The voting for the 2025 Australian federal election officially began at 8 AM on the 3rd, with more than 18 million Australian voters set to elect the 48th federal parliament of Australia.
Voting will conclude at 6 PM local time. The Australian Electoral Commission has set up over 7,000 polling centers across the country and voting stations in several other countries.
Polling stations will begin to close gradually starting at 6 PM, with preliminary results expected to be announced after 7 PM.
Some voters have already cast their votes early. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, as of May 1st, 5.67 million people have voted at polling centers, and 1.52 million have returned their ballots by mail, marking a historic high for early voting.
This federal election will produce a new House of Representatives in the federal parliament. To form a government, at least 76 of the total 150 seats in the House of Representatives must be won. If a single party cannot achieve a majority, it must collaborate with other parties or independent candidates to gain a majority, resulting in a "hung parliament." This federal election will also elect 40 federal Senate members.
Opinion polls indicate that Labor Prime Minister Albanese is poised to become the first Australian leader in over 20 years to win consecutive elections.