Prime Minister Scott Morrison has visited Government House in Canberra to ask Governor-General David Hurley for an election, which will take place on 21 May, SBS News has learned.
A number of anti-government and Indigenous protesters gathered outside Government House ahead of the prime minister's arrival.
Mr Morrison enjoyed 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.
Mr Morrison on Saturday released a video in which he pointed to the natural disasters that have hit the country, the unstable global security environment and the risks facing Australia's economy.
"You always have setbacks. You always have imperfect information. I mean, things are tough," he said.
Mr Morrison claimed 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 said.
Mr Morrison set an apologetic but committed tone in an opinion piece written for News Corp papers on Sunday.
"Our government is not perfect. But we have been upfront. You know what we stand for, you can see our record of delivery, and you can see our plan for the future," he wrote.
Nine newspapers reported on Sunday Liberal Party federal vice-president Teena McQueen had concerns about the prospects of holding the seats of Higgins in Victoria and North Sydney.
But she told the newspapers "with a couple of lefties gone we can get back to our core philosophy", referring to the moderates Katie Allen and Trent Zimmerman who hold the two seats.
Mr Albanese also released a video on Saturday 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 said.
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."
Speaking on the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday morning, Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles said the election this year was a "huge opportunity" for Australia.
"I think this election comes at a really significant moment in Australian history and I think the election is a huge opportunity for the country," he said.
"The pandemic has really given Australia the biggest opportunity to re-imagine the nation since the end of the Second World War and we stand on the cusp of an opportunity to strengthen Medicare, an opportunity to fix aged care, an opportunity to give rise to affordable child care.
"We have the opportunity to build an economy which actually sees us making things in Australia again, actually turning science into jobs, and generating the kind of secure, well-paid employment which will see wages going again."
But he said he had little confidence in the polls, which currently place Labor firmly ahead, and described winning the election as a "real struggle".
"I feel like we live in a post-poll world and anyone who went through — certainly any Labor person who went through the 2019 election, aside from experiencing PTSD from that, we completely know the polls can get it wrong and I think this will be a real struggle."
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.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has postponed a planned visit to Western Australia for fundraising activities after contracting COVID-19.
Share
