THE counting of 3999 postal votes today made only a marginal change in the race to see who will be the Member for Lyons in the next federal Parliament. With 100 of those votes rejected as informal, 3889 were distributed among the eight candidates and sitting member Brian Mitchell benefitted from a minor boost in the two candidate preferred results.
Late on Saturday night prime minister Scott Morrison conceded that the Coalition had lost government, with Anthony Albanese the apparent prime minister-elect of a minority Labor government. After further counting today, pollsters are predicting that Mr Albanese may in fact lead a majority government in Canberra.
The release of polling place data today showed that Labor’s Mr Mitchell had won at the New Norfolk, Molesworth and Lachlan booths despite a significant swing against him. Greens candidate Liz Johnstone and Jacqui Lambie Network’s Troy Pfitzner also achieved significant tallies throughout the Derwent Valley. The Liberal Party’s Susie Bower is the standout candidate on primary votes but is still marginally behind Mr Mitchell on the two-candidate basis. Ms Bower won Magra, Ouse, Westerway, Glenora, Dromedary and Granton.
This election saw a local increase in the number of informal votes, which is those which are excluded from counting for various reasons. The informal tally in Lyons was 4044 (or 6.29%) which was a high figure than those attracted by the last four candidates.
TODAY’S TOTALS
BOWER, Susie (Liberal) 22,282 votes (36.99%) [yesterday 37.05%]
MITCHELL, Brian (ALP) 17,876 votes (29.68%) [yesterday 29.43%]
JOHNSTONE, Liz (Greens) 6679 votes (11.09%) [yesterday 11.24%]
PFITZNER, Troy (Jacqui Lambie Network) 6499 votes (10.79%) [yesterday 10.7%]
GOYNE, Emma (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation) 3225 votes (5.35%) [yesterday 5.38%]
EVANS, Jason (United Australia Party) 1620 votes (2.69%) [yesterday 2.76%]
GRALTON, Anna (Animal Justice Party) 1040 votes (1.73%) [yesterday [1.73%]
GRIFFITHS, Rhys (Liberal Democrats) 1013 (1.68%) [yesterday 1.72%}
TWO CANDIDATE BASIS
MITCHELL, Brian (ALP) 30,307 votes (50.59%) [yesterday 50.43%]
BOWER, Susie (Liberal) 29,603 votes (49.41%) [yesterday 49.57]
