CANBERRA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A poll, conducted by think tank the Lowy Institute ahead of the May 3 general election, found that 41 percent of respondents identified Anthony Albanese as the prime minister candidate who would be more competent at handling foreign policy compared to 29 percent for opposition leader Peter Dutton.

The same survey, released on Thursday, asked respondents which candidate they think would be better at managing Australia's relationship with the United States and President Donald Trump, 35 percent of participants chose Dutton and 34 percent Albanese.

Campaigning in Brisbane on Thursday, Albanese said he is "optimistic" about where the Australian economy is positioned in response to U.S. tariffs.

"We're confident and I'm very optimistic about where Australia's positioned," he said when asked if the tariffs would lead to higher unemployment.

Albanese said during a debate with Dutton on Wednesday night that the government has put forward a proposition to the United States on the tariffs, but said he would stand up for Australia's "national interest" on biosecurity, media and pharmaceutical laws that the Trump administration has cited as trade grievances.

During the debate, Dutton, who has promised to abandon Australia's Paris Agreement emissions reduction target if elected prime minister, said that he would "let scientists pass judgment" on whether the impacts of climate change are getting more severe.

Facing pushback on the comment from Labor as well as scientists and environmentalists on Thursday, the opposition leader declared that he does believe in climate change and that it is a "reality."

The election campaign is expected to enter a lull over the four-day Easter weekend from Friday before re-igniting on Tuesday, when early voting will begin, with Albanese and Dutton set to go head-to-head in the third of four leaders' debates that night.

Hundreds of early voting centers across the country will be operated by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) between Tuesday and May 2, allowing millions of voters to cast their ballots before election day.

Over 8.4 million people, 47.7 percent of all registered voters, cast their ballots early in the 2022 general election.

Although early voting opens 11 days before election day, no ballots can be counted by AEC staff until polls close at 6 p.m. local time on election night. Enditem

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