Shorten's mood for change on election day

Bill Shorten took one bite of his sausage and declared it tasted like the "mood for change" after casting his vote.

Polls suggest the opposition leader is on track to become prime minister and lead Labor to government for the first time since 2013.

Mr Shorten and his wife Chloe met voters in long queues at Moonee Ponds West Primary School in his Melbourne electorate of Maribyrnong on Saturday.

The couple cast their ballots together, a little more than seven hours before polls were due to close.

After voting, Mr Shorten enjoyed one of Australia's great election day traditions as he chomped on a sausage.

"Tastes like a mood for change," he said.

The Labor leader avoided repeating his bizarre mishap from the 2016 election when he awkwardly tackled a sausage in a roll from the middle.

This time he devoured the snag tip first, in keeping with the vast majority of Australians' preferred technique.

Voters gave him a warm reception at his local primary school, with many in the safe Labor electorate wishing him luck and pledging their vote.

Mr Shorten was a popular figure in his home suburb, made famous by Dame Edna Everage.

"Moonee Ponds could have its first prime minister - they've got one dame," he said.

One man wasn't so impressed with Mr Shorten and the large media contingent.

"F*** the lot of [you]. All a bunch of f***ing mongrels," he said loudly as he strode past the man vying to be prime minister.

There was also a hostile reception from some protesters at Carnegie Primary School in the Melbourne seat of Higgins.

"No, no, no Adani, never gonna build that mine," a singing group of Greens supporters repeated on loop.

As he tried to leave people shouted at him about action on climate change and renewable energy.

Higgins shapes as a fascinating battle, with the blue-ribbon Liberal seat under fire from Labor and the Greens.

Mr Shorten had a second sausage in Higgins, which retiring Liberal minister Kelly O'Dwyer holds with a margin of 7.4 per cent.

The Labor leader kicked off election day with a morning run around Melbourne wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned with "Vote 1 Chloe Shorten's husband".