Albanese's Labor party won a majority at the last federal election in 2022, but most recent opinion polls show the party neck-and-neck with the opposition Liberal-National coalition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called an election for May 3, kicking off what’s expected to be a closely-fought campaign centered on cost-of-living pressures and a housing crisis in a sluggish economy.