National broadcaster ABC said Albanese’s Labor party would “form government in the next parliament”.
“This could be a big win for Labor. But it’s certainly a win.”
The right-leaning Liberal-National Coalition was leading in a combined 32 seats, the Australian Electoral Commission said, with early data unavailable in 25 races.
Hungry voters munched on barbecued “democracy sausages” after casting their ballot -- a polling day rite of passage -- while others in bright swimwear crammed into booths after taking an early morning plunge.
“The holy grail is back-to-back wins that we’re aiming for today,“ Albanese told Channel Seven.
Though trailing by a few percentage points in the polls, Dutton said “quiet Australians” could yet deliver a surprise.
- 'Mad as a cut snake' -
“I am 54. I am still very young, and I’ve just got a burning passion for this country,“ Dutton replied, when asked if he would stay on as opposition leader.
A total of 18.1 million voters have enrolled for the election. About half of them cast an early ballot, the election authority said.
Albanese has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system.
Some polls showed Dutton leaking support because of Trump, who he praised this year as a “big thinker” with “gravitas” on the global stage.
“And we’ve got to tiptoe around that.”
As Australians soured on Trump, both Dutton and Albanese took on a more pugnacious tone.
Albanese condemned Trump’s tariffs as an act of “economic self-harm” and “not the act of a friend”.
“The cost of living -- it’s extremely high at the moment. So, taxes as well, is also another really big thing. Petrol prices, all the basic stuff,“ human resources manager Robyn Knox told AFP in Brisbane.
“Our grocery shops are definitely way more expensive than they were a couple years ago,“ he said.
Coal-mining superpower Australia will choose between two leaders with sharply contrasting ideas on climate change and emissions reduction.
Dutton's signature policy was a US$200 billion scheme to construct seven industrial-scale nuclear reactors, doing away with the need to ramp up renewables.
Albanese tumbled backwards off the stage at a heaving campaign rally, while Dutton drew blood when he hit an unsuspecting cameraman in the head with a stray football.
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