Australian PM Albanese calls national election for May 3

I am curious. Which country pays the Governor-General's salary? Sounds like a cushy gig.

Albanese earlier in the morning met the country's Governor-General Sam Mostyn to seek permission to formally call the election

I am curious. Which country pays the Governor-General's salary? Sounds like a cushy gig.

Australian taxpayers pay.

Cushy gig if you like a huge amount of public speaking, travelling to all corners of the country, cutting ribbons and attending ceremonies pretty much everywhere. It does come with a $700k annual salary, waterfront mansion in Sydney and huge estate in Canberra.

Almost every election recently the polls end up neck and neck.

Was thinking to myself what an interesting insertion the governor general comment was. First two comments showed me why.

Irrelevant to the actual news story.

Election is on. Let the games begin. Alby will do his luke warm virtue ‘for the little people’ ( just don’t talk policy ) mush and try and be everyone’s soft mate, while Dutton represents a very different choice of leader. Ex cop, straight down the line, ( you wouldn’t want to be in a staring match against him ) pretty much the complete opposite of the current PM.

I feel the waves and breezes of change a coming, cause your modern day Aussie is a lot more pragmatic and grounded than our Americans friends. We can make choices bae on our heads, not our emotions.

Either way, may the best man win. Do it with dignity guys, we’ve seen what the sky screamers look like. Different opinions are A OK! Show them how it’s done Aussie!

The Red team versus the Blue team: it really makes no difference. Canberra is forever destined to have a craven governing class that panders to global elites, sell of the farm and make sure there is little to no decent sovereignty.

Ricky...Dutton is anything but "straight down the line "

He is a B grade populist , cosying up to right wing idiots like One Nation, pulling out the "Islam card " when he thinks it might work, said black kids of immigrants in Melbourne were on a crime wave, scaring people from dining out .

Albanese id the leader of the party of social justice and progress...everything that makes Australia egalitarian comes from Labor ... social welfare, pensions, education access, medical care for all.

Dutton trying on some of Trumps stuff...says he will sack 40,000 Public Servants...good that's the Public Service vote gone.

I will be happy if Pauline Hanson is swept away....but I am not hopeful.

The Red team versus the Blue team: it really makes no difference. Canberra is forever destined to have a craven governing class that panders to global elites

So they are the bad elites as opposed to the good ones?

Bring back Kevin Rudd! He speaks Chinese, you know.

Dutton represents a very different choice of leader. Ex cop, straight down the line, ( you wouldn’t want to be in a staring match against him ) pretty much the complete opposite of the current PM.

Quite amazing how a humble ex-cop has amassed an enormous property portfolio and a supposed worth of $300 million in a couple of decades. Very interesting, that's for sure.

Anyway, Dutton seems to be backpedalling on his previous attempts to be Trump-lite, as has his fellow opposition leader in Canada. I wonder why?

Dutton has backed off on the nuclear rubbish he was pushing, too. His promise to repeal Labor’s tax cuts is an ‘interesting’ political move- everyone loves paying higher taxes, right?

When Dutton was a cop in Queensland...one of his fellow cops put a tin of dog food on his desk

Message...you're a dog

Good bye bye Albo worst pm ever..

Prefer Albo to Dutton every day of the week.

He is a B grade populist , cosying up to right wing idiots like One Nation, pulling out the "Islam card " when he thinks it might work, said black kids of immigrants in Melbourne were on a crime wave, scaring people from dining out .

Albanese id the leader of the party of social justice and progress...everything that makes Australia egalitarian comes from Labor ... social welfare, pensions, education access, medical care for all.

Tell us how it is Guru! No bias at all there! Just remember the ‘voice’ mate. Wink

Will leave it at that.

Dutton is dreaming! Regardless of what the rigged polls say he hasn’t got a snowballs chance in hell!

Australians are anything if not practical. As US is busy expanding its military footprint there due to China and they want carve-outs for Steel and Aluminum tariffs, the candidate that most appeals to DJT likely does well in May

DOGE's long term goal is not effectiveness or lower cost, but privatization of government services. Soon the outsourcing will start, they will do the same job (although slower and less effectively) at a higher price while paying their employees less. Profits for the oligarchs.

I doubt that's what Australians actually want. But yes people around the world should take notice.

amassed an enormous property portfolio and a supposed worth of $300 million.

Total furphy! Labor’s dirt file on him established that the total lifetime value of all 26 of his property transactions was 1/10th of that. Even that figure is akin to adding up every paycheck you’ve ever earned in your life and then saying that the cumulative figure is your present worth. It beggars belief, the economic illiteracy of some people on this forum.