The prime minister has cancelled a visit to Western Australia ahead of the upcoming state election due to the threat of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, while hosing down speculation about the date of the federal poll.
The category two system is bearing down on Queensland and northern NSW and is due to cross the coast on Thursday or early Friday, bringing heavy rain and destructive winds.
Anthony Albanese flew into Brisbane on Tuesday night ahead of emergency briefings with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on the looming natural disaster.
The prime minister was intending to fly to Perth on Friday ahead of the WA election on Saturday, but he said he would no longer go due to the threat of the cyclone.
"I was due to travel to Western Australia on Friday and Saturday, but chances are I intend to stay on the east coast," he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.
"(The National Emergency Management Agency) is based in Canberra. That's a good place to monitor what is happening nationally."
The tropical cyclone comes as the prime minister is widely expected to visit the governor-general and call the election in coming days.
While the election is not due to be held until May 17, speculation has been growing the election could be called in coming days, and held on April 12.
However, the impact of the cyclone could mean those plans could be set aside.
Mr Albanese played down questions about a possible election date.
"My focus is on governing. That's why I'm here, continuing to govern," he said.
"There are no political parties here, there are no borders between NSW and Queensland, just Australians working together."
Housing Minister Clare O'Neil rejected suggestions the government was thinking about election timing implications following a natural disaster.
"Politics is the furthest thing from the PM's mind today," she said.
"People are literally sandbagging their homes, and I think the discussion about how this affects politics is irrelevant and really crass," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
"All we care about right now is the safety and preservation of property for people affected by this event."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the prime minister would be ignoring community concerns if he decided to call an election in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone.
"There will be people waiting for waters to reside, there will be swift water rescues, there will be people cleaning out their houses or their businesses and some people will have lost everything," he told Brisbane radio station 4BC.
"To go to (an) election at this stage, at that time, I think the prime minister would have a tin ear to do that.
"I think people probably want from their prime minister is governing not campaigning at a time like this."
Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said the safety of residents in Queensland and NSW was the priority.
However, she said the government needed to be transparent about election timing and whether it would still hand down a budget.
A budget is pencilled in for March 25, but could be cancelled if an election is called beforehand.
"The Australian public deserves the level of transparency as to what is actually in the books," Senator Hume told Seven's Sunrise.
