| Polls are moments from closing on the east coast with counting now beginning to determine who governs the country for the next three years. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be watching the early results roll in at Kirribilli House with a spring in his step; the latest polling indicating Labor is set to hold on to government. EXIT POLL SHOCKWAVES: Where Labor, Coalition are in trouble Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, in Brisbane, spent Saturday holding onto hope that “quiet Australians” would cast a vote for the Coalition so as not to “reward” Labor for the last three years. But both major parties were bracing for the lowest combined primary vote on record, according to the latest Newspoll results.  There were outbreaks of bad behaviour on polling booths with posters ripped down in Parramatta and a Liberal candidate’s corflutes being placed on a war memorial in Victoria. ‘UNPREPARED’: Inside story of what went wrong with the Coalition's campaign Millions of Australians flocked to community halls and local schools to cast their ballots and enjoy a traditional democracy sausage, but those who waited until election day to vote were in the minority. More than 6.77 million people cast an early vote, a 22 per cent increase since 2022. By polling day, more than half of eligible voters had already cast their ballot. ‘ROCK BOTTOM’: How a small Labor dinner party turned into a campaign strategy | 
