Anthony Albanese speaking at a podium during a press conference at Parliament House

Anthony Albanese officially announced the 2025 federal election will be held on 3 May. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

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Anthony Albanese calls the 2025 federal election — as it happened

Peter Dutton's choice of location for this first speech of the federal election campaign sends voters a message.

Anthony Albanese officially announced the 2025 federal election will be held on 3 May. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Published 28 March 2025 6:30am

Updated 28 March 2025 5:57pm

Source: SBS News

Thanks 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:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has officially announced that
the 2025 federal election will be held on Saturday, 3 May.
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".

True or false? Five fact-checked claims as Dutton, Albanese and Bandt hit campaign trail

Greens Leader Adam Bandt is embracing the prospect of a minority government, saying
the major parties' offerings were "about as attractive as a dead fish."
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
update their details before the electoral role closes on Monday, 7 April.
Early voting will open from 22 April.

Thank you for joining our live blog. We'll be back tomorrow.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 5:24pm

Peter Dutton's media pack is not travelling today

While Anthony Albanese's media pack has arrived in Brisbane, those travelling with Peter Dutton are not travelling today.

It is believed the contingent will depart from Canberra over the weekend. Their first stop has not yet been confirmed.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 5:12pm

Peter Dutton 'incredibly divisive', Linda Burney says

Former Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney is speaking to the ABC this afternoon.

She said she believes this will be a "hard election for everybody", but Labor "deserves the win".

"I see Anthony Albanese as a person that leads for everyone and I see Peter Dutton someone that is incredibly divisive and I think the public sees that as well," she said.

A woman with purple glasses and a printed-pattern top is speaking.

Linda Burney will retire from federal politics at the 2025 election. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

Burney also spoke about Dutton's campaign against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum and said he had "walked away from decades of bipartisanship in Aboriginal affairs".

"I think that is unforgivable."

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 4:57pm

Albanese media pack arrives in Brisbane

A plane carrying media trailing Anthony Albanese has touched down in Brisbane ahead of a weekend of campaigning.

Brisbane is home to a number of marginal seats, including Peter Dutton's seat, Dickson. Our reporter Ewa Staszewska visited the electorate and spoke to the women running against him.

Peter Dutton's seat is the most marginal in Queensland. Meet the women taking him on

In the 2022 election, Brisbane was also home to a 'Green-slide', with the party picking up three seats.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 4:29pm

Can you vote by phone?

Telephone voting is available for Australians who are blind or have low vision.

Registration opens from Tuesday 22 April and the service operates from 8.30am to 5.30pm (AET) Monday to Friday for the 10 business days leading up to the election. On 3 May, it will be operating from 8am to 6pm.

To register, call 800 913 993 if you are in Australia or +61 2 6271 4611 if overseas.

The AEC is also working with Vision Australia to develop and distribute accessible election information materials.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 3:53pm

The deadlines to know before election day

There are five weeks until Australians head to the polls, but now is the time to make sure your enrolment is up to date.

Australians have seven days to enrol to vote after writs are issued on Monday.

This means the electoral roll closes at 8pm AET on Monday 7 April.

Key deadlines Australians need to know as election day approaches

Anyone who needs to update their address must also do so by this date.

You can go to

aec.gov.au

or call 13 23 26 to enrol or check your details.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 1:56pm

How to vote if you're away on election day

If you are not able to head to a polling place in your electorate — for example, if you are travelling or working — on 3 May, you still need to vote.

Early voting centres will open across the country progressively from Tuesday, 22 April. Locations and addresses will become available closer to the early voting period.

You may also be eligible to apply for a postal vote, which means your ballot papers will be sent to you in the mail. You can apply for a postal vote now

via the AEC.

There are a number of options for early voting ahead of the federal election. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

If you are not going to be in Australia in the lead-up to the election, you may be able to vote in overseas voting centres, which are usually in Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates. You can find out more about overseas voting centres

here.

The AEC also offers mobile voting in some locations to cater for people who cannot attend an in-person polling place. This can include people in residential aged care, hospitals, mental health facilities, prisons, homelessness services, and First Nations communities. Mobile voting schedules for the 2025 federal election have not yet been finalised.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 1:44pm

Why Peter Dutton may have avoided the Canberra bubble for opening speech

Following Peter Dutton's opening speech, our chief political correspondent Anna Henderson has put together a quick piece of analysis:

"The Opposition leader is embarking on his first election campaign as leader, and the message he sent at his press conference in Brisbane is the one he has been putting up in lights for the past few months.

"That rallying call is his assertion that Australia is going backwards under Labor, and the nation can't afford three more years of the same approach.

"The Coalition's election slogan was printed on the podium, and repeated on the backdrop behind both his shoulders: 'Let's get Australia back on track'.

Peter Dutton speaks at a lectern as reporters watch on.

Peter Dutton speaks to the media in Brisbane today. Source: AAP / Jono Searle

"It's an appeal to the hip pocket and it's backed in by

the Coalition's election policies to cut the petrol excise

and bring down energy prices with

a gas reservation policy.

"Peter Dutton has also repeated

his favoured criticism of the prime minister as "weak" on national security.

"There was a pointed reference back to the failed Voice to Parliament referendum, used by the Opposition leader as an example of the government taking its eye off the cost of living pressures.

"While the prime minister was in his courtyard at Parliament House, Dutton made a deliberate choice to return to his home state away from the 'Canberra bubble' he often criticises."

Peter Dutton wants to get Australia "back on track". Source: AAP / Jono Searle

1 month ago28 Mar 1:06pm

Meet the First Nations candidates running in the 3 May election

Our colleagues at NITV have profiled a number of First Nations candidates who will be running in the forthcoming poll.

Read up on those running in both the upper and lower houses here:

Polling in both houses: First Nations candidates running for office

1 month ago28 Mar 12:52pm

Australia needs 'strong leadership', Littleproud says

David Littleproud said the Coalition's power policy was "about leaving a legacy".

"Not just [for] regional Australia but also a legacy for our nation to have reliable power, and so that is the courage and conviction that Peter Dutton and I bring into it," he said.

"If you solve the energy prices and magically bring gas into the grid quickly, they will also put downward pressure on your grocery bill, and if you look at what we doing with excise on fuel, that will flow through to the supply chain, putting downward pressure onto your grocery bill at checkout."

Littleproud said the Albanese government "hasn't even got the courage" to stand up to supermarkets.

He also urged against voting for independent candidates, which he described as a "threat".

"A vote at the next federal election for an independent is a vote for Anthony Albanese and three more years of an Albanese, Greens, teal independent chaotic government.

"We need strong leadership from any certainty, and that is what Peter Dutton and myself deliver as a Coalition government."

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 12:47pm

What is a hung parliament?

Polls have shown that a minority government, or 'hung parliament' is a possibility after this election.

This happens when neither of the major parties wins enough seats to form government. A party or coalition then needs to secure support from crossbenchers to reach at least 76 seats.

The last time this happened was in 2010, when Julia Gillard was prime minister. Before this, there had not been a minority government for 70 years.

Under a majority government, negotiations to pass legislation happen mostly in the Senate but in a minority government, there must also be talks in the lower house to secure support.

To find out more, read our explainer here:

What if no-one wins? What to know about minority government

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 12:39pm

David Littleproud is speaking now

Nationals leader David Littleproud is speaking to the media in Toowoomba, echoing Peter Dutton's criticism of the Labor Party.

Littleproud said the cost of living has gone up and the standard of living has gone down, which he described as the "consequence of a weak government".

He also spoke about regional Australia and plans to bring down energy prices.

Littleproud said Labor's plan would have significant consequences for regional Australia.

"What it means is regional Australia will be littered with transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines, right across the landscape," he said.

"It means that your prime agricultural land is ripped up, your food security is getting ripped up and your food prices will go up. It also is destroying ... the natural environment."

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 12:06pm

Coalition plans to cut 40,000 public servants 'impossible', claims Pocock

Spinning back to

last night's Budget reply from Peter Dutton

, where he announced he would remove thousands of jobs in the Canberra-based civil service, Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has described the plans as "purely ideological" and "punching down on Canberra."

"It seems impossible to cut 41,000 public servants from Canberra. That is 60% of all public service jobs in the ACT."

"Based on the horror stories I have heard from veterans trying to access payments, or people trying to line up their pension or paid parental leave, Youth Allowance, Job Seeker... this just takes away people that you need to talk to."

Independent Senator David Pocock is one of two ACT senators. Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH

While he has welcomed the Coalition's pledge to secure more domestic gas supply, he would not be drawn on whether he would support other plans to fast-track new gas projects and de-fund the Environmental Defenders Office, should the Coalition form government.

But, he hasn't pulled punches when it comes to Labor either -- his main competitor is fellow ACT Senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher who has described herself as the "underdog" this election.

"She's been a politician in the ACT since I was in grade eight. So she's very well known. She's the finance minister. I guess it maybe shows the pressure that community independents are putting on both major parties."

— Sara Tomevska

1 month ago28 Mar 11:59am

AEC confirms when electoral roll closes

Almost all Australian citizens over the age of 18 are legally required to vote and must be enrolled within seven days of the writs being issued, and that will happen on Monday.

That means if need to enrol or update your details you have until 8pm local time the following Monday, 7 April, before the electoral roll closes.

You can go to aec.gov.au or call 13 23 26 to enrol or check your details.

— Rania Yallop and Sam Dover

1 month ago28 Mar 11:55am

Dutton responds to Donald Trump comparisons

Dutton has been questioned about Anthony Albanese comparing him to Donald Trump.

A reporter asked Dutton whether he considered the comparison "a compliment or a sledge".

"The ads are out there ... and the sledge-a-thon is on by the prime minister because he doesn't have a good story to tell about his three years in government," Dutton said.

The opposition leader said Albanese had "done a lot of damage" to Australia.

"So you can expect the personal sledges. I'm not interested in that," Dutton said.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 11:34am

Albanese 'weak' and Labor 'incompetent', Dutton says

Peter Dutton has blamed Labor for inflation and the rising cost of living.

He said the Coalition had an "achievable plan" to get the country "back on track".

"A government I lead will build a strong economy with low inflation and we will deliver this by reining in the wasteful spending that fuels inflation. We will reduce tax (and) red tape," he said.

"We'll deliver cheaper energy to families and small businesses."

He also promised to improve housing affordability and healthcare and boost spending for the Australian Defence Force.

Dutton said his team is "united, experienced and ready for the responsibility of governing Australia".

"When it comes to the economy, inflation, energy, housing and security, Labor has simply failed to deliver," he said.

"And unfortunately, Mr Albanese is too weak and Labor is too incompetent to fix the problems that they've created and that are facing our country today. We can't afford three more years like the last three."

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 11:25am

Peter Dutton delivers opening pitch

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is holding a press conference in Albion, Brisbane.

Dutton said this election is "about who can better manage our economy."

"Generations of Australians have built their lives and our country on the belief that if you work hard, you can get ahead and build a better future for your children," he said.

"However, right now, Australia is going backwards."

Dutton said Albanese had spent the first half of his term "obsessed" with the Voice to Parliament, and "didn't have a plan" for inflation.

"Because of his bad decisions, Australians are doing it tough and they need help," Dutton said.

— Jessica Bahr

1 month ago28 Mar 11:19am

Leader of the Opposition speaks

Peter Dutton is speaking in Queensland after the date of the election was confirmed.

Watch live here:

1 month ago28 Mar 10:51am

Greens can work with Labor, Bandt says

Greens leader Adam Bandt is confident in the party’s ability to work with Labor in a minority government.

The relationship between the two parties has been tested this term of Parliament, when the Greens refused to support Labor’s key housing bills for several months. The Greens eventually, reluctantly, voted in favor of the bills.

Bandt backed his ability to work with Anthony Albanese, saying the Greens have "been able to get some really good outcomes" when "there's been willingness on the government's part to come and have negotiations".

Then Prime Minister Julia Gillard worked in minority government with Greens MP Adam Bandt in 2010. Source: AAP / AAPIMAGE

Bandt was part of the Gillard minority government in 2010, which was the first minority government since the World War Two.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "I intend to lead a majority government."

Bandt did not answer if he had been approached by Labor about a minority government, but said he expected "all the way up to election day, they're [the major parties] going to say that they want to win".

— Rania Yallop

1 month ago28 Mar 10:49am

PM's challenge as he seeks another three years in government

Anthony Albanese will shortly embark on his second election campaign as leader.

The challenge this time around is not to convince Australians he can do the job, but that he deserves to keep it for another three years.

This is a cost of living contest that will be shaped by two very different visions for Australia across energy, housing, migration and more.

Revealed: The winners and losers of the 2025 federal budget

In Peter Dutton's

budget reply overnight

, he said the election was "as much about leadership as it’s about policy".

So will it get personal? Possibly.

But according to Dutton's previous comments, if Labor makes the campaign about him, "they'll lose in a landslide".

— Sara Tomevska

1 month ago28 Mar 10:38am

Peter Dutton due to speak in around 40 minutes

We've heard that Peter Dutton will be speaking from Queensland at 10.15 local time or 11.15 AEDT.

— Alex Britton

Anthony Albanese calls the 2025 federal election — as it happened