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5 days ago28 Mar 5:56pmThanks for joining us. Here's what happened on day one of the campaign
We're about to close our live coverage for today. Here's a recap of the key events of the campaign so far and what you need to know ahead of the election:
— Jessica Bahr
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has officially announced that
- He described the election as "a choice between Labor's plan to keep building, or Peter Dutton's promise to cut".
- Labor go into the election with 77 of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives. The Opposition has 53 and crossbench MPs 19.
- Early polling indicates it's neck and neck between the two major parties.
- Opposition leader Peter Dutton delivered his first speech of the campaign from Brisbane. He said the Coalition had an "achievable plan" to get the country "back on track".
- Greens Leader Adam Bandt is embracing the prospect of a minority government, saying
- Now that the election has been called, the government has entered caretaker mode. This means it must avoid entering into major contracts, making significant appointments, or making major policy decisions.
- All Australian citizens aged 18 and older must enrol to vote and Early voting will open from 22 April.
— Jessica Bahr