Australia election too close to call

Australia's election is too close to call, with the Liberal-National coalition government leading the count.

However, it remains unclear if it has won the 76 seats it needs to stay in power without the support of independents and minor parties.

Postal and pre-poll votes are now being counted as a number of important seats go down to the wire.

More than 10 million people cast ballots on Saturday, on top of four million who voted early.

Minor party success

Australians, seemingly in a mood to punish the major parties, voted in large numbers for independents and minor parties, correspondents say.

Senator Nick Xenophon has been pegged as a potential kingmaker after his newly formed political party took South Australian seat of Mayo, formerly a safe Liberal seat.

Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has polled strongly in Queensland and although it has not won a lower house seat, its preferences have tended to flow to the opposition Labor Party.

Ms Hanson told the Nine Network that, based on early results, she was likely to secure two spots in the Senate.

Labor has improved strongly on the 55 seats it currently holds in the lower house, gaining seats in Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's claims that the government intended to dismantle Australia's public health system, Medicare, was widely being credited with creating a late swing to Labor.

Analysis: Shaun Davies, Australia Editor, BBC News Online

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he's in it to win it, but pundits agree that a Labor victory is unlikely.

But there are still plenty of reasons for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to feel nervous.

As is the case elsewhere in the world, Australians seem in a mood to punish the major parties.

A hung parliament appears possible in the lower house. If the coalition doesn't take enough seats to form a government in its own right, Mr Turnbull will need to deal with the minor parties and independents.

Even if the coalition secures the lower house, candidates from outside the two major parties look likely to do well in the Senate. A substantial crossbench could play havoc with the government's attempts to pass legislation.

The conservative wing of the Liberal Party still regards Malcolm Turnbull with suspicion. Anything less than a convincing victory will leave him vulnerable to rebellion.

                                                                                                             ''BBC News''