Federal election 2025: Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton finally begin their five-week race to The Lodge

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have officially begun their race to the Lodge, kicking off their individual campaigns by telling voters they have a “clear choice” to make at the May 3 election.

An upbeat Prime Minister declared he was “born ready” for the five-week campaign ahead, after a 7am meeting with the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament.

Holding a press conference in Canberra before setting off for Brisbane, Mr Albanese outlined a choice voters had between “building Australia’s future, or Peter Dutton’s cuts”.

Mr Dutton, speaking from LNP headquarters in Brisbane, wants voters to ask themselves if they’re better off now than they were three years ago.

In what is expected to be a closely fought battle, both sides will try to out-manoeuvre each other with promises to the electorate as they spruik already-announced policies and warn of the “risk” the other poses.

Crucial votes could hinge on whether voters are most convinced by announcements made just this week: Labor’s now-legislated $17 billion tax cut package which will give an average worker an extra $5 a week back from mid-2026; or the Coalition’s plan to halve the fuel excise immediately, saving motorists about $15 a tank.

On Friday, Mr Albanese talked up his credentials of doling out hip-pocket relief and being a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, pitching to voters why they should trust him with a second term.

“Our Government has chosen to face global challenges the Australian way: helping people under cost-of-living pressure, while building for the future,” Mr Albanese said from the Prime Minister’s courtyard.

He said the work of “cleaning up the mess” left by the 10 years of Coalition Government required more than one parliamentary term.

An otherwise resolute PM became emotional as he spoke of his commitment to Medicare, praising the system that had served him - after a car accident - and his late mother as well as it had the late media mogul Kerry Packer.

“On that evening (of the car accident), I was in the same room that my mum was in when, as an invalid pensioner, she got taken up the road after having an aneurysm and she never left RPA, but she got the same care that Kerry Packer got (after his heart attack),” he said.

“They’re the Australian values. That’s what I’ll fight for.”

Labor will be hoping a string of financial relief pledges, from an $8.5b boost to Medicare bulk billing, a 20 per cent cut to student debt, a $25 cap on PBS medicines and a new $150 energy bill rebate will have already cut through to voters in the run up to the campaign launch.

Mr Albanese said the future of “your job, your wages, your child’s education, and… your Medicare card are all in your hands”.

“Only Labor has the plan to make you better off over the next three years,” he said.

“Only Labor is acting on the cost of living. Only a vote for Labor will keep your wages growing, take 20 per cent off your student debt and cut tax again and again for every taxpayer next year and the year after.”

Mr Dutton meanwhile promised a better future under a Coalition government and vowed to be the “Prime Minister for home affordability”.

He asked Australians to vote for change on May 3 to “build a better future for your children”, as he pledged to rein in “wasteful spending”, reduce migration and drive down energy prices.

“Because of Labor’s bad decisions, Australians are doing it tough, and they need help. Worse still, for many, they’re losing hope for their future,” he said.

“Our team is united, experienced and ready for the responsibility of governing Australia.

“Our plan will deliver a stronger economy with low inflation and affordable homes in safer communities; a stronger, safer, better Australia.

“When it comes to the economy, inflation, energy, housing and security, Labor has simply failed to deliver 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.”

He reconfirmed the Coalition’s plan – announced in his budget reply on Thursday – to flood the market with more gas, denying suggestions he was walking away from his nuclear power plan.

He also refuted claims the Coalition does not have a robust economic plan, saying “energy is the economy”.

“Everything that we see before us, the plastics, cars we drive in, the hospitals we rely on, the phones, the charges, everything relies on energy in your system,” the Opposition Leader said.

“If energy is unaffordable and if it’s unreliable, then it’s a disaster for the economy.”

The Greens, who along with the independents could hold the balance of power in a tight race, said they are about to embark on their “biggest ever campaign” to force a minority Labor Government and keep Mr Dutton out.

“Minority Government is coming. And with the major parties’ offering about as attractive as a dead fish, you can see why,” leader Adam Bandt said.

“With a minority Government on the cards this election, this is a once-in-a-generation chance to keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act on the housing crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, and the climate and environment crisis.”

Mr Albanese maintains his intention to lead a majority Government, and said he would serve a full term as Prime Minister if re-elected.

The major parties are shaping up for a fierce slugfest over national security and economic management as the nation veers towards $1 trillion in debt next year as the country grapples with global insecurity from raging conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, a potential trade war.

Donald Trump’s looming “liberation day” – where he will decide the extent of his promised reciprocal tariffs – is also on the minds of both leaders, as is the President more broadly.

Mr Albanese took aim at the Coalition as he declared Labor “do not need to copy from any other nation to make Australia even better and stronger”.

Labor has pointed to a number of Coalition policies that appear straight out of the MAGA playbook, including the “are you better off” question, cuts to migration and the public service, and some social issues.

Mr Dutton said the Trump comparisons were part of the PM’s “sledgeathon”.

“You can expect the personal sledges. I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in our positive plan … to help Australians deal with the cost-of-living crisis that Labor’s created,” he said.

Mr Albanese defended Labor’s economic record while governing through “turbulent seas”, telling Australians who were still struggling financially that “we’ve got your back.”

“Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia,” he said.

“In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face. But we can determine how we respond.

Mr Dutton, a former cop who has served as home affairs and defence minister, also made mention to the precarious global environment, pledging again to boost military spending and strengthen border security.

“We’ll take the necessary decisions and show the necessary resolve to keep Australians safe,” he said.

He also pledged to overhaul migration, slamming the Government and reaffirming a commitment to reduce permanent migration by 25 per cent to free up about 40,000 homes and return the dream of home ownership to Australians.

“If I’m given the great honour of being Prime Minister, (I will be) the Prime Minister for home affordability,” he said.

The Prime Minister said it had been “the greatest honour of my life” to hold the role, holding back emotions as he asked for another three years.

“The world today is an uncertain place. But I am absolutely certain of this: now is not the time for cutting and wrecking, for aiming low, punching down, or looking back,” he said.

“This is a time for building. Building on our nation’s strengths. Building on our nation’s strengths. Building our security and prosperity for ourselves. Building an Australia where no-one is held back and no-one is left behind.”