Labor to form a majority government as it secures the 76 seats needed to govern in its own right – leaving the teal independents powerless
- Labor has secured the 76 seats needed to govern in their own right
- The government have retained the Melbourne-based seat of Macnamara
- Counting is still under way in NSW seat of Gilmore and Victorian seat of Deakin
Labor are set to form a majority government after securing the 76 seats needed to govern in their own right.
The government have retained the Melbourne-based seat of Macnamara following a tight three-way contest in the electorate, according to ABC election analyst Antony Green.
Counting is still under way in the NSW seat of Gilmore and the Victorian seat of Deakin, with the results in the electorates still too close to call.
Labor are set to form a majority government after securing the 76 seats needed to govern in their own right
The result in Macnamara will mean Labor will not have to negotiate with an expanded crossbench in order to get legislation through the lower house.
While the primary votes were tight in Macnamara between Labor, the Greens and the Liberals, the preference flows allowed for Labor incumbent Josh Burns to hang on to the seat.
As of Monday night, Labor had a narrow lead in Gilmore, after they had trailed the Liberals in early stages of the count.
However, there are still large numbers of absentee and declaration votes still to be counted.
In Gilmore, current Labor MP Fiona Phillips is ahead of Liberal challenger Andrew Constance by just 142 votes.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives with his partner Jodie Haydon for a street walk with the member-elect for Bennelong, Jerome Laxale in Eastwood, Sydney on Saturday, May 28, 2022
Labor’s Matt Gregg has managed to narrow the gap slightly against Liberal incumbent Michael Sukkar in Deakin.
However, Mr Gregg is still trailing by 619 votes in the Melbourne-based seat.
The news comes as the Liberals elected their new party leader, with Peter Dutton set to become the next opposition leader.
Sussan Ley was also elected as the deputy Liberal leader.
Both were elected into the role at a party room meeting unopposed.
The Nationals also voted for a new leadership team on Monday, with David Littleproud taking over from Barnaby Joyce, while Perin Davey was named as deputy.
The government will name its new cabinet on Tuesday, before being sworn in on Wednesday.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk