Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is poised to call the federal election, possibly within hours.
While a date has not been confirmed for when Mr Albanese will visit the governor-general to call the election, speculation is growing Friday is looming as the day the prime minister will make the drive to Government House.
The move is set to steal the thunder from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech, to be delivered on Thursday night.
The election is due to be held by May 17 at the latest.
With a minimum of 33 days needed for a federal election campaign, the earliest the poll could be held is May 3.
The election date speculation comes after the government handed down the federal budget on Tuesday, which centred on a $10 a week tax cut for all workers from 2027.
Mr Dutton responded on Thursday by announcing the coalition would cut the fuel excise for a year, saying it would save $14 a week at the petrol pump.
Mr Albanese told radio station Triple M on Thursday the election would be called “pretty imminently”, but did not confirm when the poll would be held or when he would visit the governor-general.
“I will call it soon,” he said.
“Australians want to get on with it, certainly my caucus colleagues do.”
It comes as the Prime Minister and Cabinet department inadvertently posted to social media platform X the federal government was in caretaker mode, before quickly deleting the post.
Caretaker mode happens once the federal election is called and parliament is dissolved.
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