General Election

PM Scott Morrison says he has united his conservative government in the nine months since he replaced Malcolm Turnbull.

Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten has pressed his case with stark policy alternatives.

Australia has mandatory voting and a record 16.4 million enrolled voters.

The nation holds elections every three years, but no prime minister has succeeded in serving a full term since 2007.

The centrist Blue and White alliance of former military chief Benny Gantz was projected to win 36 or 37 seats, with the Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 33 to 36.

Both men have claimed victory.

Two exit polls predicted that right-wing parties allied to Mr Netanyahu were more likely to be able to form a governing coalition.

But a third exit poll predicted that the bloc would be tied with centre-left parties allied to Mr Gantz.

Polls opened at 7am in Solomon Islands for the National General Election.

There are 333 candidates contesting 50 seats in parliament and over 350,000 registered voters.

The Electoral Commission said everything was in place for the ballot but it said voters should make sure they attended the correct polling stations.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday night, the police commissioner, Matthew Varley, urged Solomon Islanders to behave responsibly and vote wisely.