Albanese to call election today for five-week campaign fought on cost of living

9News Political Editor Charles Croucher last night revealed the prime minister plans to visit the governor-general today to request a May 3 election.

“I understand the prime minister will go visit the governor-general … and ask her to call an election for May 3,” Croucher said on 9News.

“It will be a five-week campaign with breaks for Easter and Anzac Day, and an election fought primarily on the cost of living and two different directions for our country.”

Croucher’s confirmation came after much speculation yesterday that Albanese was ready to fire the starting gun on an election campaign, seeking to capitalise on $17 billion in tax cuts announcement in Tuesday’s federal budget and rushed through parliament this week.

The Coalition has pledged to repeal those cuts should it win the vote in May.

“A Coalition government will halve the fuel excise for 12 months, and then we’ll review it, and we’ll make sure that comes in on the first day that our parliament sits,” he said in his budget reply speech last night.

Dutton also announced an east coast gas reservation scheme as part of a national gas plan, hoping to bridge the energy gap between now and when the Coalition’s nuclear power is scheduled to be built.

The opposition leader also promised new incentives for apprentices and trainees.

Speculation that the election was about to be called ramped up suddenly yesterday when the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet posted on social media that the government was “now” in caretaker mode, which happens when parliament is dissolved following an election being called.

The post was deleted just a few minutes later, with department secretary Glyn Davis grilled about it at Senate estimates and admitting it was “clearly an error”.

“I will just say obviously this is an error and we apologise for that – it was up for a period of four minutes – I became aware of it approximately nine minutes ago, and my corporate colleagues are addressing how this occurred,” Davis said.

“I can assure you we are not in caretaker.

“This is clearly an error, we are trying to find out why it occurred and we apologise.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong joked “does that mean I can leave?” and said she was interested to learn who “fesses up” to the post.

The timing for calling an election will draw attention away from Dutton’s budget reply speech.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has already said Labor would not match Dutton’s fuel excise pledge.