Canberra, Jun 17 (IANS): Australia's political leaders are gearing up for the first ever online election debate hosted by social media giant Facebook and one of the country's largest media organisation, News Corp Australia.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will battle it out live from 6 p.m. on Friday night in Sydney, which will be streamed via Facebook live, Xinhua news agency reported.

Questions submitted by the public will be put to both leaders.

News.com.au Managing Director Julian Delany said in a statement that this debate will be different to anything seen before.

"It is a chance for millions of Australians to not just watch the debate, but to actively participate by asking questions and giving their instant reactions," Delany said.

Managing Director of Facebook in Australia and New Zealand Stephen Scheeler encouraged all Australians to get involved.

"We want to connect as many Australians as possible to one of the most important aspects of any election campaign -- a leadership debate," Scheeler said.

Australia will head to the polls on July 2.