Australia To Hold General Elections On May 3; PM Albanese’s Party Set For Close Fight

<p>Australia will hold its general elections on May 3 where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour Party is set to have a close contest against Liberal Party’s Peter Dutton.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Albanese announced the election date on Friday after visiting the Governor General in the capital Canberra, reported BBC.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Opinion polls have predicted a coaltion government in the continent-country as both the major parties could have a slim margin. Either of the parties would possibly have to work with independent MPs or minor parties – which combined won a record share of the total vote in the previous elections in 2022 – to form the next government.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Politics in Australia has traditionally been dominated by Labour and the Liberal-National coalition. A party needs to win at least &nbsp;76 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives – where the prime minister sits – to form a majority government.</p>
<p>Albanese is one of the longest-serving politicians in the country who took power in 2022 after a long period of political instability in which the country changed leaders six times in only eight years.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Cost Of Living Issue To Dominate Polls&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Issue of cost of living, including affordability of housing and groceries and access to healthcare will dominate the polls this time, as per the BBC report.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Concerns over managing record immigration and reducing crime has also increased significantly. Climate change, feature of the last election, is going to be important for many Australians this time too.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Addressing a press conference on Friday morning, Albanese reiterated his pledge the address the cost of living saying electing his rival Peter Dutton would be a step backwards for the country. He has already unveiled plans to provide more free doctor visits and deliver small tax cuts.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Meanwhile, Dutton has argued the Albanese government has failed &nbsp;to improve the lives of Australians, and it is his party that has the solutions. He is expected to speak later in the day.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The opposition leader has promised to “get Australia back on track and improve the economy by reducing fuel prices, slimming down the public service and improving Australia’s energy security.&nbsp;</p>