Coalition set for a narrow win in lower house

It has called the seat of Forde, south of Brisbane for the Coalition, while the Liberal National Party has moved ahead of the ALP in the central Queensland electorates of Capricornia and Flynn. “Whether it is a minority government or majority government with one or two seats, it is clear they will form the government”.

Yesterday, Labor leader Bill Shorten addressed his party at a caucus meeting where he conceded that the Coalition would likely “scrape” over the line in the coming days. The official vote count will continue into next week and the Australian Electoral Commission won’t declare a definitive tally before July 15, the deadline for postal votes to be received.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (L) poses for a selfie during a street walk in Melbourne’s outer east, Australia, July 8, 2016.

“We need to make this parliament function and we’re up for that”, Shorten said. The win puts Turnbull’s team on 74 lower house seats.

“Christopher is a very confident colleague of mine and he’s entitled to express his naturally optimistic and confident view, but I’m the prime minister and we respect the votes that have been cast and one way we show that respect is by waiting for the counting to be completed”, Turnbull told reporters.

While Turnbull’s position would be bolstered by reaching a majority, political analysts say he remains vulnerable, particularly from the conservative wing of his own party.

Labor now have 66, and it is believed they will claim three more seats. “But the people have spoken, their votes are being counted and we await the conclusion of that counting process”.

Independent lawmakers Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan on Friday said they would support a coalition government in the interests of stability.

While the win is disappointing for those who threw their support behind Labor and other parties, it means that we can now get back to the business of governing the country.

“I will approach everything on its merits and if a Labor Opposition brings a no-confidence motion against Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Party…”