Housing Costs Dominate Australian Voter Priorities in 2025

Australian Polling stations begin to close at 18:00 local time (08:00 GMT) across Australia, with results due later tonight – unexpectedly preventing close competition.

Prime Minister Albanese had little doubt about winning his seat when he voted in Sydney, while opposition leader Peter Dutton said he was “sure” Australians “saw a bad government” when he voted in Brisbane.

Australian Green Party leader Adam Pant has urged voters to opt for change, urging them to “vote for real action” on issues people care about, such as the cost of living, housing and the climate crisis.

A pro-Palestinian activist confronted Chancellor of the Exchequer and Labor Senate candidate Katie Gallagher at a polling station in Canberra, accusing her of complicity in genocide and “doing nothing” over Israel’s weeks-long blockade of Gaza.

WHEN WILL THE VOTE END?

Polling stations close in the Australian federal election at 18:00 local time, but the country has three different time zones, which means voting ends at different times depending on your location.

New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, in the east of the country, use Australian Eastern Standard Time and polls will close there at 08:00 GMT.

Voting will end at 08:30 GMT in South Australia and the Northern Territory, followed by 10:00 GMT in Western Australia.

HOUSING COSTS DOMINATE AUSTRALIAN VOTER PRIORITIES IN 2025

Australia is home to some of the highest house prices on the planet, and owning property has become a national obsession. According to recent research, Sydney, the country’s largest city, ranks second among the lowest priced markets out of 94 urban centers worldwide. Australia is also dealing with a housing crisis, where people are being deprived of property due to rising prices, affecting the rental market.

Housing and cost of living in Australia are among the top issues in today’s election.