The prime minister has scrapped plans to call an election for April 12, saying his sole focus is on the needs of Australians in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Speculation had been mounting that Anthony Albanese would visit the governor-general on March 9 or March 10 to call the poll.
But with Tropical Cyclone Alfred bearing down on millions of people in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW), he has now put the speculation to bed.
“My focus is certainly not on votes, it’s on people and it’s on Australians at this difficult time, and I won’t be doing anything to distract from that,” he told the ABC’s 7.30pm program on March 7.
“My sole focus is not calling an election, my sole focus is on the needs of Australians, that is my concern.
“I’ve no intention of doing anything that distracts from what we need to do, and what we need to do is to look after each other at this difficult time,” Albanese said.
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“This is not a time for looking at politics,” he said.
Albanese also said the 2025/26 federal budget pencilled in for March 25 would go ahead.
“I have very clearly said for a long period of time … we’d produce a budget on March 25, that certainly is my clear intention, and has been,” he said.
Other Saturdays later in April have been ruled out for an election due to the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.
While the election must be held by May 17, the next most likely date is May 3.
YouGov polling released on March 7 showed the federal government is ahead of the coalition for the first time in eight months on a two-party basis, at 51 percent to 49 percent.
Labor hasn’t been ahead in the pollster’s data since July 2024.
Last week, it was trailing the opposition on 49 percent, versus 51 percent.
The improvement has been linked to Labor’s recent announcement of a multi-billion dollar boost for Medicare and the prime minister’s support for Ukraine.
