Anthony Albanese’s campaign began with ruthless efficiency.

Barely an hour before Peter Dutton rose to speak in parliament on Thursday night, the PM’s office quietly let it be known that he’d be off to Yarralumla first thing the next morning. As soon as the news broke that the election would be called the next day, subtly, imperceptibly, and yet quite definitely, the spotlight shifted from the Opposition leader.

Who cared about the budget reply? Action always beats talk in the news business and Dutton had been outmaneuvered.

First blood to Labor. Labor’s tight-knit team was swinging into action.

By Friday afternoon both leaders were in Brisbane where Albanese continued to disorient the opposition by beginning his campaign in Dutton’s own seat of Dickson. It’s not likely to fall, but what audacity!

Labor’s candidate there, Ali France is well-known, having stood for the seat twice before.

She polled extraordinarily well in 2019 (winning 48.4% of the vote). Even though her share dropped back to 45.3% in 2022, France is exactly the sort of person Albanese needs around him if he wants to look like a winner. She’s personable and committed. She possesses a strong back-story. She’s also someone who performs brilliantly on television.

Oh, and by-the-way, she’s also a person with disability.

France is a remarkable person with a well-known back-story, which we’ll be covering in more detail later in the campaign. It’s difficult, though, to imagine anybody who could have burnished Albanese’s credentials more solidly.

By charging in on day one to make a surprise assault on Dutton’s home territory, Albanese took the initiative. This is not going to be a conventional campaign. He’s trying to play with Dutton’s mind.

The Opposition leader was surprised - he even appeared slightly disorientated. Labor’s profiled his personality extensively and the party understands Dutton’s not quick when dealing with surprises. He likes to be in control and now he’d been caught off-guard.

By Sunday, however, he was back on the road; visiting factories, promising cheaper petrol and lower gas prices. It was a message directly targeting (male) voters in the outer suburbs of the capital cities.

He didn’t even bother with a handout for electric car drivers: perhaps he’d already written them off as teal voters.

Perhaps they are, but ignoring early tech adopters isn’t any way of forging an alliance of people from across the spectrum of politics. And that’s normally the way government is formed, particularly when voting is compulsory. It’s a tin-eared way to begin the campaign.

Dutton’s other emerging problem is that although his policies may be popular in some of the electorates he needs to win, they’re causing grief elsewhere. He abruptly floated the idea of holding three referendums before dismissing it the next day. This sort of thing smacks of unrestrained populism rather than carefully thought-out policy. His gas plan hasn’t been endorsed by industry and he hasn’t presented the modeling he claims it’s based on. This is surprising, particularly for a policy centrepiece.

It also hints at disorganisation within the campaign team.

It’s tempting to say it’s been a glitchy start for Dutton. It’s certainly not the sort he would have hoped for. But there are still five weeks to go.

In politics, that is a very long time.

Every day during the election campaign abilityNEWS will be seeking to bring you specific insight into its progress. We will be covering both politics and disability issues using the format of a sketch - not aiming for definitive coverage but hoping to offer a glimpse of a moment in time.