Australia to hold federal election on May 3, PM Albanese urges people to vote for Labor

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the federal election will be held on May 3 and urged people to vote for the Labor Party. In a post on X, Albanese stated, “On 3 May, vote Labor to keep building Australia’s future.”

Both major parties have been engaged in campaigning for most of the year already. However, Albanese visited Governor-General Samantha Mostyn on Friday to request the election and kick off the official campaign, local media outlet 9 News reported.

Albanese’s call for an election comes just days after the government handed down the federal budget. The announcement also follows opposition leader Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech on Thursday night, which analysts termed an attempt to overshadow.

In his speech on Friday morning, Albanese said, “Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia.” He added, “In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond.” He stressed that the Labor Party is focused on the cost of living, including energy bill relief, childcare support, and Medicare, as reported by 9 News.

Albanese also addressed concerns about disinformation and misinformation around the election campaign, particularly following social media firms’ abandonment of fact-checking and global allegations of election interference. “Anyone who tries that, I say back off,” he stated. “We have an extraordinary capacity to look after our nation.”

The Labor Party currently holds 77 seats in the House of Representatives, while the opposition has 53 seats. Elections in the first two months of the year indicated two-party-preferred swings towards the Coalition, implying that Labor is at risk of becoming the first Australian government to be removed from power after just one term since 1931. However, recent opinion polls suggest the government has performed better in recent weeks than at the start of the year.

In his remarks on Friday morning, Albanese said he intends to lead a “majority government” and serve a full term if re-elected as Australia’s PM, 9 News reported.

Dutton has not yet issued a statement on the election announcement. However, the Liberal Party’s official Instagram page shared an image stating, “It’s on,” with a caption reading, “On May 3rd, you can vote to get Australia back on track.”