Election

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese. Every election is winnable, by either side, as the 2019 election showed. Labor enters this one in better shape, and with ...

Most of these were Labor premiers, who benefited in opinion polls and at the ballot box for keeping citizens safe. Albanese should subtly encourage perceptions he is from the same mould, being seen with them in judicious quantities, to get some spillover benefits by association. Liberal premiers who replicated the Labor premiers’ approach, and pushed back against Morrison’s pressure to open up early, did well. This is because survival depends on the Coalition picking up enough seats from Labor in NSW to offset expected losses in other states. The prime minister’s central involvement in the chronic Liberal preselection stoush in his home state of NSW has put the government’s re-election at risk. Yet Morrison has stubbornly prioritised preselection protection for his unpopular factional ally Alex Hawke over getting the NSW division of the Liberals election-ready. Providing it’s not bested over the tough weeks of the campaign itself, and barring shock developments before election day, Labor appears to be on track for victory. He has gone from looking like someone from the Annandale Hotel’s front bar to a leader one can easily see living in The Lodge. Albanese needs to maintain this advantage during the campaign. Albanese has also perfected the “reasonable person” image essential to making voters comfortable about installing him there for the next three years. Labor enters this one in better shape, and with better prospects, than last time, says CHRIS WALLACE. This piece is the first in a two-part series. Its companion piece, “How the Coalition can win the 2022 election”, can be found here.

Who is running? The election will be a battle between Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who leads a Coalition government made of the Liberal Party and the ...

Casting an informal vote means it will not be included in the count, and you will not have a say in who governs the country. The AEC is still working through options for voters who catch COVID-19 and are forced to isolate after the cut-off date for postal voting, to ensure they can still cast a ballot on voting day. Workers who are staffing voting booths will be required to be vaccinated, but you do not need to be vaccinated to enter a voting place nor to cast your vote. You can vote early, either in person or by post for a whole range of reasons, including if you will be out of the electorate you are enrolled to vote in on voting day, are further than 8 kilometres from a voting booth, are seriously ill or about to give birth (or caring for someone who is), in hospital or prison, travelling or unable to leave work, or if you are a silent elector. The sausage sizzle — you may know it as a "democracy sausage" — will be back on, but you can probably expect a delay at the voting booth due to the COVID-19 measures that will be in place on voting day, the AEC says. The government enters the election holding 76 of the 150 seats, meaning it will need to keep the same number of seats to form a majority government.

The election on May 21 will inevitably be portrayed in the media as a contest between the personalities of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition ...

But for now, we make a commitment to readers that we will cover the next six weeks without fear or favour and focus on issues like these that really matter to Australia’s future. Morrison says his team has shown its mettle by its management of natural disasters and the pandemic in the past two years. Foreign policy rarely determines Australian elections, but the Coalition has tried to sow doubts about Labor’s policy on China and even claimed the Chinese Communist Party wants Albanese to win. Labor’s clear commitment to establishing a federal integrity commission will help stamp out the worst abuses of taxpayers’ money, but the ALP must show it can deliver on its promises while controlling debt. The Coalition can no longer plausibly claim to be the party of low debt. Australia must plot a path to economic prosperity and social harmony after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The starter gun has been fired on a 41-day election campaign that will take Australians to the polls...

Announcing a May 21 federal poll, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says people are "tired of politics" and Labor leader Anthony Albanese says "we can and must ...

"That is what this election is about, building a better future. That is my plan and Labor's plan." We will fix the National Broadband Network. And we will bring the country together again. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to imagine a better future, and that Labor has the policies and plans to shape that future. "Today, I say to my fellow Australians, this is our time, our time to seize the opportunities that are before us, our time to create a better future where no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. I will restore faith in our political system by getting rid of the waste and warts, and establishing a strong anti-corruption commission. A government that reflects the decency and compassion and courage of the Australian people. She is an independent woman, she will come to some things on the campaign," Albanese says. So far the Prime Minister's wife, Jenny, has been a big part of Scott Morrison's campaign. I would say there is no-one in the Parliament who has closer credentials and more friends in senior members of the business community than myself on either side of politics." I am a working-class lad from my background, I've been shaped by it, I am someone who I believe is very much in touch with mainstream Australia. "And then Anthony Albanese addressed the other issue about his relative obscurity.

The Australian Electoral Commission, the independent body that runs elections, says there are 17 million people enrolled to vote in the 2022 federal election – ...

You must number every box in order of your preference for your vote to be valid. In some countries you may be able to access an overseas voting centre – a list will be posted on the AEC website. Those who test positive or who are close contacts of someone who tests positive between Wednesday and Saturday should contact the AEC to arrange a vote by phone. These must be completed by close of polling on election day and returned to the AEC, which allows 13 days after that for the ballots to arrive. You can find your electorate by entering your address on this page on the AEC website. A list of these will be published on the AEC website.

We are tracking all announcements from Coalition and Labor MPs and candidates throughout the campaign, and which seats and states the party leaders are ...

Announcements from grant programs that involved key decisions on funding from government, such as a minister having final approval, or the government directing the location of projects, were included. Duplicate texts/announcements were identified using the pairwise distances of the embeddings. Media releases and Facebook posts from 1 January 2022 onwards were scraped from all sitting MPs and known candidates. Where the funding source for an announcement (such as grant programs or government funding streams) was made clear, or we were able to determine from public sources, it was added. Here you can see which states they've made the most electorate visits in. Announcements were classed as 'local discretionary funding' or 'significant national, state or multi-electorate funding' depending on a number of factors, including the geographic extent of the project, the area which benefits from the project, the language and framing of the announcement itself by politicians, and who was involved in making the announcement.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made the iconic trip to Government House in Canberra to see the Governor-General...

Doug Dingwall is The Canberra Times' Public Service Editor. He writes about government and federal politics, and edits The Public Sector Informant. He has an interest in integrity and industrial relations. Previously he worked at The Examiner in Launceston, where he won a Tasmanian Human Rights Award in 2016 for his reporting. Doug Dingwall is The Canberra Times' Public Service Editor. He writes about government and federal politics, and edits The Public Sector Informant. He has an interest in integrity and industrial relations.

The contest will pit Prime Minister Scott Morrison against Labor leader Anthony Albanese, with a fierce campaign set to unfold to win over the trust of voters.

The Labor-held seat of Eden-Monaro in southeast NSW is also on a tight 0.8 per cent margin and Cowan in Western Australia is on a 0.9 per cent margin. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to serve a maximum of three-year terms. Those seats with the slimmest margin include the Liberal-held Bass in Tasmania held by 0.4 per cent, the seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s east on 0.5 per cent and Boothby in South Australia on a margin of 1.4 per cent. This means the poll will be the most expensive in history, predicted to come with a price tag of more than $400 million — about $100 million more than in 2019. The winner of the election would need to win more than half of them to be elected to the government without looking to the crossbench. The Labor-held seat of Eden-Monaro in southeast NSW is also on a tight 0.8 per cent margin and Cowan in Western Australia is on a 0.9 per cent margin. The government also holds a bigger buffer against losing office in this election compared to the last contest. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to serve a maximum of three-year terms. Those seats with the slimmest margin include the Liberal-held Bass in Tasmania held by 0.4 per cent, the seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s east on 0.5 per cent and Boothby in South Australia on a margin of 1.4 per cent. This means the poll will be the most expensive in history, predicted to come with a price tag of more than $400 million — about $100 million more than in 2019. The winner of the election would need to win more than half of them to be elected to the government without looking to the crossbench. The government also holds a bigger buffer against losing office in this election compared to the last contest.

Incumbent Macron, far-right leader Le Pen, seen as frontrunners in presidential election.

“It’s interesting to see the repositioning that is required right after the first round, in a matter of hours,” she said. In the overseas territories, where voting is already under way, the participation rate has been low so far. “It’s been a slow start but an exciting finish.” “There you go, one good thing done!” she said. In the 2017 election, Macron won the second round by a landslide. People usually turn out more for the presidential elections.” “Today has been quite busy. “He’s been going after Macron, criticising him all along.” “The coronavirus pandemic, the Yellow Vests protests, the Ukraine war… Julie, a 26-year-old graphic designer, said she is ambivalent about the election. it hasn’t been easy for him.” He’s confident that Macron will win again.

No doubt it gave Scott Morrison a sense of authority by conducting his “guessing game” about the date of the election, but the electorate deserves better.

In the article about Rachel Noble’s organisation (“ Chief spy gained her work experience as a barefoot 10-year-old”, April 9), I was surprised that there was no reference to her predecessors, Australia’s Central Bureau, our secretive and successful codebreakers during World War II. My aunt was a member of a section known as “the Garage Girls”, who worked from the rear of Nyrambla, a house in Brisbane. I attended her funeral in 2018 and her commanding officer during the war, Helen Kenny, was one of the honoured guests. The City of Sydney’s plan to renew Castlereagh Street with trees, cycleways and outdoor dining is noble, but it carries risks (“ Cycleway and outdoor dining: CBD plans revealed”, April 9). Ironically, the city’s closely planted trees elsewhere are now having a similar impact to that of developers’ wrecking balls in the 1960s and ’70s: obliterating heritage streetscapes and vistas from public view for evermore. The article actually highlighted the snobbishness and elitism that many of our wealthy appear to possess due to the type of art they donate their money to. Thank you, Herald, for pointing out the importance of art and art funding, especially in times of bushfires, COVID, floods and war. The biggest failure of the past decade is not Morrison, it is the absence of leadership and vision for the future of Australia by the party he leads. Homelessness and poverty are out of control, as is the cost of living and the price of housing. The grassroots concept that party branches vote, and select their representatives, is the basis of our democracy. What a fascinating insight into the world of philanthropists who donate money to the arts (“ Secrets of giving”, April 9). Most of these people are multimillionaires, with the odd billionaire, who want to support the various cultural institutions that showcase everything from opera to dance to theatre. Peter Hartcher gives Labor a fighting chance in the election (“ Albanese’s chief aide: Morrison”, April 9), primarily based on the view that the Coalition, and Scott Morrison in particular, have “failed” while Labor offered a small target. Despite reports of Scott Morrison’s alleged poor behaviour, the man is a good performer in election mode and has the benefit of incumbency, so expressions of the demise of the government are premature. How mockingly sad it is that the person who’s had the keys to Australia’s treasury for the past couple of years is required to ask the representative of a European monarch for permission to call an election. This would ensure that political leaders would have to face the people on set dates, doing away with any sleight of hand, which is ridiculous in a civilised liberal democracy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's ruling conservative coalition has six weeks to make up ground on the opposition Labor Party, which leads in the polls.

The official start of the campaign happened to coincide with Australia’s first Formula One race in three years. In a 10-minute departing speech on the Senate floor, Fierravanti-Wells called the prime minister an “autocrat [and] a bully who has no moral compass.” As Morrison announced the election date, Albanese was being photographed with puppies and fluffy chicks at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. “It’s not ideological,” Williams said of the party infighting. She also cited claims that Morrison had made “racial comments” about a Lebanese Australian party rival back in 2007, when he first started in politics. The claims are personal: ‘He’s a liar, he’s a hypocrite, he’s a bully, he’s power mad.’ And that is starting to bite.” But the friendly fire has chipped away at that image. And a third minister stepped aside after an allegation that he had been abusive, which he also denied. At the time, Australia was almost completely virus-free, and anger over Morrison’s handling of devastating bush fires in late 2019 and early 2020 had waned somewhat. Another minister eventually resigned after being accused of a decades-old sexual assault, which he denied. The prime minister defied the polls in 2019, however, and has several things going for him. Australia has seen relatively few coronavirus deaths compared with other countries.

Polls opened across France Sunday for the first round of the country's election, where up to 48 million voters will be choosing between 12 candidates, ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

When the counting's done, elections obey the iron laws of arithmetic. Yet, in the lead-up to polling day, psychology also plays its part, writes MARK KENNY.

Of course, the wildcard is the rise of the independents. Yes, if Morrison succeeds in keeping the focus on his ground – the economy and national security – enabling him to retain the seats the Coalition holds in net terms. But that could easily be the extent of damage in the 10-seat central state. In New South Wales, Morrison expects to regain Gilmore via a popular ex-state MP for the area, Andrew Constance. In a best-case scenario, the biggest state would otherwise remain fairly static. The opposition needs to hold what it has and gain seven to govern in its own right. He’ll be hoping that in 2022, his perceived strengths on jobs, economic growth, and national security, will outweigh his low standing personally. As they say in political circles, when a swing is on, it’s on. Labor is optimistically eyeing five seats but if by some strange “miracle” Liberals hang on to all of them, Morrison would be a long way towards retaining government. Hasluck, however, held by the respected Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt, would take a 6% Labor swing to change hands. Yet, in the lead-up to polling day, psychology also plays its part, writes MARK KENNY. This piece is the second in a two-part series. This “build it and they will come” mindset assisted them to beat the odds and ultimately prevail. Expect Albanese to direct the spotlight relentlessly at the prime minister himself.

Follow the latest updates as polls predict a tight first round finish between the president, Emmanuel Macron, and Marine Le Pen, from the far-right National ...

But there will be no certainty about what it all means until the first projections when polls close at 8pm - these are not, by the way, exit polls, but estimations based on actual votes cast in a representative selection of polling stations nationwide. Exactly a month ago, on 10 March, Emmanuel Macron - buoyed by a rally-round-the-flag effect following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - stood at about 30% and Marine Le Pen at about 18%, according to the Guardian’s election tracker. It’s hard to say at this stage who this might benefit. On the other hand, some of the detail in those midday turnout figures could be ringing a few alarm bells in the president’s camp: abstention looks to be higher in the Paris region, which was heavily pro-Macron in the last elections in 2017, whereas turnout in some areas that voted predminantly for Le Pen five years ago seems to be significantly higher. A low turnout is widely believed to be bad news for the far-right leader, because it could be a sign that her supporters, who often fail to show up on voting day in the kind of numbers that the polls predicted, may again be staying away. On average, the latest polls put the two on 26% and 23% respectively, a difference that is equivalent to many polling organisations’ margin of error.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has visited Government House to formally ask Governor-General David Hurley to dissolve parliament. Mr Morrison is seeking the ...

Have you signed up to The Land's free daily newsletter? "The government goes into this election as favourites. With recent seat changes, the Coalition currently has 76 seats and Labor has 69. A uniform swing is far from assured. You always have imperfect information. "You always have setbacks.

As in 2017 and 2002, debate over whether leftwing voters should back centrist, stay home or not vote at all.

A Harris Interactive study examined possible second-round intentions to vote in a runoff between Macron and Le Pen. It found 34% of Mélenchon voters would vote for Macron and 21% Le Pen, but 45% would abstain or spoil their vote. Only 8% of Éric Zemmour voters would support Macron and 84% Le Pen, and only 8% would abstain. A key campaign moment in the next two weeks will be a debate between Macron, 44, and Le Pen, 53, which could sway undecided voters. I don’t want Emmanuel Macron and I don’t want Marine Le Pen. For me they’re the same.” “I think I will not vote in the second round,” he said. Many will be asking themselves whether to select what they consider the least bad option between the centrist Emmanuel Macron or far-right Marine Le Pen, or stay at home and not vote at all.

The parties' election machines have been humming into gear for weeks. Here's the who who's of each operation.

The Coalition, still charged with the running of government and dealing with budget washup, was running a little behind Labor in staffing its CHQ, campaign sources said. The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority saw fit to issue guidance on its website regarding travel during the election period, reminding politicians and staff about the obligations when claiming travel expenses. It also revealed Labor would only distribute transcripts from Albanese and the campaign spokespeople, contrary to its usual practice of supplying journalists with transcripts for shadow ministers and some backbenchers. Most of its team has been in place since the start of April. The opposition has told journalists its CHQ communications unit was “up and running” on 2 April, shifting into election mode as it waited for Morrison to make it official.. Labor’s CHQ unit has already had its first public hiccup after an internal memo on communications rules was obtained by the Coalition and shared with journalists. Labor has a floor in an office block in the heart of Sydney, not far from Hyde Park and the bustling Oxford Street precinct.

President Macron and the far-right leader Le Pen ahead after first round of French presidential vote, projections show.

Who next holds the Elysee Palace will depend on how those who backed Macron and Le Pen’s rivals cast their ballots. He acknowledged disagreements with Le Pen, but said Macron was a worse choice. Huski believes the gap between the estimated votes of Le Pen and Macron makes the former a weaker challenger than she imagined for the second round. “I intend without waiting to sew back up the tears that a torn-apart France suffers,” she told supporters, who chanted: “We will win!” The runoff “will be a choice of civilisation,” Le Pen added on stage in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen have come out on top of France’s first-round presidential election, qualifying for the April 24 runoff, according to initial projections. President Emmanuel Macron and the far-right leader Marine Le Pen progress to second round of French presidential election, projections show.

At the 2019 election, the polls got it seriously wrong. State polls and election results suggest this may have been corrected, but it's by no means certain.

At the March 2021 Western Australian election, Newspoll’s final poll gave Labor a 66-34 lead, but it actually won by a record-breaking 69.7-30.3 margin. At the 2019 election, the final pre-election Newspoll gave Labor a 51.5-48.5 lead, and other polls were similar. Currently, Morrison’s ratings are in the negative double digits and Albanese is near net zero, so personal ratings are lining up better with voting intentions. Polling of state elections since the 2019 federal election has been good. This was not a “shy Tory” effect, when people lie to pollsters, but simply not participating in polls. The polls’ problem in the 2019 election was likely caused by failure to weight to educational attainment. I wrote last May that non-university-educated whites in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia have been moving to the right. In both 1990 (Labor) and 1998 (Coalition), incumbent governments won a majority of seats despite losing the national two-party vote. After the 2019 election, the Australian Polling Council was formed so pollsters disclose basic information, like how they weight their samples. They probably don’t need to win the two-party vote. There have been five national polls conducted since the March 29 budget. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the federal election for May 21.

The results are in from the first round of the French presidential election. Incumbent centrist Emmanuel Macron eked ahead of National Front's Marine Le Pen ...

This time, and with a lower voter turnout, Macron has emerged from the first round further ahead than in 2017. Polling suggests there’s a good chance the second round’s results will be similar to those in 2017; however, the margins this time could be much tighter. This has never happened, however, meaning on April 24 voters will return to the polls for the final contest between Macron and Le Pen.

Australians living in marginal seats can expect a barrage of attention from the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader as the pair kick off the first full day ...

"Well, it has been a tough few years. The ALP is eyeing northern Tasmania, with Mr Albanese travelling to Launceston and expected to campaign in the seats of Bass and Braddon. Australians living in marginal seats can expect a barrage of attention from the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, with Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese kicking off the first full day of the election campaign in seats they're hoping to flip.

When is the enrolment deadline? All Australian citizens who are eligible to vote must be correctly enrolled by 8pm local time on Monday, April 18.

To be eligible to enrol from overseas, you must be: If you would like to add a temporary postal address to your enrolment record, however, you mustupdate your details onlineor contact a member from the AEC office. If you are overseas and intending to return to Australia within six years, you canregister as an overseas electorand general postal voter. If you have moved, you are eligible to enrol at your new address only if you have lived there for at least one month. If you have been temporarily displaced from your enrolled address due to floods or other natural disasters, the option to remain enrolled at that address is available. If you are 16 or 17 years old there is also an option to enrol now in preparation for when you turn 18.

National Seniors Australia says this election announced by the Prime Minister today, will be the most important ever for older Australians.

National Seniors wishes all candidates the best in the election and will be making regular comments and observations throughout the campaign. National Seniors says allowing pensioners to earn more would see them pay more in income tax, handing the government more revenue, while also putting more money in the pockets of pensioners to spend in the economy. "When Scott Morrison called the Royal Commission, he said he wanted to restore faith in the aged care system and Mr Albanese said in his budget reply that Labor will restore integrity and transparency in aged care.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is campaigning on his economic record, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says Australia needs a better future and military ...

The more people get to know Albo the more they like him. Constance – whose own home was threatened in the fires – won national attention during that crisis when he criticised Morrison’s leadership, and subsequently pushed for greater action on climate change. The more people have got to know Scott Morrison over the last four years, the less they’ve trusted him. This is a guy that goes missing when we need him most, never takes responsibility and tries to divide us. He takes responsibility, tries to bring people together around outcomes and solutions, is looking to fix things and not just fight over things. “I give him credit for chutzpah but nothing more, thanks, because we know with the trillion dollars of debt there is not a real legacy to show for it. “My character, I’m happy to stand by every single day,” the PM said. I’m not stabbing someone in the back to become prime minister.” Up to now, Russia had no central war commander on the ground. Whether it’s responding to victims of the floods, or whether it be ordering enough vaccines. Tudge was negotiating with the states over a new national curriculum before he stood down. This morning, Morrison has repeatedly said Tudge will be education minister if the Coalition wins the May 21 election.

France's incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen are heading for an April 24 presidential election runoff, projections show ...

During the next two weeks, he [Mr Macron] will have to pay more attention to what is happening in France, take a diplomatic break," said Adrien Thierry, a 23-year old supporter. To the cheers of supporters chanting, "We will win! We will win!" While Ms Le Pen has ditched past ambitions for a "Frexit" or to haul France out of the eurozone's single currency, she envisages the EU as a mere alliance of sovereign states. "So that France does not fall into hatred of all against all, I solemnly call on you to vote on April 24 against the far-right of Marine Le Pen," said Ms Hidalgo. Ifop pollsters predicted a tight runoff, with 51 per cent for Mr Macron and 49 per cent for Ms Le Pen. The gap is so tight that victory either way is within the margin of error.

Emmanuel Macron wins the first round, but the run-off against his far-right rival may be far closer.

She has built her campaign around the cost-of-living crunch facing much of Europe, promising to cut taxes and waive income tax for under-30s. But in the end, the spring sunshine meant turnout was not as low as feared, at almost 75%. Mr Macron's team is already planning a series of big rallies and major TV appearances. Ifop pollster François Dabi said his company's 51%-49% estimate was the closest they had ever predicted. Later in the evening, Mélenchon activists gathered outside his campaign HQ thinking he might even come second, but it was not to be. The battle for votes now starts in earnest.

Will it be the first re-election of a president in 20 years, or third time lucky for his far-right opponent?

She would remove the right of children born in France to foreign parents to obtain French nationality in their teenage years. In 2018 Le Pen renamed the party the National Rally, seeking to get rid of the martial imagery and broaden its appeal. She has promised to renationalise motorways, scrap the TV licence fee and privatise public service broadcasting. During the Covid pandemic, he turned to state interventionism and vast public spending to protect companies and households, boasting of “nationalising wages”, which the public backed. He has promised to gradually raise the pension age from 62 to 65, an unpopular measure. He says that for the first time in 30 years, France is opening more factories that it is closing.

Labor and the Coalition are set to face off at the ballot box on 21 May with Anthony Albanese having the edge in the polls, but experts say it's too ...

And they need a really strong sense of confidence, I think, in whoever it is that they're investing the votes at that election." But whether you get the kind of scenario where the independents might be willing to keep this government Coalition in power, but to try to affect a change of prime minister. It does make the outcome of the election just that little bit more unpredictable." Because if you've got 25 per cent or 30 per cent of votes still to be counted - and it's close, it's impossible to tell who the winner is on election night," Associate Professor Manning said. This time a lot of the major announcements will have to be made early on." And that's important because, at present, the Labor Party holds just a fifth of the seats in Queensland. And they need a really strong sense of confidence, I think, in whoever it is that they're investing the votes at that election." But whether you get the kind of scenario where the independents might be willing to keep this government Coalition in power, but to try to affect a change of prime minister. It does make the outcome of the election just that little bit more unpredictable." Because if you've got 25 per cent or 30 per cent of votes still to be counted - and it's close, it's impossible to tell who the winner is on election night," Associate Professor Manning said. This time a lot of the major announcements will have to be made early on." And that's important because, at present, the Labor Party holds just a fifth of the seats in Queensland.

The Coalition hopes to offset losses elsewhere with gains in NSW, with several volatile Sydney and regional seats in play.

Hunter, covering the coalmining zone in the Cessnock, Singleton and Muswellbrook local government areas, has been held by Labor since February 1936. Child psychologist Fiona Martin won the seat for the Liberals with a margin of 3.2% in 2019, following Laundy’s retirement. According to the 2016 census, 56.3% of people who live in Reid were born overseas and 55.3% speak a language other than English at home. Since 2016, however, it has been held by Labor, currently on a margin of 0.9%. Since 2019, the electorate has been hit by bushfires and floods, so recovery is likely to be front of mind for voters. Labor has 10 seats in NSW on margins of less than 5%. With the Coalition fearing losses in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria, its fate could rest on how many NSW marginal seats it can nab.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have been out and about on the first full day of a nearly six-week election campaign.

The Fair Work Commission will determine the wage outcome and of course that will be respected by the government and the industry. That's because we've been able to take the deposit that they would otherwise had to have saved for from 20 per cent down to 5 per cent. what we did was we borrowed money at incredibly low rates so we could loan the money to local community housing associations to help them develop affordable accommodation run by local community housing associations. For those unaware, we've launched a new podcast called Australia Votes, the daily show that will keep you across all the developments in the 2022 Australian federal election. But there is a very long race to go. When Tudge "stood aside", it was seen by some of his colleagues as tidy solution. According to the ministerial guidelines, he did nothing wrong. "He stood aside for his own health and family reasons. By Jessica Riga I accept responsibility for it." By Jessica Riga By Jessica Riga

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government could lose the federal election to be held on May 21, according to polls on Monday, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com A separate survey for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Monday predicted the ruling coalition could lose at least 14 seats, including some previously deemed safe in resource-rich Queensland and Western Australia states. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

We examine Anthony Albanese's deliberately pared-back, small-target policies for 2022 federal election campaign.

It would bring down out-of-pocket costs and sharpen workforce incentives for a much wider group of families,” Owain Emslie from the Grattan Institute says. He said Labor would also fund a wage increase for aged care workers and require residential aged care facilities to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Albanese says the fund would put Australia back on a path to “make cars, trains and ships” as part of a manufacturing revival. Promising to “end the climate wars” is another of Albanese’s election pledges, with the policy previously proving to be a vexed one for Labor, particularly in coal seats in New South Wales and Queensland. The centrepiece of Albanese’s budget in reply speech was a pledge to fix the crisis in the aged care sector, with a promise to spend an extra $2.5bn in the sector if elected. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has been targeting Labor in the lead up to the 21 May election for a lack of policy detail, describing the opposition as a “completely blank page”.

Now we know - at last. Australia will head to the polls for the federal election on May 21. Federal elections must be held every three years. Advertisement.

Despite its reputation as a progressive state, Victoria could be decisive in the event of a tight federal election.

She ran as an independent for the federal seat of Corio at the 2013 election but joined the Liberal party in 2018. In nearby Kooyong, treasurer Josh Frydenberg is facing a challenge from Monique Ryan. Labor is running former Victorian Trades Hall Council assistant secretary Carina Garland in the seat. The seat is one of the country’s most diverse – according to the 2016 census data 56.6% of people who live in Chisholm have parents who were born overseas and 50% spoke a language other than English at home. Liu, who was born in Hong Kong, snared Chisholm by just under 1,100 votes at the 2019 election. Indeed, the Coalition holds just 15 of 38 seats in the state.

We're heading to the polls in May! Here's our running guide on Leichhardt candidates and what's been promised for Cairns and Far North Queensland.

“The Greens want to properly tax billionaires to support regional universities, as part of our national plan for free health and education. “We need to train more of our own doctors and incentivise medical careers in regional areas. We value self-reliance, so promote defence procurement that does not restrict the operations of the ADF by increased reliance on any one country.” “The Great Barrier Reef will benefit from new funding for plastic recycling and ship pilots preventing carrier damage. “Labor understands national security is a top priority and we've committed to a defence force posture review to ensure our people and assets are where we need them. Advertorial (paid) features are clearly indicated as part of Tropic Now's commitment to transparency and impartiality. Paid features, as well as advertisements, help keep our small, independent and free-to-read news service running! “Labor has committed to boosting conservation efforts by doubling Indigenous rangers and promising to fund the Reef 2050 program. Leichhardt needs a voice in Canberra, and a fighter who will deliver. We have committed $50m for CQU, and Labor will make TAFE free for Australians that are studying in areas with skills shortages, including right here in FNQ.” A former Centrelink worker and a working mum who’s lived in Cairns for 21 years. A former crocodile hunter and RAAF serviceman and remains involved in cattle grazing.

Anthony Albanese stumbles on the very first day of the election campaign, unable to recall key economic figures while trying to spruik Labor's credentials ...

"I'm not going to pretend to you that I go out each day and I buy a loaf of bread and I buy a litre of milk," Mr Morrison replied at the time. there will be multiple interest rate increases regardless of who is in government. "What I was not going to enter into, is an auction in terms of the Tasmanian unemployment rate and the various rates that are put forward," he said.

FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN: DAY 1 WHERE THE LEADERS CAMPAIGNED * Prime Minister Scott Morrison: Nowra (Gilmore) * Labor...

Morrison's Liberal Party-led coalition is behind in most opinion polls, but many analysts predict a tight result.

The Australian Labor Party has promised to reduce emissions by 43 percent by 2030. “That is not in the national interest. Australia’s population is now one of the most vaccinated in the world. The year ended with devastating wildfires across Australia’s southeast that directly killed 33 people and more than 400 others through smoke. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday advised Governor-General David Hurley as representative of Australia’s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, to set the election date. Morrison’s conservative coalition is seeking a fourth three-year term.

FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN: DAY 1 -- WHERE THE LEADERS ARE CAMPAIGNING * Prime Minister Scott Morrison: campaigning in marginal NSW seat of Gilmore.

-- -- -- -- -- -- WHAT LABOR WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Labor is ready to deliver a better future for all Australians. -- THE LATEST POLLS - The average of major published opinion polls sits at 55.3 per cent to Labor on a two-party preferred basis.