Sawt Falasteen - Polls open in Australian vote swayed by inflation, Trump

From dusty desert towns to sun-splashed harbour cities, millions of Australians will choose 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.

"I'll leave nothing on the field over the next three years if I'm re-elected as Australia's prime minister," Albanese told Channel Seven on Saturday morning.

"I'm hopeful that we receive a majority government today so that we can build on the foundations that we've laid. Australia has turned the corner."

The first polls opened at 8:00 am (2200 GMT) on Australia's east coast, to be 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.

- Trump slump -

Liberal Party leader and former police officer Dutton, 54, wants to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power.

Some polls showed Dutton leaking support because of US President 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.

"And we've got to tiptoe around that."

As Australians soured on Trump, both Dutton and Albanese took on a more pugnacious tone.

"If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader, to advance our nation's interest, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Dutton said in April.

Albanese condemned Trump's tariffs as an act of "economic self-harm" and "not the act of a friend".

Economic concerns have dominated the contest for the many Australian households struggling to pay inflated prices for milk, bread, power and petrol.

"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.

Small business owner Jared Bell had similar concerns.

"Our grocery shops are definitely way more expensive than they were a couple years ago," he said.

- Campaign stumbles -

Both Albanese and Dutton tried to tout themselves as men of the people but were stumped when asked the price of eggs in a nationally televised debate.

Coal-mining superpower Australia will choose between two leaders with sharply contrasting ideas on climate change and emissions reduction.

Albanese's government has embraced the global push towards decarbonisation, warning of a future in which iron ore and polluting coal exports no longer prop up the economy.

Dutton's signature policy is a US$200 billion scheme to construct seven industrial-scale nuclear reactors, doing away with the need to ramp up renewables.

The 36-day campaign was a largely staid affair but there were a few moments of unscripted levity.

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.

It remains to be seen whether Albanese or Dutton will command an outright majority, or whether they are forced to cobble together a coalition with the support of minor parties.

Growing disenchantment among voters has emboldened independents pushing for greater transparency and climate progress.

Polls have suggested 10 or more unaligned crossbenchers could hold the balance of power -- making a rare minority government a distinct possibility.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST