Early voting begins ahead of Australian election

A woman walks past billboards for candidates outside a polling station in Sydney (AP)

Early voting is under way in Australia’s federal election, with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls.

Voters began casting their ballots at 550 voting stations around the country as two new opinion polls showed the centre-left Labour Party opposition had extended its lead over Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative coalition.