Live Blog: 2014 SA Election
It has been described as one of the the toughest and most defining state elections in decades, and it looks as though a result of the 2014 election will come down to independents.
At the close of counting on Saturday, Labor looked set to win 23 seats and the Liberals 21, with two being retained by independents and one remaining in doubt.
About 160,000 pre-poll and postal votes remained to be counted, which could turn the tide in a number of electorates.
While Premier Jay Weatherill is still hopeful of retaining power, Liberal leader Steven Marshall said his party was still in the hunt to form a minority government.
Read how the night unfolded through our blog below.
10.35PM: Liberal leader Steven Marshall has just spoken to 7News, saying it was clear people had voted for change.
“Unfortunately we haven’t won enough seats to govern in our own right," he said.
“It is going to be an anxious wait to see what other seats we might be able to pick up."
Labor Leader Jay Weatherill also spoke to 7News, saying voters had sided with Labor because of an open and honest campaign.
"We got a program to grow jobs in South Australia, we put that out there… and I think they responded to that program," Mr Weatherill said.
"We remain the government and propose to continue to govern.”
The 7News live election coverage has now concluded.
10.25PM: Christopher Pyne says he doesn't think this election is over by any means, Don Farrell says Labor has performed much better than expected.
10.22PM: Labor set to win 23 seats, Liberals 21 and Independents 2. The seat of Mitchell is still too close to call and its fate will help determine who forms government. Most likely result is a hung parliament.
10.10PM: Both Liberal leader Steven Marshall and Labor leader Jay Weatherill have spoken to their respective party headquarters, both saying it is too early to call a winner from today's election and both saying they will do what it takes to form government.
9.48PM: Jess Adamson is at Liberal party headquarters and said Vickie Chapman and Steven Marshall yet to arrive because they are working the phones with Independents, in particular Bob Such. She said they should not be far away.
9.46PM: 7News reporter Marija Jovanovic says only a couple hundred votes separate candidates in the key seat of Elder, and a result is likely to come down to postal votes which could mean a result may not be known until later in the week.
9.35PM: Both Liberal and Labor leaders look well-placed to hold onto their electorates, Jay Weatherill with an overwhelming 65-35 lead in his seat.
9.25PM: More and more results coming in but 7News predictions currently have Labor set to win 23 seats and Liberals to win 21, with only one seat left undecided. Two seats going to Independents.
9.05PM: Sitting Labor MP Tony Piccolo looks likely to hold seat of Light in Adelaide's north, but is reluctant to accept victory, awaiting the outcome of pre-votes. Sitting Labor MP Chloe Fox says she is unlikely to concede defeat or declare victory in Bright until later in the week.
8.45PM: Sitting Labor MP Susan Close has retained her seat in Port Adelaide, saying her Liberal opponent had called to admit defeat. She says it looks like a tight finish and it will be a long night ahead.
8.35PM: Reporter Jess Adamson is at the Liberal Party Headquarters and says the mood is not as celebratory as it was an hour earlier. She suggested the current state of play was perhaps not the decisive victory the party was hoping for.
8.29PM: Christopher Pyne has warned the pre-votes, which won’t start being counted until Monday, could play a huge role in determining a number of seats.
8.20PM: Our expert predictions revised back to 21 seats each for Liberal and Labor, with three still undecided and two going to Independents.
8.10PM: 7News predictions have the Liberals taking a lead with 22 seats, compared to Labor's 20 seats and two going to Independents, with three remaining undecided.
8.07PM: The SA Electoral Commission website is back up and running! Currently showing 44.8 per cent of the vote going to the Liberals, with 36.6 per cent going to Labor, with 58 per cent of booths counted.
7.59PM The other state election underway tonight is in Tasmania. National 7News political reporter Mark Riley says Tasmania is heading for a change in government, with strong support for the Liberals with a 12.5 per cent swing in their direction.
7:57PM: Back to neck and neck! 7News experts predict Labor and Liberals currently each picking up 20 seats, with two going to Independents, and five remaining undecided.
7:49PM: Predictions from our 7News experts suggest another seat seat is going labor's way. Labor 19, Liberal 18, Independent 2 and undecided 8. Kate Ellis has joined the 7News panel and says there is a long way to go yet in the seat of Adelaide.
7.40PM: Early 7News predictions show 18 seats apiece for the Libs and Labor, with two for Independents and nine remaining undecided.
7.22PM: There seems to be a huge interest in early election results with the SA Electoral Commission website crashing.
7:14PM: Rachel Sanderson, the sitting Liberal member for Adelaide, says she needs to pick up numbers at bigger booths yet to be counted. She says smaller booths already counted are ‘dead-even’.
7.09PM: Sitting Labor candidate for Newland Tom Kenyon says booth from Highbury East Primary school shows 1.1% swing towards Liberal in primary votes, but the electoral commission website says after 2 per cent of votes counted Liberal candidate Glenn Docherty has received 60 per cent of the primary vote.
6.48PM: Panel member Don Farrell says there is a slight swing towards Labor in the seat of Elder.
Newland has won one booth and a slight swing to Liberals but not enough to unseat him.
6.42PM: State political reporter Mike Smithson says many polls are indicating the result will be a hung parliament, which he says will be a problem for both sides.
6.35PM: 7News reporter Jess Adamson is at the Arkaba Hotel and said the Liberals are expecting about 500 people there tonight, but most candidates are still out in their electorates.
6.20PM: Just a reminder the 7News Adelaide election coverage continues on 7TWO from 6.30PM.
5.50PM: 7News political reporter Mark Riley just filled us in on how things are looking in the Tasmanian election. He says things are a little bit more clear cut, with the Liberals polling double the primary vote of Labor.
5.30PM: Alexander Downer is also on the 7News panel and says Steven Marshall brings a fresh face for the Liberals. He also described Mr Marshall as a ‘listener’. Mr Downer said he is confident the Liberals will win more votes, but the question is how many seats they will win.
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5.20PM: Christopher Pyne says Steven Marshall has run a very sharp campaign, while Don Farrell says Marshall is not experienced enough to lead the state.
5PM: Liberal Leader Steven Marshall pressed the flesh for the final time around marginal seats today before casting his own vote in Dunstan.
“You would think there are going to be some surprises, there are always some surprises,” Mr Marshall said.
Labor Leader Jay Weatherill cast his vote at Alberton Primary School and remained upbeat despite most polls showing a Liberal victory.
“I feel very satisfied with the campaign that we’ve run, I couldn’t imagine doing more to present our case,” Mr Weatherill said.
