Australians vote in key by-election

Australians have been voting in a by-election which is expected to give a strong indication of the likely outcome of the general election expected before the end of this year.

The right-wing governing Liberal party is defending the seat at Aston, in the suburbs of Melbourne, but opinion polls suggest they are now being run extremely close by the Labor Party.

Discontent over the Liberal Party's tax policy and the state of the Australian economy have led to widespread voter discontent, and the government has already lost two state elections this year. The position is further complicated by the uncertainty of the level of support for the ultra-nationalist and anti-immigration One Nation party, led by Pauline Hanson, which has had widely-fluctuating results over the past few years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service