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.
President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC over edited footage of a speech that made it appear he encouraged supporters to ...
Ford Motor Company said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and scrap several electric vehicle (EV) models, marking a major retreat from ...
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reachin...
Police in Providence are going door to door for home surveillance footage as the hunt continues for the shooter who killed two Brown University studen...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from 14-15 December, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys,...
President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC over edited footage of a speech that made it appear he encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, marking an international extension of his ongoing battle against media coverage he deems inaccurate or biased.
Ford Motor Company said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and scrap several electric vehicle (EV) models, marking a major retreat from its battery-powered ambitions amid declining EV demand and changes under the Trump administration.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from 14-15 December, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys, and European leaders, focusing on security guarantees and the framework for a potential peace deal with Russia.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
At least 17 people, including students, were killed and 20 others injured after a school bus fell off a cliff in northern Colombia on Sunday, authorities said.
At least 14 people have died and 32 others were injured after flash floods swept through Morocco’s Atlantic coastal city of Safi on Sunday, authorities said.
President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC over edited footage of a speech that made it appear he encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, marking an international extension of his ongoing battle against media coverage he deems inaccurate or biased.
Ford Motor Company said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and scrap several electric vehicle (EV) models, marking a major retreat from its battery-powered ambitions amid declining EV demand and changes under the Trump administration.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Police in Providence are going door to door for home surveillance footage as the hunt continues for the shooter who killed two Brown University students and injured seven others. Authorities have released fresh video and say a detained "person of interest" is now free.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from 14-15 December, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys, and European leaders, focusing on security guarantees and the framework for a potential peace deal with Russia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment