Scott Morrison has launched a come-from-behind bid for victory by urging disgruntled voters to put self-interest ahead of any personal dislike for him, as he pulled the trigger for a May 21 election.

Anthony Albanese, in a bid to become just the fourth Labor leader since World War II to win a federal election from opposition, has implored voters to lift their ambitions for themselves and the nation and discard a tired, three-term government seeking a “second decade in office”.