Brisbane: Steve Smith decided not to enforce the follow-on when Pakistan was dismissed for 142 on Saturday, and was back at the crease when his Australians extended the lead to 327 by the end of the first session on day three.
Following his 130 in Australia's first innings of 429, Smith was unbeaten on 8 at the interval with Australia at 40-2 in its second innings. Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 13.
The Australians will be aiming to score runs quickly and declare at some stage during the night session, giving the fast bowlers a chance to reproduce the havoc of Friday night when seven Pakistan wickets fell in just over an hour.
David Warner stroked two boundaries and scored Australia's first 12 runs before he was out in the third over, getting cramped by a shorter, steepling delivery from Mohammad Amir (1-24) and spooning a catch to Wahab Riaz at mid-on.
Pakistan needed wickets to tumble to stay in the contest in the series-opening day-night test, and Rahat Ali gave them more hope in the 8th over.
Rahat (1-15) had Matt Renshaw (6) out edging to Younis Khan in the slips and thought he had Smith caught behind next ball, but the Australian captain was given not out and Pakistan wasted a referral when reviews showed it clipped a pad on the way through.
Amir (21) and Rahat (4) earlier helped Safraz Ahmed restore some respectability to the Pakistan innings in two late partnerships that helped lift the total from a precarious 67-8 to 142.
Pakistan resumed on 97-8, having lost seven wickets on Friday night, and added 45 runs in the first hour before a very close run-out decision from the TV umpire ended the innings.
Safraz finished unbeaten on 59 from 64 balls, getting one reprieve when Matthew Wade missed a stumping chance in the penultimate over of the second day.
His 54-run ninth-wicket stand ended when Amir was caught behind off Jackson Bird's bowling. Amir was initially given not out, but the Australians referred the decision and TV umpire Sundaram Ravi found evidence of an inside edge on hotspot and snicko technology.
Rahat was run out at the non-striker's end by a direct hit from David Warner. The Pakistan No. 11 appeared to ground his bat but replays showed it bounced slightly at the moment Warner's throw hit the stumps.
The Australian pacemen finished with three wickets each, with Josh Hazlewood returning the best figures of 3-22 from 14 overs. Bird had 3-23 from 12, including six maidens, and Mitchell Starc retuned 3-63.