ID :
138670
Sun, 08/22/2010 - 05:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/138670
The shortlink copeid
Coalition ahead in early counting
Early counting shows the coalition leading Labor in one of the closest Australian
election contests in living memory.
Nearly an hour after the polls closed on the east coast of Australia, and with 0.76
per cent of the two-party preferred vote counted, the coalition had 58.9 per cent of
the vote against 41.10 per cent for Labor.
Labor was experiencing a swing against it of 2.51 per cent.
In Queensland, the seat of Leichhardt was looking dangerous for Labor, with a swing
of 14 per cent against incumbent Jim Turnour, who is pitted against the popular
former MP for the seat Warren Entsch.
A swag of marginals in western Sydney and Queensland expected to determine the
outcome of the extremely tight poll.
The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper, had Labor with 50.2 per
cent support against 49.8 per cent for the coalition after the distribution of
preferences.
The coalition needs 17 Labor seats to win the election by garnering a uniform swing
of 2.3 per cent across the country. But the government can lose its absolute
majority if it loses 13 seats.
Early results showed Labor's Chris Trevor is in danger of losing his seat of Flynn
to the LNP's Ken O'Dowd.
Other early results had Labor holding Braddon and Lyons in Tasmania, while
independent Rob Oakeshott was expected to hold on to the seat of Lyne.
Labor's Craig Thomson was expected to hold the central coast of NSW seat of Dobell,
with a margin of 3.9 per cent.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told ABC TV that Labor was expected to hold the seat
of Corangamite in Victoria and he was tipping it would pick up McEwen, where the
Liberal's Fran Bailey was retiring.
Senior Queensland Liberal senator George Brandis says the opposition is "cautiously
confident" of a good result in Queensland.
Senator Brandis worked the booths in the seat of Brisbane on Saturday and said there
appeared to be a move against the government.
"All of the field evidence or anecdotal evidence this morning, a view common to both
Labor and Liberal booth workers in Brisbane, was that there was a movement of some
dimension against the Labor party in that seat," he told ABC TV.
Mr Smith told the ABC Labor expected to hold Eden-Monaro.
election contests in living memory.
Nearly an hour after the polls closed on the east coast of Australia, and with 0.76
per cent of the two-party preferred vote counted, the coalition had 58.9 per cent of
the vote against 41.10 per cent for Labor.
Labor was experiencing a swing against it of 2.51 per cent.
In Queensland, the seat of Leichhardt was looking dangerous for Labor, with a swing
of 14 per cent against incumbent Jim Turnour, who is pitted against the popular
former MP for the seat Warren Entsch.
A swag of marginals in western Sydney and Queensland expected to determine the
outcome of the extremely tight poll.
The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper, had Labor with 50.2 per
cent support against 49.8 per cent for the coalition after the distribution of
preferences.
The coalition needs 17 Labor seats to win the election by garnering a uniform swing
of 2.3 per cent across the country. But the government can lose its absolute
majority if it loses 13 seats.
Early results showed Labor's Chris Trevor is in danger of losing his seat of Flynn
to the LNP's Ken O'Dowd.
Other early results had Labor holding Braddon and Lyons in Tasmania, while
independent Rob Oakeshott was expected to hold on to the seat of Lyne.
Labor's Craig Thomson was expected to hold the central coast of NSW seat of Dobell,
with a margin of 3.9 per cent.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told ABC TV that Labor was expected to hold the seat
of Corangamite in Victoria and he was tipping it would pick up McEwen, where the
Liberal's Fran Bailey was retiring.
Senior Queensland Liberal senator George Brandis says the opposition is "cautiously
confident" of a good result in Queensland.
Senator Brandis worked the booths in the seat of Brisbane on Saturday and said there
appeared to be a move against the government.
"All of the field evidence or anecdotal evidence this morning, a view common to both
Labor and Liberal booth workers in Brisbane, was that there was a movement of some
dimension against the Labor party in that seat," he told ABC TV.
Mr Smith told the ABC Labor expected to hold Eden-Monaro.
