Australian PM Albanese calls election for May 3

Anthony Albanese is expected to call a general election shortly. Photo / Getty Images

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a general election for May 3.
• Albanese’s Labor Government is neck-and-neck with the conservative opposition led by Peter Dutton.
• Economic concerns, housing costs, and inflation are expected to dominate the election campaign.

Australia will hold a general election on May 3, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today, locking in a showdown over climate promises, nuclear power and a runaway housing market.

Albanese’s left-leaning Labor Government is nearing the end of its three-year term and must hold an election by May 17 at the latest.

Recent polls show the Government is neck-and-neck with its conservative rivals, who were turfed out in 2022 after almost a decade in power.

As speculation mounted on Thursday, Albanese said he was preparing to call the election “soon”.

“It will be called pretty imminently,” he told a local radio station.

Multiple media outlets – including national broadcaster ABC – reported Albanese would announce the official start of campaigning on Friday, setting an election date of May 3, which was confirmed this morning.

The 62-year-old’s Government released its annual Budget earlier this week, courting votes with surprise tax cuts and a raft of other sweeteners.

Conservative leader Peter Dutton, 54, has pilloried Albanese, accusing him of “weak” leadership and stoking inflation through government largesse.

Dutton’s signature policy is a US$200 billion ($348b) scheme to construct seven industrial-scale nuclear reactors, putting the brakes on the growth of renewable energy.

Polling shows economic concerns and the high cost of housing will dominate the contest.

Although inflation has eased under Albanese – from 7.8% in 2022 to 2.4% in December – many households are still struggling with high food, fuel, and power prices.

Major cities Sydney and Melbourne now rank among the 10 least-affordable housing markets in the world, according to the annual Demographia affordability index.

- Agence France-Presse