Wake me up when it’s over.

If this federal election was a boxing bout it would be Mike Tyson’s fight against Jake Paul late last year - overhyped, mismatched and with an outcome we should have all seen coming.

At least that contest had participants willing to drum up a bit of interest in the whole affair too.

In contrast, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton appear determined to not say or do anything that’s worth talking about as we close in on the May 3 vote.

For Albo, it’s a winning play. The Voice referendum aside, his first term as Prime Minister has been completely forgettable.

It began with an unassailable lead and like a good footy team he’s limited the game plan to the basics, knowing it’s the smart way to secure the win.

The contrast to the unrelenting sh*tshow that was the 2024 US election surely hasn’t helped.

Nothing is ever going to trump what played out in the States over the past 12 months.

Trump got freaking shot. And then arrested. Biden delivered bumbling gaffe after bumbling gaffe until George Clooney said enough is enough. Kamala was a bit of a nothing character but we were hooked by then.

And the predictable drama that plays out in the final weeks of an election campaign - where all involved try to convince the electorate the race is suddenly neck-and-neck - sucked us in further.

It’s happening here in Australia too.

Dutton really has no chance but you won’t hear anyone say it because they’ve all got a vested interest.

Both parties want voters to feel a sense of urgency. The pollsters and pundits don’t want to look stupid if something unexpected happens.

But cast your memory back three years. The 2022 election was an unequivocal disaster for the Liberal Party, which won its lowest share of seats in the House of Representatives since 1946.

Whoever took over from ScoMo was basically going to be a lamb to the slaughter - do the best you can but we’ll try again properly in six years time.

Dutton fell into the job after Josh Frydenberg - ScoMo’s deputy - surprisingly lost his seat.

A poll in The Australian a few weeks after he became the opposition leader showed the mountain to climb - Albo held a historic 59-25 advantage as preferred Prime Minister.

The divisive Voice referendum in October 2023 gave Dutton his first signs of life but it happened too early in the term to really impact this election.

It’s a bit of a distant memory for most and, despite the gap closing a bit, even former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard admitted Dutton had no hope six months ago.

There was a bit of a Trump bump as the result in the US suggested a more conservative view of the world was back in vogue.

But Australia isn’t America and as much as he’d like to be, Dutton can’t be Donald.

He flirts with it at times. Hints to anyone who is anti-immigration or anti-woke he’s the man they should be voting for. But whenever it’s time to really speak honestly on these issues he can’t go full Clive Palmer because he knows it won’t play well.

Remember, about two-thirds of Aussies would have voted for Kamala.

Unfortunately that means the kind of simple, broadly-digestible issues that drag in the disinterested (Men shouldn’t play in women’s sports! Immigrants are eating our dogs!) aren’t on the table in the same way they were in the US.

Instead, cost-of-living and affordable housing have been our bread and butter - and if the recent budget taught us anything it’s that federal governments really can’t do a lot to change your financial situation.

Dutton might be able to do a better job than Albo, but even if it means two cups of coffee a week instead of one - is that really moving the dial?

No, this race was over before it started. So congrats Albo, you’ve bored your way to victory. Let’s see if you can do something interesting in term two - and maybe by some miracle a legitimate contender will emerge from the Liberal Party ranks to make it more of a contest.