Australia government appeared increasing likely to retain power after a knife-edge election, with a third independent lawmaker on Friday offering support to the ruling coalition if it falls short of a majority.
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The minority government that Turnbull is now expected to lead will no longer have a clear mandate for his center-right Liberal-National coalition’s jobs and growth agenda, including a return to budget surplus and a A$50 billion ($37.6 billion) corporate tax break.
Australia’s knife-edge election result has come as a heavy blow to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and raised the previously unthinkable prospect of a political comeback by his long-time rival and former leader Tony Abbott. “I think he’ll be a great prime minister should he get over the line as I hope we will”, Bishop said.
Bill Shorten, the opposition leader, said Mr Turnbull, if he remains prime minister, will be “hostage to Mr Abbott and the right wing of the Liberal party”.
The other five seats which make up the 150-seat House of Representatives are those held by Ms McGowan, Tasmanian Independent Andrew Wilkie, Queenslander Bob Katter, South Australian Nick Xenophon Team victor Rebekha Sharkie and the Victorian Greens’ Adam Bandt.
Seven independents were elected, and minor parties took five seats in the parliament.
Electoral officials are counting 1.5 million postal and absentee votes that will be crucial to the result of Saturday’s poll, which saw a swing against Turnbull’s conservative Coalition government and the rise of populist independents.
Latest projections by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s veteran analyst Antony Green said the coalition was on course to hold at least 73 seats, with Katter’s support taking them to 74. Another six seats are still in doubt.
Christopher Pyne, the government leader in the House of Representatives, said his conservative Liberal Party-led coalition would form a majority government following the weekend election or a minority government with the support of independents.
Australian Medical Association President Michael Gannon said he was surprised he did not see more of Ley during the campaign.
Meanwhile, economist Dr Andrew Charlton – a former adviser to ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd – has said whoever forms government will inherit some of the toughest external conditions in almost two decades.
“But so far the counting trends are very positive from our point of view”.
Rogers said in statement the rare double dissolution election conducted under new voting rules was “the largest, most complex election in Australia’s history”.
But Labor has not conceded that Turnbull will form a government. “They’re not prepared to take responsibility for their contribution to their own demise”, he said, referring again to the government’s criticism of Labor’s health system scare campaign.
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“We need to listen very carefully to the concerns the Australian people have expressed at this election”, Turnbull wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
