Labor well-placed for narrow majority

Paul Osborne |

Australian Electoral Commission figures had Labor on 75 seats in the House, one short of a majority.
Australian Electoral Commission figures had Labor on 75 seats in the House, one short of a majority.

Labor has the potential to govern in its own right, as vote counting continues following the federal election.

At 2pm on Sunday, official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission had Labor on 74 seats in the House of Representatives – two short of a majority.

The Liberal-National coalition was holding 52 seats.

Ten independents were on track for victory, joined on the cross bench by Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie from the Centre Alliance and veteran Kennedy MP Bob Katter.

The AEC listed 13 seats where the two-candidate preferred vote was unavailable: Bradfield, Calare, Canberra, Cowper, Grey, Griffith, Hinkler, Macnamara, Maranoa, Melbourne, Richmond, Ryan and Sydney.

Four seats were formally listed as “close”: Sturt, Gilmore, Menzies and Moore.

Labor picked up 52.4 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

Incumbent MPs were trailing in 18 seats: Swan, Pearce, Tangney, Hasluck, Curtin (WA), Chisholm, Higgins, Kooyong, Goldstein, Deakin (Victoria), Wentworth, Reid, North Sydney, Robertson, Mackellar, Fowler and Bennelong (NSW), and Boothby (SA).

The Senate results are yet to be finalised, but the most likely biggest losses will be veteran Queensland senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Liberal minister Zed Seselja in the ACT.

AAP