Millions of Australians voted Saturday in a bitterly contested general election, following a campaign shaped by living costs, climate anxiety and US President Donald Trump's tariffs, reports BSS.
From dusty desert towns to sun-splashed harbour cities, voters are choosing between left-leaning incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and conservative challenger Peter Dutton.
The almost universal consensus across a slew of opinion polls leading up to election day was that Albanese's governing Labor Party would win a second term.
"The holy grail is back-to-back wins that we're aiming for today," Albanese told Channel Seven.
"I'll leave nothing on the field over the next three years if I'm re-elected as Australia's prime minister."
Though trailing by a few percentage points in the polls, Dutton said "quiet Australians" could yet deliver a surprise.
"I think they're going to go into the polling booth and say: 'You know what? I am not going to reward Anthony Albanese for the last three years'," he told Channel Nine.
Asked if he would remain opposition leader if he loses, Dutton said he was only talking about winning, but added: "I am 54. I am still very young, and I've just got a burning passion for this country."
The first polls opened at 8:00 am (2200 GMT) on Australia's east coast, followed later by the country's western cities and far-flung island territories.
A total of 18.1 million voters have enrolled for the election. More than a third of them have cast an early ballot, the election authority said.
Voting is compulsory, enforced with fines of Aus$20 (US$13), leading to turnouts that top 90 percent.
A result could come as soon as Saturday night, unless the vote is very tight.
Albanese, 62, has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system.
Liberal Party leader and former police officer Dutton wants to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power.
Some polls showed Dutton leaking support because of Trump, who he praised this year as a "big thinker" with "gravitas" on the global stage.
"I mean, Donald Trump is as mad as a cut snake, and we all know that," said voter Alan Whitman, 59, before casting his ballot on Saturday.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
