has emphasised the need to improve and fully fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme, there has been a baffling absence. Sign-language interpreters have not participated in the debates.
Was the deaf community consulted on this? And what was the reason for the absence? Surely it can’t be a mistrust of the neutrality of the interpreter.
The debate may not have changed many minds. An amazing 961,000 prepoll votes have already been cast, compared with 378,000 at the same time in 2019.
Mark Sawyer is a journalist with extensive experience in print and digital media in Sydney, Melbourne and rural Australia.