SYDNEY — Early voting in the Australian election began on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party holding a slim lead over the conservative opposition coalition.

A steady increase in early and postal voting means as many as half of eligible Australians will cast their ballots before the May 3 election date, according to data from the country's electoral commission.

The beginning of voting coincides with a slump in popularity of the opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, who has struggled to shake off perceived ideological closeness to United States President Donald Trump.

Dutton was forced to abandon a policy that would have required federal government workers to return to the office full time while cutting tens of thousands of public sector jobs, seen as taking inspiration from Trump and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, headed by billionaire Elon Musk.

Albanese has surged in the polls from a deficit of six points against Dutton's conservative coalition as recently as January to a lead of as much as 9 percentage points earlier this month.

Polling from Newspoll released on Sunday showed Labor held a 4-point lead over the opposition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed as part of the country's preferential voting system where voters rank their choices.

"There's no complacency from my camp, I assure you of that," Albanese told a news conference on Monday. "This election is certainly up for grabs."

He pointed to the 2019 federal election, when some betting firms paid out early on a Labor victory, in an election that was ultimately won by Liberal leader Scott Morrison.

Campaigning in the election, where voting is compulsory for Australians over 18, was expected to be subdued on Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis.

Dutton and Albanese met in Sydney on Tuesday night for the third televised leaders' debate of the campaign. A fourth debate is planned for Sunday.

Agencies via Xinhua