A tropical cyclone off Australia’s northeast coast that’s menacing the city of Brisbane could derail the government’s plans to call an election this weekend — after speculation mounted that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on the verge of setting an April 12 ballot.

The Albanese government has seen an unexpected and unwanted entry of the Chinese military into the upcoming election campaign as national security fears swirl.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon reveal details of their high-profile relationship in a 60 Minutes interview.

China had given notice that its warships could potentially fire live weapons during an exercise in the Tasman Sea, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Albanese has been hit by the twin disruptors, one natural and one man-made. Both complicate Albanese’s election thinking

The Albanese government will freeze the indexation on beer in a ‘commonsense’ measure, despite Chalmers having said the increase wouldn’t have equaled 1 cent a pint.

The Albanese government on Sunday will pledge $8.5 billion for Medicare, declaring this would enable all Australians to have access to bulk billing by 2030.

Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said it was important to meet “the expectations of our strategic partners”, flagging a major rise in defence spending.

Albanese and Dutton have embraced a strategy that helped return Trump to the White House: courting influencers who lob soft questions for audiences who don’t follow mainstream news.

The prime minister’s comments showed a shift from a day earlier but his Coalition counterpart feels differently.

The federal government will lift its share of NSW school funding in a similar deal to a $2.5 billion agreement with Victoria five weeks ago.

With an election likely to be called imminently for an April 12 election, both leaders are keen to be seen as up for the fight.