Early Voting begins for Australia's national election amid campaigning

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.

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton cancelled campaign events planned for Tuesday out of respect for the late pontiff. Flags were flown at half staff from government buildings across the country where a 2021 census found 20% of the population were Catholics.

Albanese was raised as a Catholic but chose to be sworn in as prime minister when he was elected in 2022 by making a secular affirmation rather than by taking an oath on a Bible. He 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 News poll 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.