In his first National Press Club address of 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized education and training as critical focuses for the upcoming election.

He reiterated Labor's slogan 'Building Australia’s Future', criticizing the Coalition for proposing cuts to education and not prioritizing this essential sector.

Highlighting his government's achievements, Albanese pointed to avoiding recession, creating 1.1 million jobs, and reducing inflation from over 6% to less than 3%.

He stressed Labor's commitment to keeping wages up, controlling inflation, and ensuring Medicare remains accessible for all citizens.

The Prime Minister asserted that the election represents fundamentally different visions for the future, impacting jobs, wages, education, healthcare, and the environment.

Albanese confirmed that Victoria and South Australia have agreed to a new funding arrangement for schools, increasing the Schooling Resource Standard to 22.5%.

However, Queensland and New South Wales have yet to sign the agreement, advocating for a higher funding level of 25% to address educational disparities.

He also stated that his government will not seek coalitions, aiming instead for a majority government despite predictions of a hung parliament.

In response to criticisms from Liberal leader Peter Dutton, Albanese labeled him as 'weak' for avoiding media engagement and challenged him to a debate.

Albanese announced a significant initiative to boost the construction workforce, introducing a new 'key apprentice program' that offers up to $10,000 in financial incentives for apprentices in trades like bricklaying and carpentry.

During the address, he ruled out any new referendums in a potential second term, including those concerning Indigenous recognition, due to the challenges of securing such votes.

Albanese framed the upcoming election as a clear choice between Labor's focus on improving wages and the Coalition's more austere economic approach.