Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday (April 10), triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change, and questions of character and competence of the major parties.
Opinion polls show Mr Morrison’s conservative coalition trailing the opposition Labor party after nine years in power.
Mr Morrison similarly lagged in opinion polls before the previous election in May 2019, but still pulled off a win.
"There is still a lot of uncertainty ahead. I get it," Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “But this election and this campaign is incredibly important.”
The Australian leader has attempted to frame the vote around the country's strong economic growth and national defence, while the opposition, led by Mr Anthony Albanese, is focusing on domestic manufacturing and higher wages for workers. The Labor Party is also targeting Mr Morrison personally over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Our government is not perfect. But we have been upfront. You know what we stand for, you can see our record of delivery, and you can see our plan for the future," Mr Morrison said in an opinion piece distributed by his office on Sunday.
The election date announcement comes after the government unveiled a series of spending measures last month to help soften the impact of rising living costs and bring Mr Morrison back into contention for the polls. The Prime Minister has been criticised over supply shortages during a recent Omicron outbreak and mismanaging the response to flooding in the nation's north-east.
In an opinion piece distributed to the media on Sunday, Mr Albanese said Australian voters should blame rising cost-of-living prices on the government, claiming it had failed to grow wages.
"When you cringe next time you pay your supermarket bill, remember it was the Morrison government that went out of its way to keep a lid on your pay packet," Mr Albanese said.
Source: The Straits Times
BDST: 1428 HRS, APR 10, 2022
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