Sydney: Polls in some of Australia's eastern states closed on Saturday with conservative Prime Minister John Howard hoping a late surge in voter support would help him win.
Howard is still hoping for a fifth term in office despite trailing Labor rival Kevin Rudd in every opinion poll since January.
"I've been in this game long enough to know what people's reaction is like," Howard told reporters as he cast his vote.
"There is no doubt there has been a shift in public sentiment in the final days of the campaign," he said.
An exit poll by Sky television predicted a landslide win for Rudd, who received 53 per cent of the vote while the ruling Libereal party only got 47 per cent.
Voting in Victoria and New South Wales, the nation's most populous states, ended at 6pm (0700 GMT). The last polling stations will close in Western Australia at 0900 GMT.
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