Australia’s conservative government increased its narrow lead over the opposition in election vote counting on Thursday as a key lawmaker said the new administration might have to strike deals to tighten foreign investment rules and protect manufacturing jobs.
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“We’re even an outside chance still in Hindmarsh and Cowan, so we will form a majority government and we’re also making arrangements with some of the crossbenchers for supply and confidence, so we will have a solid government”, he added.
There are reports Mr Turnbull is planning to reach out to conservative Liberals disaffected by his campaign, restoring Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to the national security committee of cabinet and promoting junior right-wing MPs to the outer ministry.
“I remain confident that we will form a government, and we will unite the Parliament as far as we are able to”, said Mr Turnbull.
Turnbull became prime minister in September after ousting unpopular predecessor Tony Abbott in a party room vote in a bid to put the government in a position to win this year’s election.
“We’re hoping to have a majority in our own right”, Turnbull said on Friday in Melbourne, where he was meeting with one of the independent legislators.
Turnbull is also in discussions with another independent and a minor party lawmaker.
The most recent was in 2010, when then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s ruling Labor Party was forced to secure an alliance with the minor Greens party and three independent lawmakers to form a fragile minority government.
Another fault line emerging for a Turnbull government is the demand from the National Party, the junior coalition partner, that its strong electoral performance had earned it a greater say in government.
Both major parties are agonisingly short of the 76 seats needed to form a majority government in the House of Representatives, and negotiations are already underway with independents who will hold at least four seats. In the nine seats not yet called, the Coalition is ahead in Chisholm, Cowper, Gilmore and Forde, which would take its count to 74.
The nation faces days of political paralysis after the weekend election failed to produce a clear victor.
He estimated there were 5,000 absentee votes and about 2,500 postal votes yet to be counted.
The support of Katter, Wilkie and McGowan theoretically gives Turnbull’s coalition a total of 76 seats, according to the latest Australian Broadcasting Corp projections, although they have not officially claimed victory.
If it fails in any of these seats it will be a minority government, dependant on support from cross benchers.
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In one of the tightest election outcomes since federation the Coalition has suffered a 3.45 per cent two party preferred swing against it, with the Coalition winning a nationwide vote of 50.04 per cent to Labor’s 49.96 per cent.
