Federal election 2025: Anthony Albanese drops clue election date might be later than thought

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reignited speculation around the date of the Federal election, with a seemingly innocuous statement about the Budget during a press conference on Friday morning.

The latest election rumours come as Mr Albanese brushed off a poll suggesting half of West Australian voters don’t believe he deserves a second term, saying he’s confident of being re-elected.

Mr Albanese made his budget comments in Alice Springs as he unveiled a $842.6m injection of fresh financing over six years for services for the Northern Territory’s remote Indigenous communities including policing, women’s safety, education and alcohol harm reduction.

Labor says the landmark deal struck with the NT authorities and the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APO NT) creates certainty for over 570 jobs, including 278 for First Nations Territorians.

The strategy aimed to “close the gap” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Mr Albanese said.

“Australians believe in the fair go. The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities,” he added.

But his statement that the additional funding would be assured in “a line item when we hand down our Budget,” launched a fresh round of chatter that an April election has been ruled out for a later gambit in May.

The Budget is scheduled to be presented to parliament on March 25, but would only proceed if the election is held in May. April 12 and May 17 have circulated in the Canberra rumour mill, although only the Prime Minister knows the date.

On Friday, the Australian Financial Review reported Labor’s business forum subscribers had been invited to budget night events on March 25, with tickets to mingle with Mr Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers at a reception and dinner going from $1,500 to $5,000.

However, Labor sources said attempts to peg an election date on the Prime Minister’s words should be treated with a high degree of caution, pointing out the Budget will be prepared and carried forward regardless of whether it is presented to parliament.

Any future Government would have the right to rescind Budget items but would actively have to overturn the $843m Northern Territory pledge, which holds its own political risks.

Asked on ABC on Friday whether she was preparing a Budget submission or if there would be an early election call, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil said work was carrying on as normal.

“Every good government minister is always ready with their budget submissions,” she said. “But I don’t know the answer to your (election) question. There’s only one person with the answer, and that’s the big boss.”

Coalition sources also declined to speculate, saying they would be ready whenever it was called.

On Friday a Newspoll published in The Australian showed half of voters in WA said it was “time to give someone else a go” when asked if the Government deserved to be re-elected.

A second term was backed by 35 per cent while 15 per cent said they didn’t know.

The poll did not ask who people intended to vote for federally.

However, psephologist William Bowe’s poll tracker shows on average, Labor’s vote is leading the Liberals 53-47 in WA – less than two points below where it was at the 2022 federal election.

Labor won four seats off the Liberals in the State at that election.

It needs to hold onto its nine WA seats – and is hoping to add Bullwinkel – to have a chance of keeping majority government.

Multiple Labor and Liberal sources told the Nightly the poll’s sentiment is consistent with what they are hearing when doorknocking voters across the State.

However, they say that grumpiness amid a cost-of-living crunch does not necessarily translate into a higher vote for the Coalition.

Asked on ABC if he would accept underdog status going into the election, the Prime Minister said he was confident Labor would form a majority government.

“If you look at any opposition that was about to form government at this stage in the (electoral) cycle, then they are way ahead of a government of the day (on polls),” he said.

“There’s been, under global inflation pressure, many cost-of-living pressures are there for people, that’s why we’ve acted on it.”