Millions of Australians voted to elect representatives in the lower house and the Senate.
After an eight-week election campaign, polling booths in Australia’s general election closed at 6:00 p.m. local time, with all sources indicating a neck and neck race.
An exit poll by Sky News revealed that 62 percent believed that the coalition would win. However it was too close to declare a winner according to an exit poll by Galaxy Research, which looked at 25 marginal seats.
Given the tight nature of the contest, it is likely that a clear result will not be clear until late Saturday evening.
Just before voting started the majority of polls had the Coalition, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, with a narrow lead over the Labour Party, led by opposition leader Bill Shorten.
Both major party leaders started their days in Sydney, Turnbull voted in his seat of Wentworth. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten campaigned in key marginal seats in Western Sydney.
Everything seemed to run as normal in local polling booths, with many traditional sausage in breads being passed around. apart from reports of a polling stations being vandalised by Labour supporters and a Liberal party poll both volunteer reportedly bit a Green Party Volunteer in Melbourne.
Of the 150 seats in the lower house, either side needs to win 76 to form a majority government.
Exit polls revealed that health, the economy and marriage equality were the most talked about issues on election day.
In the election campaign, The Labor party claimed that the Coalition will erode Australia's universal health system, leading to higher costs and longer waiting lists.
The Coalition, in response, has argued the Labour party is inexperienced and ill-equipped to manage Australia's economy.
Both have pledged to invest in restoring the Great Barrier Reef, one-third of which has destroyed by mass bleaching.
But many voters are disillusioned with the rhetoric of the major parties. Independence parties, including the Greens, are expected to win a significant number of seats, particularly in the Senate where they can potentially hold a balance of power.
Given voting is compulsory in Australia, those who object to the political process or candidates often cast a donkey vote, meaning each box on the ballot is numbered in the order that the candidates appear.
