Image: Matt Thistlethwaite (pictured, right) has been called as the winner of Kingsford Smith. Photo: Facebook.
By SWAGATALAKSHMI ROYCHOWDURY
Incumbent Labor member Matt Thistlethwaite looks set to win another term representing Kingsford Smith and the southern parts of the eastern suburbs in Canberra following Saturday’s election.
Kingsford Smith is considered a safe Labor seat, with the party having held the seat since its creation in 1949 and Thistlethwaite being the member since 2013.
While results are yet to be finalised, it is looking increasingly likely that Labor will be able to form a government, and Anthony Albanese will become the next prime minister of Australia. The Coalition is unlikely to win a 76 seat majority, and while Labor may not reach a majority either, they are projected to be close enough to form a minority government with the support of minor parties or independents.
The Liberal seats of North Sydney and Mackellar in Sydney and Goldstein in Melbourne look set to have been won by Climate 200-backed independents, while the Greens have a good chance to increase their presence in the lower house.
In Western Australia, Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt lost his Hasluck seat to Labor candidate Tania Lawrence, while the seats of Swan and Pearce have been won by Labor.
As of 9:45pm, Thistlethwaite had won over 48 per cent of first preference votes, with Liberal candidate Grace Tan recording just over a quarter of votes. Just over 15 per cent of votes had been counted, with a small swing (6.78 per cent) recorded for Labor.
The first preference breakdown of votes is as follows:
