PM says stability is vital; Dutton dines on yum cha; and Tiger King’s shock election message

Hello readers. Welcome to today’s election edition of Afternoon Update.

We’re very much on the home stretch of this campaign, and with more than 4 million people having already cast their vote, Anthony Albanese was making one of his final pitches for re-election.

At the National Press Club in Canberra, the prime minister said that at a time of such global uncertainty, Australia needs stability.

“When so much in the world is unpredictable, Australians can be sure of where Labor stands and what Labor stands for,” Albanese said.

Meanwhile, the cost of living remains front and centre. In good news for homeowners, a Reserve Bank of Australia rate cut on 20 May appears very likely as the latest data shows underlying inflation dropping below 3% for the first time in three years.

Peter Dutton was in Melbourne as he made a late attempt to bolster support in a handful of seats the Coalition is hoping to win off Labor.

Dutton’s appearances included a sit-down meal at a Chinese restaurant in the electorate of Chisholm – where parties have been eager to appeal to the local Chinese community. The former Liberal MP Katie Allen, who is making a tilt for the seat, joined Dutton for yum cha.

His sweep of Melbourne electorates comes as Coalition strategists warn that Dutton’s move to put One Nation above Labor and other parties on some how-to-vote cards could damage support among metropolitan voters. It could, they say, help independents in at-risk seats such as the New South Wales electorate of Cowper.

“I think alcohol is the first essential ingredient, I’m sure of that, responsible drinking as well, but not watching the ABC would be a good start.”

During an interview with Fox FM radio, Dutton offered these tips for how to host a good election night party.

He also said he was “running on fumes” by this point in the campaign, and acknowledged most of the population had now grown tired of political ads and want the election over and done with.

In a bizarre turn few would have seen coming, Joe Exotic – also known as the Tiger King, who rose to fame after a Netflix documentary series about his career as a zookeeper – has urged his social media followers to support Albanese at the ballot box.

Exotic, currently imprisoned in the US, insisted he was not paid to make the endorsement, but it was an elaborate attempt to curry favour to pressure president Donald Trump to release him.

Albanese was asked about the endorsement after his press club address, to which he replied it was “good to see some levity” at this point in the campaign.

Today’s starter word is: ROLE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.