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This was published 9 years ago

Federal Election 2016 live coverage day five: Result count continues as seats fall

Fergus Hunter
Updated ,first published

We're getting there, folks

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Time to pull up stumps for Wednesday, loyal readers and bewildered voters.

As glacial as the pace might be, we are beginning to get an idea of how the new Parliament could look.

Fairfax Media is currently projecting 73 seats for the Coalition, 66 for Labor, five for independents and minor parties. Six still too close to call.

The Coalition is now confident of winning 75 or even a razor-thin majority at 76. They could notionally scrape a couple more than that.

But, here's a timely contribution from commenter Drige.

Turnbull plotter runs Andrew Bolt's gauntlet

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Scott Ryan - a conservative MP whose support for Malcolm Turnbull was critical to him becoming Prime Minister - has fronted up on chief Turnbull critic Andrew Bolt's show.

"I think we are in a politically stronger position than we would otherwise have been," he said on Sky News, rejecting Bolt's persistent claim that Mr Turnbull had not yielded better results than former prime minister Tony Abbott could have.

"I think we were in a uniquely diabolical position last year."

He also echoed the sentiments of many Liberal figures, expressing regret at not appreciating the potency Labor's Medicare scare campaign.

"In hindsight, starting in 2014 then again over the last year, we let Medicare become a partisan issue," he said, lamenting that "none of us saw that".

'Liberal Dictator' caught on camera

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The ABC has made a small boo-boo this evening, giving Liberal Party federal director Tony Nutt the title of "Liberal Federal Dictator".

ABC's caption mishap.

This might amuse internal Liberal characters more than anyone else, to be honest. Rob Harris at the Herald Sun recently quoted Mr Nutt as telling disgruntled party figures during the campaign that it was a "dictatorship" not a "democracy".

The ABC has apologised on air for their error.

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Seats too close to call, Coalition looking good

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In sad and surprising news for Labor, the Queensland seat of Flynn has moved out of their column and is now in doubt again on the back of very strong postal votes for the LNP.

Chisholm in Victoria is also now being projected as a Liberal gain, taking the Coalition to 73 and Labor down to 66 with minor parties and independents on five.

This leaves six seats - Flynn, Forde, Hindmarsh, Capricornia, Herbert and Cowan - still too close to call.

"The most-likely outcome, strategists on both sides said, was the Coalition winning 75 seats and forming minority government or winning 76 seats and claiming the slimmest of majorities. Mathematically, the Coalition could win 79 seats but that is very unlikely on current trends," write our senior number crunchers.

"Talk has already turned in Coalition ranks about how to hold the party together in the event of a slender majority, or a minority government, with suggestions that Mr Turnbull will promote the next generation of conservative MPs, such as Zed Seselja and Michael Sukkar to the frontbench."

Likely One Nation senator awaiting sentencing on larceny charges

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One Nation Senate candidate in WA, Rodney Culleton, is set to take up the state's final seat in the upper house.

Except there could be one small problem.

It has come to light that he was recently convicted of larceny in NSW and sentencing looms. He stole the key of a tow-truck driver who was trying to repossess his car.

The maximum sentence is between two and five years. Candidates awaiting or serving sentences for crimes carrying 12 months gaol or more are barred from taking up a seat in Parliament.

He has also been charged in WA over the alleged theft of a $37,000 hire car.

More here.

Seat projections

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"Never mind all the words, just give me the graphics," says commenter peteb.

We live to give, peteb. Here you go.

Fairfax Media is currently projecting 72 seats for the Coalition, 67 for Labor and five for independents and minor parties. Six remain too close to call.

The Coalition is confident of winning at least 75 seats, one short of government, but could also scrape 76 or even 77.

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Count update in Melbourne seats

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It's all happening in Melbourne and state political correspondent Richard Willingham has his finger on the pulse.

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Remember, if the Liberals take Chisholm - as ABC has declared they will - this is actually Labor losing one of their seats. Former speaker Anna Burke held the marginal electorate from 1998 until retiring recently.

Tony Abbott meets with Liberal Party boss

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Liberal Party federal director Tony Nutt and former PM Tony Abbott have been spotted having lunch in cold, wet and grey Canberra.

"I had a nice pleasant lunch with Mr Abbott who's a senior member of the parliamentary party and an old friend of mine," Mr Nutt said as he left the conspicuous meal.

Hard to disagree with ABC journalist Andrew Greene here.

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Here is some vision from Channel Ten.

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Tony Abbott: Leader has ultimate responsibility for election result

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The former prime minister is showing restraint in the election's aftermath, holding back from criticism (something a handful of his conservative colleagues are enthusiastically engaging in).

Asked if he could have achieved a better result as leader, he told ABC "it is important for all of us to look forward, not backwards. I will certainly not speculate on that.

"The important thing now is that we have the best possible government with the strongest possible program, and obviously, that is a Malcolm Turnbull Coalition government."

Mr Abbott declined to say if he wanted to return to the frontbench and delivered his oft-repeated ode to the people of Warringah and how happy he is to serve as their Honourable Member.

He did agree with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's acceptance of responsibility for the election result.

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Liberals shuffling ahead in seat of Dunkley

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An update from the suburban Melbourne electorate of Dunkley.

Formerly held by the well-known and effervescent Bruce Billson, the seat has been on a knife-edge since Saturday. Liberal Chris Crewther is extending his lead, boosted by Coalition-leaning postal votes, and will be hopeful of retaining the seat for his party.

This is despite a swing of 4.6 per cent to Labor's Peta Murphy.

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