Australia Must Choose: Unity or Dutton’s Darkness

On the eve of what is fair to describe the most important federal election Australia has ever faced – Australians tomorrow have a clear choice between ‘either condemning Australia forever or giving it a chance to prosper in times of uncertainty.

The choice has never been starker or the stakes higher. May 3 for Australia is the battle between ‘good and evil’. This federal election presents a fork-in-the-road moment that will define the kind of country Australia want to be—not just for the next three years, but for generations to come. Will it choose to remain a compassionate, fair, and democratic society under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese? Or will it risk tumbling into an era of fear, division, and authoritarianism under Peter Dutton?

The choice is definitively clear, and the consequences enormous.

Just this week, Gabriel Shipton, the brother of Julian Assange, shared a message that speaks volumes about the integrity and courage of Prime Minister Albanese and why, his advocacy for Assange’s freedom, highlights why Albanese is the type of PM Australia needs.

Albanese fought for Assange’s freedom and release, Dutton would have continued to sell Assange out, and allowed the American’s to do as they please – with the inevitably of his executedion. That’s not the type of leadership Australia deserves and that’s what Dutton is offering – abandonment, subservience, hatred and a hatred for anyone that isn’t white.

Assange, now finally home after years of political imprisonment, made clear that no politician—not even the late Pope—did more to secure his freedom than Anthony Albanese. While six prime ministers before him came and went without lifting a finger, Albanese stood firm. Even when he was in opposition, he promised to act. And when elected, he delivered.

Albanese didn't grandstand. He didn't seek credit. Instead, he quietly and consistently raised Assange’s case with President Biden, empowering diplomats like Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith to act with strength and clarity. "The Australian Prime Minister and the Australian people want him free" became a powerful line that cut through the noise. That wasn’t just political courage—it was moral leadership.

This is the kind of leadership Australia desperately needs.

Dutton has time and again shown contempt for multicultural Australia, who vilifies vulnerable people for political gain, and who stokes division under the guise of “security.” He’s not just another conservative politician—he represents a dangerous ideological shift that mirrors the worst excesses of Trump-era politics.

Dutton wants to remake Australia in the image of a militarised, paranoid, and punitive state. He has openly campaigned to criminalise protest, demonise migrants, and attack the rights of Indigenous Australians. His policies signal a retreat from our values of equality, inclusion, and fairness. He would sacrifice the public broadcaster, suppress dissent, and continue to give more power to unaccountable private interests—including the Zionist lobby, which has gained disproportionate influence over US politics and is poised to do the same here.

The risk isn’t theoretical. Under Dutton’s leadership, Australia could become a nation where civil liberties are hollowed out, where freedom of speech is only protected for those who agree with the government, and where racism and xenophobia are mainstreamed for electoral gain. We will no longer be the “fair go” country—we will be the cautionary tale.

The contrast with Albanese could not be clearer.

Love or hate Anthony Albanese,has shown he’s a Prime Minister who listens. Who governs with empathy. Who believes in public health, education, fair wages, and climate action. He doesn’t always get everything right, but he believes in building a country where nobody is left behind. From standing up to the US on Assange’s behalf, to pushing for diplomatic solutions in Asia, to offering real support for struggling families, he has proven himself capable of walking the fine line between principle and pragmatism.

While Dutton sows fear, Albanese offers hope.

The tragedy is that too many Australians are being gaslit into believing there’s no real difference between the two. That’s not just false—it’s dangerous. Albanese is not perfect, but he is grounded in Australia’s democratic traditions and values. Dutton, by contrast, is prepared to drag us into an era of suspicion and repression from which we may never return.

The world is already shifting in frightening ways. In the U.S., Donald Trump is once again the President, and already cracking down on dissent, rolling back protections, and handing power to the ultra-wealthy and warmongering elite. We’ve seen what happens when nationalism, racism, and authoritarianism are allowed to thrive unchecked. We’ve seen what happens when governments no longer feel the need to listen to their people.

Does Australia really want that type of future?

May 3 is not just an election. It’s a test of Australia’s national character. Will it accept Dutton’s vision of Australia—a place of surveillance, silencing, and suspicion? Or will it re-commit to the values that have always made it worth fighting for—democracy, fairness, compassion, and unity?

Julian Assange’s freedom was hard-won, not just by Albanese, but by thousands of Australians who refused to give up. Australia must carry that same spirit into the ballot box. Because this election isn’t just about politics—it’s about who it is, and who it wants to become.

Australians should look to choose Hope, Compassion and a future that’s worth living in. Julian Assange can attest to that.