Monday 31 / March / 2025
Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday announced there will be a general election on May 3.
The five-week election trail is set to be dominated by cost-of-living pressures, with citizens frustrated by high inflation and high interest rates, as well as a pernicious housing crisis.
"Our government has chosen to face global challenges the Australian way: helping people under cost-of-living while building for the future," Albanese said. "Because of the strength and resilience that our people have shown, Australia is turning the corner. Now on 3 May, you choose the way forward," he added.
Albanese earlier in the morning met the country's Governor-General Sam Mostyn — who represents the head of state, Britain's King Charles — to seek permission to call a general election.
The premier's center-left Labor Party, which is seeking a second three-year term, currently holds 77 of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives, where governments need a majority.
Polls show a large chunk of voters harbor doubts about the incumbent premier.
What issues could dominate the campaign?
The rising cost of living in the country is likely to dominate the election campaign.
Even though the rate of inflation in Australia has eased under Albanese's leadership, the cost of food, fuel and rent remains stubbornly high, causing frustration for many voters.
Albanese has announced a slew of measures aimed at pleasing families and businesses in recent months, including tax cuts.
The prime minister's personal approval ratings are now close to those of Peter Dutton, the leader of the principal opposition Liberal Party.
While both parties have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, they differ in their approaches to meet this goal.
Labor says it wants to rely on renewable energy sources including solar panels and wind turbines to replace coal and gas, but the opposition Liberal Party is in favor of building seven state-funded nuclear power plants.
The opposition also advocates adding new gas-fired power generation to maintain electricity supply until nuclear power arrives.
