Australians vote in tight election

Australians head to the polls in a closely watched national election, with cost-of-living and global instability shaping voter concerns.

Australians are casting their final votes Saturday in a national election that pits Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party against Peter Dutton’s center-right Liberal Party.

While both major parties have focused on cost-of-living pressures, opinion polls indicate that global uncertainty — driven in part by U.S. President Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff policies — has become a top concern for voters during the campaign.

Pre-election polling had firmed in Labor’s favor, but Australia’s preferential voting system and the declining dominance of the two major parties make the outcome difficult to predict in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

A record 8 million of the 18 million eligible voters had already cast their ballots before Saturday.

In the 2022 election, primary votes were nearly evenly split: 32.6% for Labor, 35.7% for the Liberal-Nationals, and 31.7% for other candidates. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said a similar share of voters choosing independents and minor parties is likely again this year.

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