May 21 confirmed for federal election

Australians will go to the polls for a federal election on May 21 following a six-week campaign, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.

The election will be for all 151 electorates of the lower house and 40 seats in the Senate.

Mr Morrison’s office confirmed the timeline today (Sunday, April 10) following a visit to the Governor-General.

The Coalition has been in power since 2013 under prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Mr Morrison.

Anthony Albanese is hoping to steer Labor to power and become Australia’s 31st prime minister for the nation’s 47th parliament.

Mr Morrison flew from Sydney this morning after enjoying a curry dinner with his family in Sydney on Saturday night, while Labor leader Anthony Albanese watched his beloved Rabbitohs beat the Dragons in the NRL.

Mr Morrison is aiming to become the first incumbent prime minister to win two elections in a row since John Howard in 2004.

But Labor has been ahead in the polls consistently since June 2021, currently sitting on a two-party preferred vote of 55 per cent.

The Coalition says Mr Albanese lacks the experience to run the country and has been playing a small-target pre-election campaign so far.

“Anthony Albanese has been curled up in a ball not wanting people to know who he was,” government frontbencher Peter Dutton told the Nine Network.

“Having been in parliament for 20 years and watched governments of both persuasions, I don’t believe the Labor government could have guided us through the last three years in which the coalition has.”

Labor’s Jason Clare says voters are sick of the “lies and incompetence” of a government that has been in power for almost a decade.

“This is an old government. If they win this election they will have been in power for longer than (former Liberal prime minister) John Howard,” Mr Clare said.

Mr Morrison on Saturday released a video in which he points to the natural disasters that have hit the country, the unstable global security environment and the risks facing Australia’s economy.

He says 40,000 Australians are alive because of how his government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, with 700,000 still in jobs because of the response to the economic fallout.

“This is why as we go into this next election, what’s firing me up – we’re actually in a really strong position,” Mr Morrison says.

Mr Morrison set an apologetic but committed tone in an opinion piece written for News Corp papers today.

“Our government is not perfect. But we have been up front. You know what we stand for, you can see our record of delivery, and you can see our plan for the future,” he wrote.

Mr Albanese also released a video yesterday (Saturday, April 9) spruiking his “fully costed plan for a better future”.

He introduces himself to voters and talks about his economics degree from Sydney University and six years as infrastructure minister.

“Growing up with a single mum, I know the value of a dollar, and I know how hard it is to get ahead, ” Mr Albanese says.

Labor also released an attack video, lampooning the prime minister’s video message and declaring: “No more mistakes. No more excuses. No more Morrison”.

Mr Albanese wrote an opinion piece in which he pledged to unite the nation.

“That’s the approach behind Labor’s election campaign – building a better future where no one is left behind and no one is held back,” he wrote.

The Coalition starts the race with 76 seats out of the 151-seat lower house, with Labor on 69 if the new seat of Hawke in Victoria is considered a win.

Forty seats in the upper house are in contention in a half-Senate election.

Both leaders are tipped to start their campaigns in regional parts of the nation where marginal seats are up for grabs or need defending.

There are concerns the campaigns could be derailed by COVID-19 but steps have been taken to minimise the chances of outbreaks.