Polls Open In Australia, Labor Party Eyes Second Term

Australians vote in a national election to elect the 48th Parliament, with 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of 76 Senate seats contested.

The incumbent Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is seeking a second term, holding 78 seats in the outgoing House. They face the Liberal-National Coalition, led by Peter Dutton, with 54 seats, alongside minor parties like the Greens (4 seats) and independents (13 seats). Polls suggest a tight race, with Labor slightly ahead in two-party-preferred votes, but a hung parliament is the most likely outcome, potentially requiring negotiations with crossbenchers for a minority government.