Independent holding lead in Wentworth
CANBERRA: Independent Kerryn Phelps is still tracking to claim a historic byelection win despite postal votes giving the coalition hope it could hang on to Wentworth.
Phelps claimed victory on Saturday night when she achieved an unprecedented swing of more than 20% against the Liberal Party in the eastern Sydney seat.
But that changed yesterday as the margin between the two narrowed to 1186 votes while postal ballots were still being counted.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds out hope candidate Dave Sharma could still snatch a win in the traditional Liberal Party stronghold. But he said it was clear the electorate was furious about Malcolm Turnbull, who had been the member for Wentworth since 2004, being ousted as prime minister in August.
‘‘Liberal voters expressed their anger at the parliamentary Liberal Party . . . and we copped that fairly on the chin,’’ Morrison said.
‘‘The events of two months ago angered and outraged many Liberals and particularly those in the seat of Wentworth.’’
ABC election analyst Antony Green, who called the win for Phelps on Saturday night, said the count for four prepoll booths and postal votes was done late on the night.
He said voting booths skewed to Phelps on Saturday, showing there had a been a late surge for her.
If Phelps is confirmed the winner, there will be a cross bench of six members in the House of Representatives, with Labor holding 69 seats and the coalition one short of a majority with 75.
Despite heading towards a minority government, Morrison has talked up the coalition’s relationship with the crossbenchers.
‘‘What I will continue to do is be working closely with the crossbenchers, as I have been doing, because . . . we have been at 75 [seats], not 76, since the former prime minister resigned,’’ he said.
Reaction to the byelection result from crossbench members has been mixed. Bob Katter and Rebekha Sharkie joined Phelps in saying they would prefer to see the government run its full term.
Independent Andrew Wilkie said he would not guarantee confidence, while fellow crossbencher Cathy McGowan was yet to comment.
But Greens MP Adam Bandt said an election had to be called and the ‘‘the sooner we turf out this rotten government, the better’’.
Phelps said she would set two priorities as an MP: action on climate change and getting asylum seeker children off Nauru.
She might also lend support for a national integrity commission that has been promoted by Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers for some time. — AAP