As tradition dictates, each major party leader has spoken at the National Press Club in the final week of the federal election campaign.

Albanese was in Canberra today to remind journalists of his achievements over the past three years, including bringing down inflation to its target range, growing real wages for five quarters in a row and creating more jobs in three years than during “any term of government since federation”.

He also pulled out a Medicare card again, a frequent prop in his election campaign, to tout his $8.5 billion promise to boost bulk-billing.

But, Albanese said, he needs more than one term to “clear away the chaos and dysfunction” left behind by the former Liberal government.

“My colleagues and I know there is much more work to do. That is what drives us,” he said.

“We know the power and the value of a stable, reforming majority Labor government, the opportunities it creates, the difference it makes to people’s lives, and we know the risk and the cost of a reckless and wasteful Liberal and National government.

“We’re still cleaning up 10 years of their mess.”

Albanese then went on the attack, criticising Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for failing to face the scrutiny and come clean about the costings of his policies at the National Press Club this week.

“For a leader, being here in the last week of the election campaign is more than a matter of respect for tradition,” he said.

“Standing here is about taking responsibility for your plans. Being here is about being accountable to the people, to the democratic process.

“And given that Peter Dutton is going to this election with a $600 billion nuclear reactor scheme that no state or territory government from either side of politics supports, that no commercial investor is willing to back, and that the private sector doesn’t want to touch with a barge pole, he should have the guts to front up and explain where the money will come from to pay for it before Australians cast their vote, not after.”

Albanese wrapped up his address by asking Australians to vote for Labor this Saturday to keep building the country and managing national interests in global uncertainty.

“My fellow Australians, serving as your prime minister is the greatest honour of my life, because every day is a chance to make a positive difference to your lives,” he said.

“It offers the extraordinary opportunity to make this the best nation on earth even better and, if my colleagues and I earn your support on May 3, we will dedicate every single day of the next three years to proving ourselves worthy of it.”

The latest Roy Morgan poll, published on Monday, has Labor ahead on a two-party preferred basis at 53 per cent compared to the Coalition’s 47 per cent.

If Albanese secures his second term at the polls on Saturday, he will be the first prime minister to win a consecutive victory since John Howard in 2004.

The last time a sitting government was voted out after just one term was under James Scullin in 1932.