02.07.2016 - 22:24
Australia is facing the possibility of another hung parliament after voters swung away from the Coalition in a federal election which left Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull potentially having to deal with independents and minor parties to stay in power.
Voters dumped more than 10 Coalition MPs with the Government suffering a 2.8 per cent swing against it.
With more than three-quarters of the vote counted, the Government was on track to claim 67 seats — down from 90.
Labor was also predicted to win 67 seats. Nearly a dozen were too close to call, and results may not be known until later in the week.
Despite the result hanging in the balance, Mr Turnbull sounded confident when he emerged after midnight to address supporters in Sydney.
“I can report that, based on the advice I have from the party officials, we can have every confidence that we will form a Coalition majority Government in the next Parliament,” Mr Turnbull said.
“And certainly we are the only parties that have the ability or the possibility of doing that.”
Mr Turnbull immediately moved to defend his decision to call a double-dissolution election, saying it was not a political tactic but needed to restore law and order in the construction sector.
The Coalition’s hopes of passing legislation to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) at a joint sitting appear dashed following the tight result.
The Coalition’s three Tasmanian MPs were wiped out while four New South Wales Liberal members lost their seats.
The seats in doubt early on Sunday morning included Capricornia, Forde, Dickson and Flynn in Queensland, along with Batman in Victoria, Hindmarsh in South Australia and Cowan in Western Australia.
