- Albanians want fixed terms of four years
- Changing the term length would require a referendum
Anthony Albanese has repeatedly called for a four-year parliamentary term as he faced questions over the date of the next election.
Mr Albanese was asked by Sunrise host Michael Usher about when he plans to hold the next election on Tuesday morning.
“It will be May 17 or earlier,” the Prime Minister replied.
“We should have a four-year fixed term, like most states and territories, to avoid these games.”
But any change in how long MPs serve in parliament would require a successful referendum.
The next federal elections are scheduled for May, but could take place earlier if the prime minister wants to go to the polls earlier.
Mr Albanese has previously said he wants to serve his full term as prime minister, but he can choose any Saturday between now and May 17.
Referring to early elections, he is already touring electoral battlegrounds in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
It starts in Rockhampton, on Queensland’s central coast, on Tuesday before heading north to Cairns and west to Mount Isa.
Anthony Albanese has called for a four-year parliamentary term after facing questions over the date of the next Sunrise election
Sunrise host Michael Usher confronted Albanians with grim economic realities, including rising energy costs, as new polls show Labor backing Coalition
Pressure on the cost of living will be a key issue during the election, as the pain felt by households will lower the government’s approval ratings.
New polling from Roy Morgan shows that if an election were held now, the Coalition would win with a two-party preference vote of 53 percent over Labour’s 47 percent.
Usher confronted Mr Albanese during the interview on Sunrise with some grim figures about the economy under his government.
“You need about $1 million to afford a house.” Energy prices have risen 14 percent in the last 12 months,” Usher told Albanese.
‘The costs of general insurance have increased by 16 percent. There is no guarantee of an interest rate reduction. Gasoline costs about $2 per liter. Iron ore production is down and the dollar is weak. What are you worried about with the economy?”
Mr Albanese attributed economic challenges to global factors such as inflation, but said the economy was moving in the right direction under Labour.
He also highlighted that the government has achieved two consecutive budget surpluses.
‘We see that real wages are rising, which means that wages have risen faster than inflation over the past four quarters.
Mr Albanese attacked Peter Dutton’s $330 billion nuclear reactor proposal
‘But we understand it and are certainly not complacent about it. That’s why at every opportunity we’ve looked for ways to address the cost of living, to address the pressure on families and at the same time put that downward pressure on inflation.”
But Usher warned Albanians that voters were not convinced.
“You’re going to have to pull quick levers to convince voters that they feel better off, because most people feel like they’re going backwards.”
Albanese said people would have been worse off under the coalition.
He also attacked opposition leader Peter Dutton’s $330 billion bid to set up seven nuclear reactors.
‘Under the Coalition we will go backwards, under Peter Dutton we will cost more.
“The only plan they have put forward is for nuclear reactors that will cost $1,200 per Australian.”