ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: The Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd cast his vote in Brisbane on Saturday (September 7) as the country's residents went to the polls to elect a new government.<br/> <br />Rudd returned as premier on June 26 after his party ousted Julia Gillard, the country's first female prime minister, due to a prolonged slump in opinion polls.<br/> <br />Tony Abbott, who leads the conservative opposition, can take office if he wins just one extra seat in the parliament's 150-seat lower house.<br/> <br />Opinion polls throughout the campaign point to a comfortable victory for the Liberal National Coalition, ending a tumultuous six years in power for the Australian Labor Party.<br/> <br />Rudd and Abbott have argued over how to tackle Australia's budget deficit and both have pledged to stop asylum seekers arriving by boat.<br/> <br />Voting is compulsory for more than 14 million people over the age of 18.<br/> <br />Polls opened at 8am (2200GMT) and close at 6pm (0800GMT).
