Scott Morrison will call the federal election tomorrow with voters to go to the polls on May 18  

Scott Morrison is widely tipped to visit Governor-General in Canberra on Thursday, when he will call the federal election for May 18.

The prime minister made surprise plans to fly to the nation’s capital late on Wednesday evening to prepare for a visit to Sir Peter Cosgrove at Yarralumla, The Daily Telegraph reported.  

Mr Morrison is expected to make a direct pitch to families, small business operators and seniors when it’s expected he pulls the trigger on a May 18 election.  

On Wednesday night, he released a video on social media titled My Vision for Australia, featuring his family and asking voters to think long-term.

‘The next 10 years are important for everybody, in every stage of life,’ Mr Morrison says in the 1.53 minute video.

‘If we create the right conditions then Australians will have a better next decade. The decisions you make in one term of government last for a decade or more, so it is not just about the next three years it is about what the next decade look like.’

‘The decisions you make in one term of government last a decade or more. It’s taken us 12 years to get the budget back on track.’

Mr Morrison had a dire warning for voters if they don’t return to Coalition to power next month.

‘You change, the change the course of the country and it takes a long time to get it back on track,’ he said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said it was time to ‘get on with it’ and call the election date.

‘The Australian people actually want to make a choice,’ he said.

‘Six years of instability, six years, three prime ministers … enough is enough, time’s up, let’s have an election.’

Opinion polls have the Labor opposition ahead by an average 53-47 on a two-party preferred basis, which if translated at the polls would see Mr Shorten governing with a comfortable majority in the 151-member House of Representatives.

Neither major party is expected to win majority control of the Senate, with half of the 76-seat upper house up for grabs.

After a national redrawing of seat boundaries, the coalition starts with a notional 73 seats (down from 74) with Labor on 72 (up from 69).