Vote 2019: Australians head to the polls in tight federal election

Polling day has arrived as Australians head to the ballot box to decide the make-up of the country's federal parliament.

Voting Source: SBS

Polling booths around Australia have opened with millions of voters set to choose the winners and losers of the 2019 federal election.

More than 16 million Australians are expected to take part in the national vote at 7000 polling locations across the country.

'It will be a long night'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes part in an election day sausage sizzle in Launceston, Tasmania. (AAP) Source: AAP

To start election day, Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched a last-ditch blitz of northern Tasmania.

Mr Morrison is visiting two voting stations in northern Tasmania. He will then travel home to Sydney's Sutherland Shire to vote, before campaigning with other Liberal MPs in marginal seats across the city.

"I think it will be a long night. I've always said this election will be close," Mr Morrison told Network Seven's Sunrise on Saturday.

"Five weeks ago people weren't saying that but I've always known it to be the case," he said.

Labor Leader Bill Shorten starts election day. Source: Getty

Labor leader Bill Shorten is expected to visit seats in the key battleground of Victoria.

Mr Shorten started the day with a jog around Melbourne in a t-shirt with the slogan "Vote 1 Chloe Shorten's husband".

"What I know after 2000 days in the job is that I'm confident Labor can run a united government," he told Seven's Sunrise.

The opposition leader went on to vote in his electorate of Maribyrnong in western Melbourne.

Early-voting up

Bill Shorten vs Scott Morrison Source: Getty

About 4.76 million votes have been cast at early-voting centres, with 700,000 votes cast on Friday, the final day of campaigning.

This compares to a total of 2.5 million at the same stage of the 2016 federal election.

In addition, there have been 1.5 million postal vote applications, the AEC said.