By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Early voting in the Australian election began on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor party holding a slim lead over the conservative opposition coalition.
A steady increase in early and postal voting means as many as half of eligible Australians will cast their ballots before the May 3 election date, according to data from the country’s election commission.
The beginning of voting coincides with a slump in popularity of the opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, who has struggled to shake off perceived ideological closeness to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Dutton was forced to abandon a policy that would have required federal government workers to return to the office full time while cutting tens of thousands of public sector jobs, seen as taking inspiration from Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), set up by Elon Musk.
Albanese has surged in the polls from a deficit of six points against Dutton’s conservative coalition as recently as January to a lead of as much as nine points earlier this month.
Polling from Newspoll released on Sunday showed Labor held a four-point lead over the opposition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed as part of the country’s preferential voting system where voters rank their choices.
"There’s no complacency from my camp, I assure you of that," Albanese told a press conference on Monday.
"This election is certainly up for grabs."
He pointed to the 2019 federal election, when some betting firms paid out early on a Labor victory, in an election that was ultimately won by Liberal leader Scott Morrison.
Campaigning in the election, where voting is compulsory for Australians over 18, is expected to be subdued on Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis.
Dutton and Albanese are due to meet in a third and final televised election debate on Tuesday evening.