Early voting has begun in Australia ahead of the May 3 federal election, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party maintaining a narrow lead over the conservative opposition coalition led by Peter Dutton.

Australians began casting their votes on Tuesday as early and postal voting opened nationwide, with up to half of the electorate expected to vote before election day, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

Prime Minister Albanese’s Labor Party has gained momentum in recent months, reversing a six-point deficit in January to take a lead of up to nine points earlier this month. The most recent Newspoll, released Sunday, shows Labor holding a four-point lead over the opposition after accounting for preference distributions under Australia’s ranked-choice voting system.

The start of voting comes at a challenging time for opposition leader Peter Dutton, whose popularity has declined. He has struggled to distance himself from comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly after proposing a controversial policy requiring all federal public servants to return to office full-time and slashing tens of thousands of public sector jobs. The plan, reportedly inspired by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk, was later dropped amid backlash.

Despite the polling boost, Prime Minister Albanese remained cautious.

“There’s no complacency from my camp, I assure you of that,” he told reporters on Monday. “This election is certainly up for grabs.”

He referenced the 2019 federal election, when early betting markets prematurely declared a Labor victory, only for the Liberal Party under Scott Morrison to pull off an upset.

With voting mandatory for all Australians aged 18 and older, the campaign is set to take a more subdued tone on Tuesday following the passing of Pope Francis. A final televised debate between Albanese and Dutton is scheduled for Tuesday evening, offering voters a last direct comparison before election day.

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