Katy Watson
Reporting from Perth

Independent candidate Kate Chaneythis week joined canvassers outside the early voting centre in Subiaco, anupmarket suburb of Perth, to try and convince undecided voters. It’s going to be a tight race inWestern Australia’s most affluent electorate of Curtin.

She’s one of a growing number of Independents in Australia winningseats from the major parties.

In the 2022 federal elections, 10Independents won seats in the House of Representatives.

“We’ve seen a steady decline for primary support for the two majorparties over the past 20 years and I don’t think either party has doneanything in the last three years that would change that trend,” she says.

“Increasingly people are seeing there’s a lack of courage from both sides andthey are looking further afield to find candidates who actually are answerableto them, not to a party structure.”

Kate says that among her electorate increasingly people are worried aboutpolitics outside of Australia too.

“Since Trump has come in, we’ve seen a huge shift in thegeopolitical order and Australia is in this position where the US is a closeally and has been for 80 years, but China is our major trading partner so wehave to balance these interests very carefully.

“People are starting to questionwhether the assumptions on which our defence strategy is based still hold.”

Tione Zylstra
Reporting from Brisbane

I’m in Griffith, in the heart of so-called “Greensland”, a nickname earned when the left-wing Greens Party surprised many by picking up three neighbouring seats here in 2022.

Queensland is often viewed as a more conservative state, but in 2022 the seats of Griffith, Brisbane, and Ryan turned green in a pleasant shock for former state MP and party volunteer Amy MacMahon.

“We campaigned really hard in 2022… We definitely put in the effort to win those seats, but winning back seats is also tough. Winning in general is very tough.”

So the real question today is, can the Greens hold onto Griffith?

“The feedback we’ve been getting from the campaigning and in early voting has been great,” MacMahon says.

“The Greens don’t take anything for granted, so we’ve been working really hard – partly because we did suffer some setbacks at the state election.”

Voters come in all shapes and sizes, and in this case, even some furry companions have made their way to the booths across Australia.

And of course there’s plenty of democracy sausages too.

At early polling in south east Melbourne we met friends Lachlan Sealie and Griffin Fortune, both 21-year-old students.

This is the second time they’ve been able to vote in a Federal Election. Lachlan had no hesitation what his biggest worry is: “It’s rent prices,” he says.

“I live at home at the moment, and it’s impossible to envisage a future when you can live out of home as a young person.”

For Griffin, Australia needs more equality and “acceptance”.

“I feel a lot of parties are running on racist ideologies, so I have voted for the friendly parties I guess – the ones not that weren’t running on anti-immigration, anti-homosexuality.”

Polls are now open in Perth, which means all of mainland Australia can vote on this election day.

Polls will remain open until 18:00 (local time) across Australia.

As the day goes on, you’ll see candidates themselves casting their votes and making last minute pitches to voters – and of course, more pictures of democracy sausages.

Millions of Australians have already voted early, according to pre-polls. But there’s still plenty of action to come throughout the day.

Stick with us.

Yang Tian and Kellie Highet
BBC News, Sydney

Buying or renting a home in Australia has increasingly become unaffordable for the average person.

House prices have reached astronomic heights, rental increases have been relentless and there is a lack of social housing.

That’s why housing remains among the top issues for voters, and the country’s two major parties – the Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition – have both pledged to tackle the crisis in a range of ways.

• Read more: Election brings housing crisis into focus

We heard from the prime minister earlier, now it’s the turn of the opposition leader Peter Dutton – who took aim at his rival.

He told Weekend Today on Channel 9 that he believed many Australians would be keeping quiet about how they’re voting.

“I think they’re going to go into the polling booth and say, you know what, I’m not going to reward Anthony Albanese for the last three years,” he said.

Dutton also mentioned the cost of living, as well as crime. It’s an issue he has frequently campaigned on, using his history as a former police officer.

“I think today really is about what people believe is in our country’s best interests,” he added.

Tiffanie Turnbull
Reporting from Sydney

Five weeks ago when Albanese announced the election, pollinghad the PM facing such a rough path to retaining office he was asked if he had an“incumbency curse” – a term to explain a global trend where constituents upset attough economic conditions were turfing out governments after a single term.

But pollsters and political strategists say over the course ofthe campaign, the curse became a gift, as international instability appears tohave swayed voters in countries like Canada away from change.

And it is now the Liberal-National Coalition that opinion polling is painting a grim picture for.A few weeks ago Peter Dutton looked like he was writing a great political comeback, but one YouGov survey this week has his party facing their worst loss since 1946.

Polling always comes with a warning of course – and the Coalitionsays their internal numbers have them performing far better than the publishedresults – but it’s fair to say Labor is now in ‘poll position’.

At Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, the surf life saving club acts as a polling station on election day.

As voting is mandatory in Australia, many locals weave in their democratic responsibilities with their Saturday morning routines – like going for a swim.

In the photo above, a couple of blokes vote in their swimmers.

And when they finish up, you can see what’s waiting for them outside. A barbecue with those famous democracy sausages.

Meanwhile, polling booths have just opened in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, and Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been doing the morning rounds as part of a last-minute pitch to the millions of people who are yet to vote.

From the MCG stadium in Melbourne, he declared it’s “game day”. He didn’t hold back any punches when it came to his opposite number Peter Dutton, who he accused of not being ready for government and trying to run a scare campaign.

The PM told ABC News that Dutton and the Coalition were planning “savage cuts” needed to fund their $600bn (£291bn, US$387bn) “nuclear fantasy”. Nuclear energy has been a major campaign issue in this election.

Albanese insisted Labor has a plan to tackle the cost of living, a hot topic for many Australians, by promising tax cuts for 14 million people.

We just introduced Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, now let’s talk about opposition leader Peter Dutton.

Dutton’s hard-line brand of conservativism and combative statements have often stirred controversy, making him one of Australian politics’ most polarising figures.

As a fresh-faced former policeman in 2002, he stood up in Canberra’s Parliament House and introduced himself to the nation.

“As a police officer,” he said, “I have seen the best and the worst that society has to offer. I have seen the wonderful, kind nature of people willing to offer any assistance to those in their worst hour, and I have seen the sickening behaviour displayed by people who, frankly, barely justify their existence in our sometimes over-tolerant society.”

He vowed to fight for the “forgotten people” of Australia who were “fed up” with the “boisterous minority and the politically correct” – a stance he has steadfastly clung to during his climb to the top of the Liberal-National coalition.

The 54-year-old has fought this election on many of those same battlegrounds.

• Read more: Peter Dutton – The ex-cop who brought Australia’s opposition back from the brink

With voting under way on the east coast, let’s take a look at some of the key players in this election – starting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

When Albanese announced the election would be held, he reiterated a promise he made when he became Australia’s prime minister three years ago – “No one held back, and no one left behind”.

Voters today will be asking if he has done enough to keep his promise.

For many, Albanese’s leadership brought a sense of relief and hope for a new chapter, free of the political instability and national crises which had plagued successive governments.

“Albo”, as he is commonly known, quickly set about upping Australia’s emissions reduction efforts, stabilising international relations and implementing key policy changes.

But after three years of global economic pain, tense national debate, and growing government dissatisfaction, he could face the prospect of becoming the first single-term prime minister in almost a century.

• Read more: Anthony Albanese – The ‘working-class hero’ who fell out of favour

Victoria Bourne
Reporting from Sydney

It’s a relatively chilly morning here in the Harbour city but that hasn’t stopped Sydney-siders starting their day typically early.

Streets are lined with posters on lamp posts promoting candidates from each of the major parties.

In the weeks leading up to today, volunteers wearing brightly coloured t-shirts corresponding to their political persuasion have been busy canvassing voters.

My husband will be among the millions of Australians planning on voting today.

He has planned a trip to our local surf life saving club with friends, who have already been chatting about ensuring they snag a democracy sausage after doing their civic duty.

Polling booths have just opened across the east coast. Stay tuned, we’ll bring you all the latest updates throughout the day.

For many Australians, it is the smoking aroma of sizzling sausages that makes election day complete.

More than 1,500 polling booths have already confirmed they will be stocking “democracy sausages” – as they have come to be known here – along with tea, cakes and other tasty fare for voters, according to the tracking site democracysausage.org.

Polling day barbecues have long been an Australian staple, but the term “democracy sausage” was first coined in 2012 and has since taken off as a symbol of the nation’s pride in its democratic traditions.

For the 18 million Australian voters in this election, casting their ballots for their favoured candidate is also a legal obligation.

Voting has been compulsory for all Australian citizens over the age of 18 since 1924, and those who fail to do so face a A$20 ($13; £10) fine.

Today, Australia boasts one of the highest voter turnouts in the world – while many other countries are struggling to get people to vote.

The last federal election here, in 2022, saw around 90% of eligible voters cast ballots, according to official statistics.

For comparison, the UK only had about 60% voter turnout for their general election last year.

Read more about compulsory voting in Australia here.

If polling and political messaging are anything to go by, cost of living is sure to be the biggest concern influencing how Australians vote this election.

Since the last election in 2022, inflation – which is now slowing – has ramped up the prices of everyday essentials such as food and utilities. And many households are feeling the pinch.

The Albanese government has implemented or promised a string of policies that it says are aimed at providing relief, including offering tax cuts, energy rebates and rental assistance to those eligible.

The Coalition says their policies – which include a promise to temporarily cut a fuel tax by 25c – will ease the strain for voters far more than anything Labor is offering.

Housing affordability will also be a key issue this election cycle, with several Australian cities among the most expensive in the world for homebuyers.

Climate and energy will also be front of mind for many voters, with Labor’s pitch focusing on renewable energy while the Coalition touts its controversial nuclear power scheme.

The left-leaning Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese, who has been the prime minister since 2022, is running for re-election.

A stalwart of parliament for almost 30 years, Albanese enjoyed a period of broad popularity after coming to power – but in recent times has come under pressure over his handling of divisive topics like housing, Indigenous affairs, and both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

His challenger is Peter Dutton from the conservative Liberal-National coalition, who is contesting his first election as opposition leader.

A staunch conservative, Dutton has years of experience in important ministerial portfolios – like defence and home affairs – but has been a controversial figure at times, particularly on social issues.

Australians do not get to vote for the PM candidates themselves as there is no separate leadership ballot. The leader of the party that receives the most seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Australia’s federal election.

As millions of Australians head out to cast their votes, the race for the nation’s next prime minister is forecast to be a tight battle between incumbent leader Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton, with a bevy of other players also vying for seats.

We’ll be bringing you the latest news from across the country and giving you everything you need to understand why this vote matters – for Australia and the world.

Stay with us for updates.