More cost-of-living relief is likely to be discussed in Canberra on Monday as Labor prepares to call an election, which must be held by May 17.
The prime minister last week embarked on a three-state blitz of key battlegrounds across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where he announced billions in funding for infrastructure.
Peter Dutton made a pre-election pitch at a rally with the party faithful in Melbourne. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)
Launching his pre-election pitch on Sunday in Melbourne, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the nation had a "last chance to reverse the decline".
At the campaign launch for the Labor-held seat of Chisholm, Mr Dutton said Australians had a choice between his decisive leadership or weakness under Mr Albanese.
Victoria is seen as vital for his bid to land Australia's top job, as he eyes off seats to pick up after the Liberal Party went backwards in the 2022 election.
Mr Dutton said the nation would never recover if an Albanese government was re-elected.
In response, Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones slammed the opposition leader's speech as "frankly pretty arrogant".
Australian must not be led by "a party that punches down", the Greens' Sarah Hanson-Young said. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)
Mr Jones framed the election as a "referendum on the future of Medicare", with Labor having previously claimed the coalition would defund the nation's healthcare system.
But Mr Dutton spruiked his credentials, pointing to the $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund and increased hospital funding during his time as health minister in the former Abbott government.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young slammed Mr Dutton for his "nasty" policies.
"We cannot afford to let our country be led by a party that punches down rather than lifting Australians and the country up," she told reporters in Canberra.
She urged voters to put the Greens in the balance of power for action on mortgages, housing and the cost of living.
With parliament just weeks away from resuming for 2025, Senator Hanson-Young urged Mr Albanese to work with the Greens to deal with "unfinished business".
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