Speaking to reporters in Adelaide, the Labor leader spoke of his mother's "courage" and how his political rise was a tribute to Australia's multiculturalism
"The fact that young kid is now running for prime minister says a lot about her and her courage, but also says a lot about this country," he said on Friday.
"(It says a lot) that someone from those beginnings, someone can stand before you today, hoping to be elected prime minister of this country tomorrow."
The opposition leader has spoken frequently of his upbringing in public housing in Sydney, raised by a single mother, throughout the six-week election campaign.
Mr Albanese said Saturday's election had extra significance, with the possibility of the first prime minister being elected from a non Anglo-Celtic background.
"We give people from the humblest beginnings the best opportunity in life, and I pay tribute to my mum, but also pay tribute to others who've helped me out along the way, no one gets to this spot by themselves," he said.
The Labor leader made the comments while campaigning in Adelaide on the last day before the election, visiting a school in the marginal seat of Boothby where he was mobbed by students.
Mr Albanese also campaigned alongside former prime minister Julia Gillard, who made a rare appearance to make a pitch for a change of government.
Ms Gillard, who was prime minister during the last minority government, said Mr Albanese did not need advice from her on dealing with a hung parliament.
With the polls tightening and the prospect of a hung parliament looming, Mr Albanese said Labor was seeking a majority government.
"It's very clear that a whole lot of people who voted Liberal their whole lives have walked away from the Liberal Party," he said.
"They feel their party has walked away from them, that the values that they hold about individual liberty have been trashed."
Mr Albanese visited a coffee shop with Ms Gillard in the Adelaide seat of Sturt, which the Liberals hold by 6.9 per cent.
The Adelaide coffee shop was the first stop of a three-state campaign blitz by Mr Albanese, who is hitting the ground running before polling begins on Saturday.
Several Liberal volunteers attempted to gatecrash the event with anti-Albanese signs, but were ejected as they tried to enter the cafe.
Mr Albanese will head to marginal electorates in Tasmania and Melbourne on Friday, before Australians cast their ballots on Saturday.
