Why Victorian voters aren't seeing more leader debates

The job of premier is tough and unpredictable.

Whoever has the job oversees a budget worth more than $100 billion and leads a state of more than 7 million people.

They oversee hospitals, schools and police and respond to disasters such as bushfires and floods.

So, it's reasonable to test the mettle of leadership aspirants so the public can see how they perform under pressure.

Traditionally during a campaign, this is done through broadcast public debates.

Last federal election, there were four debates between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, held on ABC, Seven, Nine and Sky (now News24).

In the United States, presidential debates attract tens of millions of viewers — bars have drink specials and people put on watch parties.

We're told by our political leaders that this is the most consequential election the state's history, yet getting Premier Ben Carroll and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson to debate is proving difficult.

Only one is locked in, a town hall debate hosted by the Herald Sun and News24, with One Nation leader Warren Pickering and the Greens leader Ellen Sandell also part of the line up.

Last month, the ABC wrote to the Labor, Liberal, One Nation and Greens parties inviting them to participate in a leaders debate to be broadcast across the ABC's television, radio and digital platforms throughout Victoria.

The questions would be a mix from the studio audience of non-aligned voters and from debate hosts, Raf Epstein and yours truly.

Three parties accepted the invitation, but the Liberals declined the offer and the debate will not go ahead.

A debate between Carroll and Wilson — with a rebuttal from One Nation's Warren Pickering — was proposed by Nine, The Age and Australian Financial Review, but that won't go ahead either, after the premier did not agree to the format.

Despite public posturing, there is a clear reluctance on both sides to appear.

They do not want to slip up, especially Wilson, who is on track to end the Coalition's 12 years in Opposition.

Wilson's main contention throughout the debate about debates is that only her or Carroll will be premier after the election, so the debate should only be head-to-head between the pair.

The counter argument put by Labor is that One Nation is attracting between 20 and 25 per cent of voters and deserve a seat at the table. Others have advocated for the Greens, because it is the third-biggest party currently in the parliament.

Labor is desperate to tie Ms Wilson to One Nation and believes a debate could offer an opportunity to do so. They also believe it might force the Coalition to publicly agree with some One Nation ideas.

Behind the scenes, parties insist that voters aren't interested in debates.

In some cases this may be true. But that is for the audience to decide, or broadcasters to determine if it is a worthy event to produce.

Rather than accepting invitations, parties have all tried to move the goal posts — in other western democracies, independent debates commissions have been established to ensure that events occur.

This campaign, more than any before it, has seen political parties move to social media to spread their message. The result is an ever-more controlled and scripted election.

A more febrile political climate has also made campaigning on the street more problematic for some candidates. Jess Wilson has been warmly embraced at campaign events in the community, Ben Carroll less so.

It's not just leaders debates that are falling by the wayside.

Liberal MPs and candidates say they are being blocked from participating in candidate forums or doing media appearance without head office approval.

And MPs say they're not getting approval.

"It's disappointing we can't put our case. It's a very presidential campaign and we're being kept in the dark,'' one Liberal MP said, noting how the campaign was all about Wilson.

On Tuesday morning, 774 ABC Melbourne's Mornings program was held in Pakenham. One Nation's Warren Pickering, who is running for the seat, spoke at length on air as did Labor's candidate.

But the Liberal Party's candidate did not front up.

A Liberal Party campaign spokesperson said its MPs and candidates were out every day talking to their local communities about issues that mattered to them.

"Engagement comes in many forms and doesn't always have to be through the media or at organised forums,'' they said.

"As with any election campaign, decisions about participation in events and media opportunities are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature of the event, local circumstances and campaign priorities."

The party wants it to be all about Jess Wilson, which is a sound strategy, but the Coalition is also pitching that it wants to restore trust in government.

Labor could be embracing the contest of ideas. Instead much of its campaign has been focused on scare tactics and negativity.

At a time when trust in government is eroding across the western world, politicians of all stripes fronting up to discuss the big ideas that affect the communities that they want to represent could provide the perfect antidote.