But citizens usually look to media outlets and election experts - like Australia's national broadcaster ABC - to call the unofficial results on election night. In the last election in 2022, the ABC announced the results at 9:30pm - just three and a half hours after polls closed on the east coast.

Australia will hold a general election on Saturday, with polls indicating Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's ruling centre-left Labor is ahead of opposition leader Peter Dutton's conservative Liberal-National coalition.

Polls in South Australia, Broken Hill (a New South wales outback town that’s close to the South Australia border) and the Northern Territory will vote from 8am to 6pm Australian Central Standard Time (22:30 GMT on Friday to 08:30 GMT on Saturday).