Coalition edges towards slender majority
The counting and the post-election recriminations are continuing as the coalition edges towards retaining government by a slim majority.
The coalition is likely to hold 76 seats in the 150-seat lower house, as postal votes and recounts of existing votes have favoured Liberal and Nationals candidates over Labor.
Appearing on Sunrise Thursday morning, Liberal Party deputy leader Julie Bishop said the result was sure to be close, but she expected the coalition would form a majority government with 76 seats.
When asked by host David Koch to explain how the government "lost a tonne of seats" in the election, Ms Bishop said the pendulum was bound to swing back after voters rejected the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years.
"So there was a significant swing from Labor in 2013," Ms Bishop said.
Koch pounced on this statement, suggesting the massive drop in seats showed voters had rejected the Turnbull government.
But Ms Bishop said, "it was always going to correct," pointing to a number of polls that predicted a 50-50 result.
"There's a level of disillusionment within the body politick," she admitted. "And we are listening to the Australian people and we will work very hard to address their concerns."
Asked why the PM did not appear on breakfast television until the eve of the election, Ms Bishop said Mr Turnbull was a busy man and there are "different ways of getting the message out" and that he did a "very competent job".
"He's a very good prime minister, he's a very consultative leader," the deputy Liberal leader said.
Koch was not convinced by the endorsement, suggesting it was akin to saying "We have every faith in our coach".
Prime Minister Turnbull's only comment on Wednesday came via Twitter where he wrote: "We need to listen very carefully to the concerns the Australian people have expressed at this election."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten visited Launceston to congratulate Labor's "three amigos" - Ross Hart in Bass, Justine Keay in Braddon and Brian Mitchell in Lyons - who ousted three sitting Liberal members.
The numbers are looking better for Turnbull. Source: AAP
Mr Shorten didn't concede defeat but said Mr Turnbull would face many problems should he scrape back into office, not least being "white hot anger" within Liberal ranks.
On Wednesday afternoon the coalition appeared to have 70 seats to Labor's 67, with one Green and four independents.
Of the eight seats in doubt, the coalition leads in Chisholm, Dunkley, Gilmore and Forde and had clawed back Labor's lead in Hindmarsh to just 151 votes.
Coalition MPs pointed to a "disconnect" between the issues on which the government campaigned and the concerns of average families.
"When people are hurting, someone is going to get belted," said Liberal MP Ewen Jones who's trailing by 620 votes but making up ground as postal votes are counted in his Queensland electorate of Herbert.
News break – July 7
