Sydney, Australia: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that he will call the national election “imminently” as the May 17 deadline for electing a new parliament approaches.
Albanese is set to visit Governor-General Sam Mostyn in Canberra on Friday, the 28th of March, to formally call the election.
The governor-general, who represents King Charles as Australia’s head of state, must authorize the dissolution of parliament before a general election can be declared. The vote is expected to take place on May 3, though Albanese’s office has not confirmed this date.
Ahead of the election, Albanese’s Labor Party has introduced several measures aimed at addressing voter concerns, particularly the rising cost of living.
The government recently unveiled two new rounds of tax cuts in the federal budget, totaling 17.1 billion Australian dollars ($10.7 billion).
Under this plan, an average-income earner would receive a 268-Australian-dollar ($170) tax cut in the fiscal year ending June 2027, increasing to 536 Australian dollars ($338) the following year.
However, these reductions are more modest than the 1,654-Australian-dollar ($1,044) tax relief granted in the current fiscal year.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton of the Liberal-National coalition has made his pre-election pledges, promising to halve the fuel excise tax to provide “real, immediate relief” to Australians.
According to Dutton, this measure could save families with a single car up to 750 Australian dollars ($473) per year. He vowed that the tax cut would take effect on his first day in office if elected and remain in place for 12 months.
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