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Throughout Australia, candidates and voters have been gearing up for Saturday's federal elections. BBC News Online asked for photos of the election build-up.

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Jorge J sent in this picture of Socialist Alliance candidate Tim Gooden, campaigning for the seat of Corio in Geelong, near Melbourne.

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Michael from Adelaide noticed that someone had even turned a billboard for a film into a political statement.

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Chris Ballinger, a Senate Research Fellow, sent us this picture of a polling station in Minjilang, one of several aboriginal communities off the coast of the Northern Territory.

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In these remote communities, polling takes place before the official election day so votes can be counted in time.

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Australians around the world have also been preparing for the big day. Scott Plimpton sent in this picture of thousands of people queuing up to vote in central London.