Prime Minister Anthony Albanese makes pitch for ‘future’ as the pre-election campaign begins

The unofficial 2025 election campaign is underway with Anthony Albanese launching a three-state blitz to start the new year. See where he is splashing the cash.

The unofficial 2025 election campaign is underway with Anthony Albanese launching a three state blitz to start the new year, splashing cash in Queensland for a major road safety project before travelling to the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

The Prime Minister’s northern charm offensive will begin on the Sunshine Coast and include stops in Rockhampton, Cairns and then inland to Mount Isa before he is expected to travel to the Top End where Labor is desperate to hold onto its two seats less than a year after locals turfed them out of Territory government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel across northern Australia this week. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Labor is hoping a $7.2 billion investment in the Bruce Highway, which connects every major coastal city and town in Queensland, will appeal to voters who also just last year dumped a Labor state government.

Later this week Mr Albanese will then visit Kimberley in Western Australia, before heading to Perth where again his government must hold critical electorates gained in 2022.

Labor candidate for Leichhardt and former Cairns Taipans player Matt Smith measures his 210cm height to that of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while out campaigning last year. Picture: Brendan Radke

The PM will pitch the looming election, which he could call any time between now and May 17, as a “choice between building Australia’s future or taking Australia backwards”.

“My government cares about Australians,” he said.

“That’s why we are delivering cost of living relief while strengthening Medicare and investing in infrastructure, childcare and dignified aged care.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets students in Alice Spring during a visit last year. Picture: PMO via NCA NewsWire

“Over the next three years, we can work together to build on the foundations we have laid.”

The pre-election blitz comes ahead of new Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for the month of November due to be released this week, which could provide a key insight into whether inflation has continued to moderate significantly enough for the Reserve Bank board to consider a rate cut at its first meeting for 2025 in February.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says inflation is declining under Labor. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the monthly numbers could “bounce around” compared to the more measured quarterly data, but he argued “anything with a two in front” would show inflation had more than halved since Labor took office.

“Inflation was higher and rising under the Liberals and it’s much lower and has been falling under Labor,” he said.

“As a government, our focus has been fighting inflation and rolling out cost‑of‑living help and we’ve made really encouraging progress.”

The market expectation for the CPI figure due out on Wednesday is between 2.1 per cent and 2.7 per cent in the year to November.

Meanwhile Health Minister Mark Butler has taken aim at the Coalition, accusing the opposition of being “more interested in fighting culture wars” than fighting the “war on inflation” after it was revealed the government has spent more than $450,000 on welcome to country ceremonies in the last two years.

“The truth is, nothing has changed since we were elected to government in 2022 about the Commonwealth’s approach to Welcomed To Country,” Mr Butler said.

Originally published as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese makes pitch for ‘future’ as the pre-election campaign begins