10:35pm: It’s still neck and neck and it seems it is too close to call tonight. That will conclude our coverage for the evening. Thanks for joining us.
10:30pm: Barnaby Joyce has retained New England for The Nationals. Read more here.
10pm: The AEC Tally Room is reporting South Australian seats Barker and Grey are still to be determined along with NSW seats Cowper and Grayndier, Victorian seat Higgins and West Australian seat Moore.
The Liberal/National Coalition is now leading 57 seats to 56 Labor seats. The Greens, Nick Xenophon Team, and Katter’s Australian Party still also hold a seat each, with two seats going to Independents. Six seats are still not determined.
9:50pm: In South Australia Wakefield has gone to Labor’s Nick Champion with a six per cent swing.
In Victoria Flinders has gone to Liberal’s Greg Hunt, Gippsland to The National’s Darren Chester, the party has also taken Mallee with Andrew Broad. Labor’s Rob Mitchell has taken McEwen.
Independent Cathy McGowan has retained Indi.
McMillan goes to Liberal’s Russell Broadbent, while Murray looks set to go to The National’s Damian Drum and Wannon is set to stay with The Liberal’s Dan Tehan.
9:40pm: Paterson has gone to Labor’s Meryl Swanson with a 10 per cent swing.
The Riverina has gone to The National’s Michael McCormack.
Fairfax in Queensland has gone to the Liberal National Party of Queensland’s Ted O’Brien, the party has also picked up Fisher with Andrew Wallace and Maranoa’s David Littleproud, and Wright with Scott Buchholz, while Wide Bay looks set to go to their candidate LLew O’Brien, Kennedy has gone to Bob Katter
9:30pm: Hume has gone to Liberal’s Angus Taylor. Dr Michael Freelander is the new MP for Macarthur, Anne Stanley kept Werriwa in Labor’s hands.
Hunter has gone to Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon. David Gillespie retains Lyne for The Nationals while Barnaby Joyce has retained New England.
Parkes has gone to Mark Coulton for The Nationals.
9:20pm: The National’s Andrew Gee has claimed the seat of Calare in NSW.
9:10pm: Labor's Mike Kelly has given a victory speech in the NSW seat of Eden Monaro.
9pm: Liberal’s Jamie Briggs has conceded the seat of Mayo in South Australia to Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie.
8:47pm: Labor is now leading in 53 seats to the Liberal/National Coalition’s 46. The Greens, Nick Xenophon Team, and Katter’s Australian Party still also hold a seat each, with two seats going to Independents. 19 seats are still not determined.
70.88% of polling places have counted first preferences. While 58.42% of polling places have counted two candidate preferred (TCP).
8:40pm: Farrer is safe for Liberal’s Sussan Ley with 70% of the vote. It looks like this:
8:30pm: There is still plenty of seats too close to call across the nation including Eden-Monaro, Gilmore, Page in NSW; Flynn in Queensland, and Lyons and Baddon in Tasmania.
8:14pm: So far the Liberal/National Coalition is leading 49 seats to Labor’s 48. With The Greens, Nick Xenophon Team, and Katter’s Australian Party also taking a seat, and two seats going to Independents. 25 seats are still not determined.
7:45pm: Here’s a quick wrap around how of things are shaping up early on in the count:
NSW:
Richmond: Very tight with a 0.54% swing to Labor’s Justine Elliot.
Page: 2.93% swing to Labor’s Janelle Saffin.
New England: 57.78% of the vote counted so far is with The National’s Barnaby Joyce
Parkes: 2.40% swing to Labor’s Kate Stewart, but The Nationals Mark Coulton holds 66% of the vote.
Cowper: 62% of the vote to The National’s Luke Hartsuyker
Lyne: The National’s David Gillespie holds 61% of the vote.
Paterson: 8% swing to Labor’s Meryl Swason who holds 58% of the vote.
Hunter: 4% swing to Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon with 60% of the vote.
Calare: Just a 2% swing here to The National’s Andrew Gee who holds 62% of the vote.
Hume: Liberal’s Angus Taylor holds 61% of the vote with a 2.5% swing.
Gilmore: Really close call here with a 3.9% swing to Labor’s Fiona Phillips, who holds just 50% of the vote.
Eden-Monaro: Another close call here with 51% of the vote to Labor’s Mike Kelly.
Riverina: The National’s Michael McCormack holds 66% of the vote.
Farrer: Liberal’s Susan Ley holds 67% of the vote.
VICTORIA:
Casey: Liberal’s Tony Smith is holding 55% of the vote.
Flinders: 57% to Liberals Greg Hunt
Gippsland: 69% to The National’s Darren Chester with a 3% swing to him.
Indi: 54% of the vote to Independent Cathy McGowan
Mallee: 71% to The National’s Andrew Broad.
McEwen: 58% to Labor’s Rob Mitchell
McMillan: 58% to Liberal’s Russell Broadbent
Murray: 58% to The National’s Damian Drum
Wannon: 57% to Liberal’s Dan Tehan.
QUEENSLAND:
Dawson: 54% to Liberal/National’s George Christensen
Fairfax: 61.6% to Liberal/National’s Ted O’Brien
Fisher: 60% to Liberal/National’s Andrew Wallace
Flynn: Close call with 51% to to Liberal/National’s Ken O’Dowd
Kennedy: 61% to Katter’s Australian Party’s Bob Katter
Leichhardt: 54% to Liberal/National’s Warren Entsch
Maranoa: 66% to Liberal/National’s David Littleproud
Wide Bay: 57% to Liberal/National’s Llew O’Brien
Wright: 59% to Liberal/National’s Scott Buchholz
TASMANIA:
Braddon: 52% to Labor’s Justine Keay
Lyons: 52% to Labor’s Brian Mitchell
SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
Barker: 65% to Liberal’s Tony Pasin
Grey: 61% to Liberal’s Rowan Ramsey
Mayo: 54% to Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie
Wakefield: 56% to Labor’s Nick Champion
7:30pm: In NSW in Barnaby Joyce’s New England seat 4.73% votes have been counted. At this early stage Joyce holds 58.98% for two candidate preferred (TCP).
In the Eden Monaro just 4.94% of votes have been counted. It’s a close call at this early stage with 51.96% to Labor’s Mike Kelly with a swing of 4.87%.
In Victoria, in Indi 3.75% votes have been counted with a 5% swing to Cathy McGowen.
7pm: We are very early in the counting for the night with just 13.49 per cent of polling places having counted first preferences.
The seat of Page in NSW two-party preferred candidate (TPC) has seen -1.55% swing from The Nationals with just 29.59% of polling places counted.
Gilmore has seen a 4.99% swing to Labor; Kennedy in Queensland has seen a 9.89% swing to Katter’s Australia Party.
These are all very early counts – there is a long way to go yet!
STORIES
6:30pm: Liberal and National parties should set aside egos and merge
IN HIS final speech in federal parliament, outgoing NSW Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan has called on the Liberal and National parties to merge and end their “ridiculous pretence of differing constituencies” to strengthen rural Australia’s “political hand”.
6pm: Farming farewells at 2016 poll
WE TAKE a look at those regional candiates who won’t be returning to Canberra as they step down from their positions.
Earlier: How the election is shaping up
NATIONAL Party leader Barnaby Joyce’s New England electorate will headline a host of rural seats throughout the nation creating intrigue and anxiety about the final outcome of the 2016 federal election.
