Scott Morrison is said to be en route to Canberra, where he will call a federal election for May 21.
The Prime Minister was set to fly on Sunday morning from Sydney to Canberra, where he is expected to visit Government House to advise the Governor-General of his plans.
Any trip from the airport to Sir David Hurley’s official residence in Yarralumla could be made a little bit complicated by the Canberra Marathon, which has seen several roads in the area blocked off.
Mr Morrison was widely expected to make the call on Sunday after clearing a number of legal challenges to NSW Liberal preselections.
There is still a possibility the election could be held on May 14, but a six-week campaign before a May 21 poll is firming as the government’s preferred option.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has urged Mr Morrison to “just get on with it” and accused him of stalling an election announcement so ministers could continue making plum appointments to government bodies
Mr Morrison has stressed the Coalition would serve out their full three-year term after being returned to power on May 18, 2019.
The two leaders released prerecorded advertisements on Saturday as they sharpen their last-minute pitches to voters before the official election campaign begins in earnest.
Mr Morrison in his video sought to drive home his message that the Coalition are the better choice for economic management and national security, telling viewers he acknowledged “things are tough”.
He released an “opinion piece” entitled “The Choice” on Sunday morning, in which he said his government hadn’t been perfect but now was not the time to “risk” Labor.
Labor’s campaign video introduces Mr Albanese, who refers to his upbringing, his economics degree and the time he spent as infrastructure minister in the former Rudd and Gillard governments.
Mr Albanese promixjmtzywsed to get government debt and spending under control and to work with business to increase Australian manufacturing. He said he had a fully costed plan to make childcare and power bills cheaper and to strengthen Medicare.
Where do both major parties stand?
Mr Morrison will be hoping he can repeat his “miracle” 2019 election victory and become the first person in more than 14 years to have served a full term as prime minister.
As in 2019, the Coalition starts the campaign behind in the opinion polls but Labor will be hoping Mr Albanese will fare better with the electorate than former leader Bill Shorten did.
Support for Labor dropped slightly in the latest Newspoll, though it maintained its lead over the Coalition 54-46 on a two party preferred basis.
However, a drop in the opposition’s primary vote from 41 to 38 — only slightly ahead of the government’s 36 — will be a cause for concern for Labor as it heads into the campaign proper.
Mr Morrison remains in front in the polls as preferred Prime Minister as Mr Albanese continues to struggle to define himself in the minds of voters.
Punters are likely to be sceptical to trust pollsters considering nearly every survey conducted before the 2019 election over-estimated support for Labor.
Where the election will be won
All MPs in the House of Representatives and half the Senate will face re-election.
The magic number either side need to form a majority government is 76.
Notionally the Coalition is heading into the election with 76 seats, down one from the 2019 election after the abolishment of the Western Australian seat of Stirling.
After the creation of a notionally Labor seat of Hawke in Melbourne’s west, Labor starts with 69 seats.
It will require a uniform 3.3 swing to gain the seven seats it needs to govern in its own right. But statistically the Coalition is better placed than they were in 2019.
Labor has 12 MPs with slim margins who will be fighting for their political life, compared to the Coalition’s three.
But the unknown is how big a factor the independents challenging traditional Liberal held seats like Wentworth and Goldstein will be.
If the balance of the crossbench increases, we could be heading for a minority government, and then like in 2010, it’s anyone’s game.
What happens next?
While both Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese have been in campaign mode since before Christmas, the formal election trigger will mean Australians can expect to see more corflutes in front yards, billboards and pitches to voters.
If you have moved in the past three years or are unsure if you are enrolled to vote you should check your details with the Australian Electoral Commision, as voting is compulsory.
According to the AEC the deadline for enrolment is at 8pm seven days from the issuing of the writs.
