Prime Minister Anthony Albanese admits discussion with Premier Roger Cook over WA election date

Anthony Albanese denied asking Roger Cook to shift the date of the WA election to avoid an overlap with the Federal campaign, but after repeated questioning admitted they had discussed it.

The Prime Minister insisted if it were up to him, the Commonwealth would have four-year fixed terms like all the States and Territories, as he ridiculed speculation about election dates.

“I have read the election would be in August, September, November, December 7 has probably passed now but I was reading that as the date as well,” he told reporters in Tasmania.

“I’m focused on governing. That’s what I’m focused on. I will leave the speculation to others.

“The election, I’ve said the whole way through, will be in 2025. It will be called April or before.”

Asked directly whether he had spoken to the Premier about the Federal election timing and potentially moving the WA date, Mr Albanese replied: “No.”

At a second press conference, he was asked whether he had had any discussions with Mr Cook about the WA election.

He initially said no and that the WA election date was known, before adding: “I have had a discussion about the WA election, obviously, with him.”

The Federal election must be held by May 17 — with the Prime Minister required to call it between 33 and 58 days ahead of polling day — while the WA date is set for March 8.

Mr Cook stoked speculation about a March Federal election date when he revealed at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters event on Monday he had sought legal advice about moving WA’s election date if Anthony Albanese required him to.

That involved discussions with the electoral commission to understand what complications might arise if the two elections were held close together, such as staffing and the availability of physical polling locations.

Mr Cook said he did not care whether the Federal or State election was held first.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Mr Albanese of having “a secret discussion or a deal going on with the WA Premier” over the election timing.

“If the Prime Minister’s planning to go early in March, that’s at odds with what he’s said publicly before, but he said he’ll go full term, and now he’s trying to, it seems, do some tricky deal with the WA premier to move their fixed term,” he said.

“If the Prime Minister’s proposing to have an early election, which requires the March date in WA to be moved, then he needs to explain why.”

Earlier in the year, Mr Dutton urged Mr Albanese to call an election more than a year early to win a mandate for the changes to the stage three tax cuts.

After dismissing the date speculation, Mr Albanese joked about an early election when asked about Mr Dutton’s previous comments that the best Labor could gain at this point was a minority government.

“We are now in the thralls, apparently, of an election campaign, perhaps in December, Peter Dutton does not have a single costed policy out there. Not one,” he said.

Shifting the Commonwealth away from three-year terms would require a constitutional change. A proposal for fixed terms was defeated at the 1988 referendum while three attempts to align Senate and House of Representatives elections have also failed.