From dusty desert towns to sun-splashed harbor cities, voters are choosing between left-leaning incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and conservative challenger Peter Dutton.

The almost universal consensus across a slew of opinion polls leading up to election day was that Albanese's governing Labor Party would win a second term. 

"The holy grail is back-to-back wins that we're aiming for today," Albanese told Channel Seven. 

"I'll leave nothing on the field over the next three years if I'm reelected as Australia's prime minister."

Though trailing by a few percentage points in the polls, Dutton said "quiet Australians" could yet deliver a surprise.

"I think they're going to go into the polling booth and say: 'You know what? I am not going to reward Anthony Albanese for the last three years'," he told Channel Nine.

Asked if he would remain opposition leader if he loses, Dutton said he was only talking about winning, but added: "I am 54. I am still very young, and I've just got a burning passion for this country."

Trump slump

The first polls opened at 8:00 a.m. on Australia's east coast, followed later by the country's western cities and far-flung island territories.

A total of 18.1 million voters have enrolled for the election. More than a third of them have cast an early ballot, the election authority said.

Voting is compulsory, enforced with fines of A$20 (US$13), leading to turnouts that top 90 percent.

A result could come as soon as Saturday night, unless the vote is very tight.

Albanese, 62, has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system. 

Liberal Party leader and former police officer Dutton wants to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power. 

Some polls showed Dutton leaking support because of Trump, who he praised this year as a "big thinker" with "gravitas" on the global stage. 

"I mean, Donald Trump is as mad as a cut snake, and we all know that," said voter Alan Whitman, 59, before casting his ballot on Saturday. 

"And we've got to tiptoe around that."

High prices

As Australians soured on Trump, both Dutton and Albanese took on a more pugnacious tone. 

"If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader, to advance our nation's interest, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Dutton said in April. 

Albanese condemned Trump's tariffs as an act of "economic self-harm" and "not the act of a friend".

Economic concerns have dominated the contest for the many Australian households struggling to pay inflated prices for milk, bread, power and petrol. 

"The cost of living -- it's extremely high at the moment. So, taxes as well, is also another really big thing. Petrol prices, all the basic stuff," human resources manager Robyn Knox told AFP in Brisbane.

Small business owner Jared Bell had similar concerns.

"Our grocery shops are definitely way more expensive than they were a couple years ago," he said.

Campaign stumbles

Coal-mining superpower Australia will choose between two leaders with sharply contrasting ideas on climate change and emissions reduction. 

Albanese's government has embraced the global push towards decarbonization, warning of a future in which iron ore and polluting coal exports no longer prop up the economy.

Dutton's signature policy is a US$200 billion scheme to construct seven industrial-scale nuclear reactors, doing away with the need to ramp up renewables.

The 36-day campaign was a largely staid affair but there were a few moments of unscripted levity.

Albanese tumbled backwards off the stage at a heaving campaign rally, while Dutton drew blood when he hit an unsuspecting cameraman in the head with a stray football.

It remains to be seen whether Albanese or Dutton will command an outright majority, or whether they are forced to cobble together a coalition with the support of minor parties.

Polls have suggested 10 or more unaligned crossbenchers could hold the balance of power -- making a rare minority government a distinct possibility.