Australians headed to the polls on Saturday with most recent opinion polls predicting a close race.

The election sees opposition leader Bill Shorten vying to become the country's fifth prime minister in three years.

Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Malcolm Turnbull has urged Australians to vote for continuity and stability by re-electing his conservative coalition, which dumped the country's last prime minister, Tony Abbott, less than a year ago.

Shorten, who played a key role in his centre-left Labor Party ousting two of its own prime ministers in the space of three years, says the government remains deeply divided and that Labor is the stable option.

Global market turmoil since the Brexit vote, Australia's success in turning back asylum seeker boats, gay marriage, housing prices, corporate tax rates and union corruption have been major issues in the eight-week campaign.

Polling suggests that Labor will gain some seats in the election, but not the 21 needed to form a majority government in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

Australians headed to the polls on Saturday with most recent opinion polls predicting a close race.

The election sees opposition leader Bill Shorten vying to become the country's fifth prime minister in three years.

Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Malcolm Turnbull has urged Australians to vote for continuity and stability by re-electing his conservative coalition, which dumped the country's last prime minister, Tony Abbott, less than a year ago.

Shorten, who played a key role in his centre-left Labor Party ousting two of its own prime ministers in the space of three years, says the government remains deeply divided and that Labor is the stable option.

Global market turmoil since the Brexit vote, Australia's success in turning back asylum seeker boats, gay marriage, housing prices, corporate tax rates and union corruption have been major issues in the eight-week campaign.

Polling suggests that Labor will gain some seats in the election, but not the 21 needed to form a majority government in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

Sydney - 2 June 2016

1. Various of polling station with voters queueing

2. Campaign posters

3. Voters entering polling station

4. More of queue of voters