Could PM Albanese Announce a Federal Election Tomorrow?

Looks like things are heating up in Canberra — speculation is swirling that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could call the 2025 federal election as early as tomorrow.

While most were expecting an announcement this weekend, right after the budget, there’s now talk that Albo might pull the trigger even sooner, possibly to shift the spotlight away from the Coalition’s budget reply, which drops tonight.

If he does make the call tomorrow, Aussies could be heading to the polls on May 3.

And here's where it gets interesting — the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet briefly posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the government was in “caretaker mode” — which only happens once the election is officially called and the House of Reps is dissolved. But... the post was quickly deleted. Bit of a slip-up or a sign of things to come?

Possible election dates:

• May 3 (if he calls it tomorrow)

• May 10

• May 17 is the absolute latest

This could all be a tactical move by Albanese to cut the oxygen from Peter Dutton’s budget reply, which is expected to dominate headlines later tonight.

And speaking of Dutton — he’s already trying to win voters over, announcing that a Coalition government would cut fuel excise costs for a year. Basically, a move to bring down petrol prices during a cost-of-living crunch.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers wasn’t having it though — he’s already come out and said the government won’t be matching that promise.

So, buckle up — things could get very political, very quickly. If tomorrow’s the day, we’re officially in election mode.