TRANSCRIPT
Australians are casting their votes across the country in the federal election on election day.
More than 18 million Australians are eligible to vote across 150 lower house electorates, although many have pre-poll voted before election day.
The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is favoured to be returned in some form.
Mr Albanese, aiming to become the first Prime Minister since 2004 to win back-to-back elections, has cast his vote in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Marrickville.
He started the day in Melbourne, before travelling home to Sydney to vote in in his seat of Grayndler.
Mobbed after casting his vote, Mr Albanese says people should value the way democracy is conducted in Australia.
"Oh look, it's the democratic process is taking place. It's a great thing today. And It's great to be at my local polling booth here."
Voting is compulsory, and those without a valid reason not to can be punished via a fine.
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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he's still confident of winning the election, despite polling looking bad for the coalition.
Mr Dutton has voted in his electorate of Dickson, in Brisbane's outer north-western suburbs... a seat he only holds by 1.7 per cent.
Mr Dutton started his election day handing out how to vote cards in Melbourne, before heading home to Brisbane.
The opposition leader is fighting to overcome history by becoming the first leader since 1931 to unseat a government after one term.
He says his experience campainging around the country doesn't match what pollsters are saying.
"Look, I've been speaking to our marginal seat members around the country, and there's been a really very positive response, and there's been a very encouraging response at both the pre poll and today at the election booth. So I'm confident that Australians have seen through a bad government, and I'm confident that Australians can't afford to three more years of what they've experienced and there are a lot of families who are really doing it very tough at the moment and Australians can't afford three more years of Labor, and our positive plan is about making sure that we can manage our economy and get inflation down."
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Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has been confronted by a pro-Palestine protester at an inner-city Canberra polling booth.
James Godfrey, a spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, whose aid vessel was struck in international waters overnight, approached the incumbent finance minister with accusations of genocide.
Mr Godfrey says it's important people consider this issue when they vote today.
"She lied. Bald faced. I hope you caught it on camera, she lied and the Australian government's complicit. People need to vote with Palestine today. Send a message to the Australian government, particularly in seats like this. Send a message to the Labor government, it's not good enough."
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Indigenous Ausralians casting their ballots in inner-city Sydney say Inidgenous rights are key to how they're voting.
First time voter Amarley Bron, a Biripi and Worimi woman, told N-I-T-V she wants to see more ambitious action on Indigenous health and housing policy, and was disappointed in the focus on Welcomes to Country in the last week of the campaign.
She says she feels like Aboriginal rights have been overlooked during this campaign.
"More personally probably Aboriginal rights is probably the most significant to me and my family and my community. I just think that has been, like, looked away a little bit, and it's been something, not necessarily ignored but it hasn't been as recognised just with all the things happening."
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People around the country are using the federal election as an opportunity to fundraise, and have fun.
Places where people are casting their ballots- mainly schools and churches- are holding barbecues to raise money on polling fday, with many people buying the favoured sausage in bread, known as a democracy sausage.
For the first time, Millennials and Gen-Z will overtake Baby Boomers to form the dominant voting bloc.
In the Melbourne seat of Menzies, this first time voter was just happy to participate in the democratic process.
"Yes, it was pretty exciting. It was good, interesting experiences getting there. And yeah, like finding it out about all the different candidates and stuff. And, yeah."
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Briefly in other news...
Israeli drones have allegedly struck a humanitarian ship bound for Gaza in international waters off Malta.
The Maltese government says the vessel and its crew were secured in the early hours of Friday morning after a nearby tug assisted with firefighting operations.
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U-S President Donald Trump has signed an executive order cutting federal funding for U-S broadcasters N-P-R and P-B-S.
In the administration's latest move to sanction institutions it views as opposed to their political agenda, Mr Trump's order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease direct funding to the networks.
N-P-R says it will aggressively challenge the executive order and P-B-S says it is exploring its options.
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Polls have opened in Singapore for an election largely expected to see the unbroken rule of the People's Action Party continue.
As Singapore braces for the economic turbulence of the global trade war, the election will be a test of public approval for the new prime minister.
The People's Action Party has ruled over the city-state since before it's independence in 1965, with attention now on whether the opposition can challenge it's tight grip on power.
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Ange Postecoglou has bemoaned the "negative" narrative around Tottenham, but says he has been impressed with the focus of his players as they try to win the club's first trophy since 2008.
Spurs hold a two-goal advantage in their Europa League semi-final with Bodo Glimt after a 3-1 first-leg victory.
Spurs' bid for Europa League glory has taken a blow after Lucas Bergvall was ruled out for the rest of the campaign, while James Maddison has been sent for a scan on a knee injury.
