Australia votes for new Parliament

Polling is underway in Australia for Parliamentary elections. Voting is taking place for 150 members of the House of Representatives (the lower house) and 76 seats of Senate (the upper house).

Australia, one of the world's oldest continuing democracies, has mandatory voting and a record 16. 5 million enrolled voters.

This is the first general



election since political infighting ousted the nation's fourth leader in a decade.

The nation holds elections every three years, but no Prime Minister has succeeded in serving a full term since 2007.

Surveys have shown that the economy, cost of living, environment and health are central concerns for voters