The federal election needs to be called soon and political commentators had predicted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would announce the election on Sunday or Monday.
These predictions were largely made before the onset of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, however.
So, when can we expect to go to the polls?
Deadline
A federal election needs to be held every three years.
It also needs to be held on a Saturday, per national laws.
The last possible date it can be held is Saturday 17 May, and the Prime Minister must provide at least 33 days notice, meaning an election needs to be called by 14 April.
In Australia, the Prime Minister has the power to decide when an election is held.
Weekend
It had been widely speculated that Albanese would call the election this Sunday for 12 April.
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The main reason was that Western Australia is holding a state election on Saturday 8 March, meaning Albanese would avoid an overlap in the two campaigns. It also follows the first cut to interest rates since 2020.
The 12 April date would arrive before two public holiday weekends (Easter and ANZAC Day). However, it would fall on the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on Australia’s east coast on Saturday.
It is expected to be a Category 2 (ranked from 1-5, 1 being the weakest and 5 being the most severe).
The scale of the storm means Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and northern NSW residents are on alert for dangerous flooding and wind gusts up to 164km/h.
Albanese visited Brisbane earlier this week as preparations for the cyclone took place, including collecting sandbags to protect properties.
Earlier this week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Nine radio in Brisbane the PM would have to have a “tin ear” to call an election this weekend.
Dutton, whose electorate is in north-west Brisbane, said people will be more occupied with the weather event than politics.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, whose seat is in southern Brisbane, told media: “We haven’t been thinking about election timing.”
