After what seemed like an interminably long lead-up, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally called the election for May 3 - ending weeks of speculation about when Australians will head to the polls.

The date was seemingly ‘leaked’ an hour before Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton was due to hand down his much anticipated budget speech, catching the Liberals on the back foot and no doubt setting the tone for the usual horse race that is a federal election campaign.

Joining Tina Quinn to discuss the current state of play and the challenges which lie ahead for both sides, was Canberra insiders Amanda Copp (Nine News), Claudia Long (ABC) and Paul Bongiorno (The Saturday Paper).

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