Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday called a national election for May 3, launching a five-week campaign that is set to be dominated by cost-of-living pressures. Albanese's Labor party won a majority at the last federal election in 2022,

Experts all agree that mandatory voting is a key factor in Australia's political stability. In the 2022 elections, just under 90% of the population voted – much, much higher than the average OECD turnout of 69%. The fine for not voting in a federal election is a mere A$20 but there's a sense of duty here to go out and vote.