AUSTRALIANS are today voting in what is expected to be the closest federal election since 1961. The final result may not be known for days.
Polling booths close at 6pm local time and counting begins immediately. However, the largest ever figures for “pre-polling” could mean the results of many marginal seats will not be finalised tonight.
A limited number of polling booths have been open for the last three weeks to enable those who could not vote on election day to pre-vote.
This facility is provided because it is compulsory in Australia to vote. Technically, people are supposed to explain why they cannot vote on the day, but in practice they are rarely asked.
The Australian Electoral Commission says 1.8 million votes (13.5 per cent of those eligible to vote) have been cast via post or in pre-polling centres. A further 11 million people will vote today.
Two opinion polls were published yesterday, with one showing the incumbent Labor Party leading 52:48 after preferences, but the other showing them tied 50:50 with the Liberal-National coalition.
Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott stayed up all night on Thursday in a 36-hour non-stop campaign to persuade swinging voters.
Prime minister Julia Gillard responded that “if you want someone to run a marathon, you want Tony Abbott. If you want someone to run the country, then that’s me”.
In contrast to last Sunday's newspapers, most of yesterday's dailies endorsed the coalition. The Rupert Murdoch-owned Daily Telegraphtabloid devoted its entire front page to its endorsement of Mr Abbott as Australia's next prime minister.
Bookmakers, who are usually more accurate than opinion pollsters at predicting election results, still have Labor as favourite to win, but the odds have narrowed considerably in recent days and most of the big money bets yesterday were going on the coalition.
In a last-minute appeal to Australians who fear the arrival of asylum-seeker boats, Mr Abbott said if elected prime minister, he would cut unauthorised boat arrivals to three a year.
“Under the current government . . . there’s been three boats a week,” he said. “If I can achieve three boats a year as opposed to three boats a week, I think the Australian public would have every reason to be grateful.”
Ms Gillard warned of the dangers of voting for Mr Abbott. In a short press conference yesterday, she mentioned the word “risk” 20 times.
“There is a real risk that Tony Abbott will end up as prime minister,” she said.
“The only way to avoid . . . the grocery taxes, the cuts to schools and hospitals that Mr Abbott would provide is to get out and vote Labor tomorrow.”
