Australia\u2019s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he plans to call a national election \u201cimminently\u201d as the May 17 deadline for electing a new parliament is fast approaching. \u201cIt will be in May, I can guarantee that. And it will be called pretty imminently,\u201d Albanese told radio station Triple M on Thursday. \u201cI\u2019m not calling it today but I will call it soon. I think that Australians want to get on with it,\u201d he said. Separate reports from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian newspapers said Albanese is scheduled to visit Governor-General Sam Mostyn\u2019s in Canberra on Friday to call the election. Albanese must receive Mostyn\u2019s authorisation, who as governor-general represents the United Kingdom\u2019s King Charles \u2013 Australia\u2019s official head of state \u2013 to dissolve parliament and declare a general election. The Australian reported that the vote would take place on May 3, though Albanese\u2019s office has yet to comment on the claim. Albanese\u2019s Labor Party has introduced a slew of measures to appease voters as they prepare to head to the polls amid high costs of living. On Tuesday, the government announced two new rounds of tax cuts in the federal budget worth 17.1 billion Australian dollars ($10.7bn), where a person earning an average income would be eligible for a 268-Australian-dollar ($170) tax cut in the fiscal year ending June 2027, and a 536-Australian-dollar cut ($338) the following year. Though welcome, the cuts are still more modest than the 1,654-Australian-dollar ($1,044) tax relief introduced during the current fiscal year. Making his pre-election promises, the leader of the opposition Liberal-National coalition, Peter Dutton, said his party would cut the fuel excise tax by half, calling it a \u201creal, immediate relief\u201d that could save families with a single car 750 Australian dollars ($473) over the course of a year. Dutton said the fuel excise tax would be reduced on the day he takes office, if elected prime minister, and would last for 12 months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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