Mr Morrison advised Governor-General David Hurley, as representative of the Head of State of Australia, the Queen, to set the election date, with 21 May being the last available to him.
Mr Morrison will call on voters to stay with his Conservative coalition, which has delivered one of the lowest pandemic deaths of any advanced economy.
“This election is a choice between a government that you know and have delivered and a Labor opposition that you do not,” Mr Morrison said, referring to his opponents.
He won a landslide victory in the 2019 elections, despite opinion polls consistently leading the center-left Australian Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese.
Again, the Liberal Party-led coalition is behind in most polls, but analysts predict a narrow result.
Mr Morrison’s government has been criticized for its lack of ambition on climate change goals, with the aim of reducing emissions by 26% to 28% below the 2005 level. Meanwhile, Labor has promised to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030.
Amid the devastating wildfires of Australia 2019 and 2020, Mr Morrison denied a link to climate change. He came under heavy criticism – including being sworn in by angry residents – for his handling of the crisis.
The opposition also criticized the government’s pace over its release of COVID vaccine, which was mocked as a “stroll out”. However, the population of Australia is now one of the most indigenous in the world.
With China imposing official and unofficial trade sanctions on Australia in recent years, the government says Beijing wants Labor to win the election because it is less likely to oppose economic threats.
Meanwhile, Labor is taking credit for opposing the government’s plan in 2014 to sign an extradition treaty with China.
Bilateral relations have since deteriorated, and the government now warns that Australians risk arbitrary detention if they visit China
