A campaign dominated by rising living costs, climate change, national security and integrity.
A campaign dominated by rising living costs, climate change, national security and integrity.
Australians vote in a national election on Saturday, with opinion polls showing the opposition Labor Party far ahead of the ruling conservative coalition, although a strong showing by climate-focused independents could lead to a hung parliament.
Centre-left Labor made a decent head start in the campaign after nine years in opposition, but recent polls showed Prime Minister Scott MorrisonThe U.S. Liberal-National government is bridging the gap in the final phase of a six-week difficult campaign.
In-person voting at polling stations in suburban schools, beach pavilions and outback halls opens at 8 a.m. (2200 GMT on Friday) and will close at 6 p.m. (0800 GMT).
Mr Morrison and Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese made whistle-stop tours of marginal seats in the final two days of a campaign dominated by rising living costs, climate change, national security and integrity.
As Labor focuses on inflation and sluggish wage growth, Mr Morrison has made the country’s lowest unemployment number in nearly half a century the focus of the final hours of his campaign. Inflation has grown twice as fast as wages, with real income in the red.
While the economy is a major issue, many so-called “teal independents” are challenging the seats held by major Liberals, campaigning for action on climate change after some of Australia’s worst floods and fires.
In the outgoing parliament, the Liberal-National coalition held 76 of the 151 lower house seats, while Labor had 68, with seven minor party and independent members.
Voting is mandatory and preliminary results should be known by Saturday evening, although the Australian Electoral Commission has flagged a clear winner if it is a close contest due to the time required to count the nearly 3 million postal votes, immediately cannot appear.
The Australian Electoral Commission said more than half the votes had already been cast as of Friday evening, with a record 8 million initial individual and postal votes.
The two-hour time difference between the East and West Coasts means polling stations in Western Australia will still be open as early counting begins with the populous East Coast states, which have 124 of the lower house’s 151 seats.