ELECTION 2016: Big payday for Oakeshott despite losing bid for parliamentary return

It's been more than 24 since polls closed and we could still be weeks away from knowing how Australia's next parliament will form. Full coverage and updates will continue today.

Coalition - 66
Labor - 72
Greens - 1
Other - 5

TO WIN - 76
IN DOUBT - 6

7pm - Oakeshott hits jackpot despite poll loss

Former MP Rob Oakeshott failed in his political comeback but did secure 26 per cent of the vote, and that means he is on track to collect around $63,000.

Several candidates stand top pocket hefty sums of taxpayer money whether they win or lose.

Under Electoral Commission rules, candidates are entitled to $2.62 for each vote they receive as long as they receive more than four per cent of the votes.

6.15pm - Coalition clings to lead in Western Australia

The Liberals still dominate Western Australia's federal lower house seats, despite a substantial swing to Labor, AAP reports.

The opposition previously held three out of 15 seats in the House of Representatives, making it the most Liberal state in the nation.

Labor could now wind up with six, state opposition leader Mark McGowan says.

The party has retained all three of the WA seats it previously held - Fremantle, Perth and Brand - despite the retirement of high-profile sitting MPs Melissa Parke, Alannah MacTiernan and Gary Gray.

It has also convincingly won the newly created seat of Burt with Matt Keogh, who performed strongly after losing last year's Canning byelection to Liberal Andrew Hastie.

5.45 - Labor secures prized NSW marginals

Tallying the votes from Saturday's election continued late into the evening and so far it appears the coalition has won 22 of the 47 NSW electorates, with Labor holding 23 and two not yet determined, according to the he Australian Electoral Commission, AAP reports.

The result follows a 3.42 per cent national swing to the ALP on a two-party preferred count, which helped it pick up several prized marginal seats.

One of the seats to return to Labor was Barton where former NSW opposition deputy leader Linda Burney successfully made the jump to national politics and has become the first indigenous woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.

She has credited Labor's success to the party's campaign focused on potential changes to Medicare, which had been dismissed by the coalition as baseless scare tactics.

5.05pm - AFP probes 'partisan' Medicare text messages

The source of thousands of partisan texts allegedly sent to voters on election day is being looked at by federal police.

The texts pretended to come from Medicare and told recipients "Mr Turnbull's plans to privatise Medicare will take us down the road of no return," News Corp reports.

But the matter has since been referred to the AFP for "evaluation", with a spokeswoman saying no further comment can be made as the matter is being looked at.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last night called the nexts one of the greatest example of systematic dishonesty in Australian political history.

He said he expected a police investigation.

4.06pm - Glen Lazarus concedes defeat

Rugby league star turned senator Glen Lazarus has conceded defeat in his fight to retain his senate spot.

After securing just 1.6 per cent of the state's senate vote at this stage, the former Palmer United MP admits he is unlikely to get across the line.

"Polling results are in and it appears that I may not have secured enough votes to retain my seat," he said in a Facebook post.

Mr Lazarus was considered a strong chance of holding his seat, despite the double dissolution and changes to senate rules aimed at rooting out minor parties and independents.

He said there were still many votes to be counted but the task appeared too big.

3.31pm - Unions claim big part in Labor comeback

Unions have claimed much of the credit for bolstering Labor's support in the federal election, reports AAP.

In the 22 key union-targeted seats, the average swing to Labor was 5.5 per cent.

This was higher than the national swing to Labor of two per cent and the 3.7 per cent swing against the coalition.

The ACTU campaign began a concerted effort on its "put the Liberals last" campaign over a year ago.

3.01pm - Voters crossed off but stopped from casting ballots

AAP reports the electoral commission is investigating an incident in which voters were crossed off the roll but not given ballot papers.

The NSW seats of Lyne and Cowper have been extensively redrawn as part of the federal redistribution.

This meant voters who used to be in Lyne had to ask for Cowper ballot papers at their local booths.

Independent candidate Rob Oakeshott, who retired as the MP for Lyne in 2013, took on coalition MP Luke Hartsuyker in Cowper.

Mr Oakeshott said polling booths in North Haven and Bonny Hills, which are in Lyne, ran out of absentee ballot papers for the seat of Cowper.

The voters were told they would be signed off the electoral roll, but not able to cast a ballot.

2.21pm Shorten rules out Greens alliance

In contrast to Mr Turnbull's 'quiet confidence' line half an hour earlier, the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has addressed the media in Moonee Ponds this afternoon with vigour, saying he's "never been more confident" of his own support.

"I have never been more certain of my leadership than I am this morning," he said, going on to declare that Labor was "back."

Mr Shorten again ruled out any potential deals with the Greens.

"We are going to keep to our word," said Mr Shorten. "We won't form any coalition agreements with the Greens."

On the topic of an alliance with others - including the Liberal Party - Mr Shorten played more coy.

"I have no doubt there is some common ground we can work with them," he said. "It should not beyond the pale of the Liberals to look at what they can do together with the Labor Party."

Indeed, if Mr Turnbull were to "go back to being the old Malcolm Turnbull and stand up for climate change", Mr Shorten said, then Labor "could do a deal in very short time."

1.45pm Nick Xenophon emerges as key player

Senator Nick Xenophon could be the king of a motley crew of crossbenchers, saying he does not believe there will be a hung parliament.

Mr Xenophon said he has "spoken" to Mr Turnbull and not Mr Shorten, but "gets along with both" he insisted on Sky News this afternoon.

"We want to do the right thing and make sure we follow through on the commitments we have made to so many Australians," he said.

Following on from his appearance on Seven this morning, he again highlighted issues such as gambling and job security as key to his party.

"We will support the side that can form a stable government and listen to us," he said.

Mr Xenophon told reporters in Adelaide that he will speak further to cross bench colleagues Derryn Hinch and Jacqui Lambie in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports post-press conference that Mr Xenophon is "making use of his new muscles" by threatening to tell on Christopher Pyne to the PM, on behalf of his party member Rebekha Sharkie.

"Christopher Pyne is a consummate politician," Mr Xenophon said. "It's a pity he's still a consummate student politician. If he is saying the people of Mayo will be punished for supporting Rebekha, then that's something I'll be taking up directly with the Prime Minister."

1.32pm 'Smear campaign' backfired: Anne Aly

Labor's candidate for Cowan Anne Aly says Liberal attacks about her government-funded anti-terror work backfired among voters, as the seat remains on a knife-edge.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan accused the counter-terrorism expert of poor judgment for writing a letter that helped reduce the jail term for self-styled hate preacher Junaid Thorne, who she said was an ideal candidate for a de-radicalisation program.

"The few people who had heard about it and were paying attention to it told me that although they had been Liberal voters all their lives, that they were now voting Labor because they just didn't approve of the negative smear campaign," Ms Aly told reporters in Perth on Sunday.

1.24pm Malcolm Turnbull faces the media

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has attempted to ease any brewing uncertainty this afternoon.

"Around a third of Australians voted pre-polling or postal voting," Mr Turnbull explained in a press conference, pointing to this as a reason that results have been so close. Postal and pre-votes, he noted, do "tend to favour the coalition."

The Prime Minister said he remains "quietly confident" that a majority coalition government will be returned at this election.

Mr Turnbull also confirmed that he had been "speaking" with a number of crossbenchers.

"What I have said to them is what I say to you now," he said.

"We remain confident we will be able to form a majority government and in those circumstances or indeed, in any circumstances, we always seek to work constructively with all of the members of the parliament as indeed we have sought to do in the past."

He refused to answer any questions put to him about Tony Abbott, but did say he was "not proposing to bring back any particular individuals", the Guardian reports.

Earlier today, Mr Abbott made a doorstop appearance, decked out in his biking gear. He used the moment to pay tribute to colleagues who lost their seats.

Labor leader Bill Shorten is expected to face the media shortly, after posting a photo of himself on Twitter enjoying breakfast with his family.

1.09pm Bob Katter gives his opinion on the Speaker role

Never one for mincing words, Bob Katter has revealed exactly what he thinks of the hypothetical situation in which he could be offered the role of Speaker.

"I would spit upon it," the Queensland MP said, when the question was posed to him as to whether he would accept the position.

Mr Katter is not the only one refusing to entertain the notion of being Speaker; Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan have also made apparent their disinterest.

It's likely this disinterest is actually due to the Speaker not voting. And at this stage, one vote less - for any party - could make all the difference.

12.33pm Greens Leader Richard Di Natale addresses the media

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has spoken to the media this afternoon, alongside fellow MP Adam Bandt who retained his seat in Melbourne.

"We knew we were coming from a long way back," Mr Di Natale has said on Sky News. "We look like we will return our team."

Mr Di Natale also made particular mention of One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson's political comeback.

"Let me just say that the Greens will stand Ms Hanson's racist and bigoted agenda," he said.

"We won't roll over like John Howard did when Pauline Hanson first came onto the political scene. We will take it right up to her. In modern Australia there is no place for racism, or bigotry. Her views have no place in the 21st century. We would rather a country that doesn't prey on people's fears and anxieties, that brings this country together rather than divides it."

Mr Di Natale admitted it was likely the Greens would lose a senator in South Australia, largely due to the blast of support for Nick Xenophon's Team. He said a multi-party government was "still a live option" in negotiation with Labor, amidst what he called a "catastrophic" result for the coalition.

Sky News are also reporting that Liberal sources now say the coalition could win between "73 and 76 seats", making a hung parliament "likely".

12.17pm Plibersek, Albanese deny leadership spill as hung parliament looms

Tanya Plibersek is quashing rumours of a potential leadership challenge against Bill Shorten. She says she supports Mr Shorten as the Labor leader "100 per cent", Sky News reports.

Anthony Albanese is reportedly telling colleagues that the important focus right now is "forming government".

On the other side of the house, Eric Abetz is stirring up some Liberal leadership discussion of his own.

"Do you see Malcolm Turnbull leading the Liberal party for the duration of this term of parliament?" he was asked by a journalist, ABC reports.

"Look, let's not speculate," Senator Abetz answered. "That is ultimately up to Mr Turnbull to determine."

Mr Abetz said he "assumed" Mr Turnbull would put his hand up for the leadership role.

12.11pm Australian Federal Police speaks on the Medicare texts

Meanwhile, the AFP has now commented on the Medicare text message debacle; by not commenting on it.

They confirmed to the Guardian they "received a referral yesterday" regarding the messages, but "can't comment" on the matter.

The matter is now being evaluated further.

11.44am What Mr Turnbull is getting up to this morning

He's just been on the phone to independent MP Andrew Wilkie, before leaving his house amid much media kerfuffle.

Mr Wilkie told reporters in Hobart there was "no remarkable substance" to recount from the prime minister's phone call, which he believed was more a signal of open channels of communication than anything.

"I went to this election with a position that I would not enter into any form of agreement with any party to allow them to form government and nothing has changed," he said on Sunday.

Mr Wilkie, who garnered a swing of some 6.4 per cent, said he was not made any offers - including the Speaker's job - when he spoke with Mr Turnbull on Sunday morning.

"It's fair enough that given the possibility of a power-sharing parliament that any prime minister would have done exactly the same - picked up the phone and just wanted to ensure he or she had open channels of communication," Mr Wilkie said.

He insists he won't be doing deals with anyone to form government.

Cathy McGowan joined him in chorus, tweeting that she will "not be making any deals with any party." She has pointed to Mr Turnbull's confidence in forming majority government as a reason.

Up in Northern Queensland, Bob Katter is taking a different approach. He is already writing up a list of "demands" for negotiations, the ABC reports.

"There will definitely be a very powerful position for Xenophon and myself to play, and Andrew Wilkie," he said.

The Guardian reports that Mr Katter has not (as yet) received a phone call from Mr Turnbull.

As vote counts pointed to an increasingly tight result on Saturday night, conservative commentator and long-time Tony Abbott supporter Andrew Bolt wrote a blog post for News Corp Australia blaming the prime minister for the uncertain result.

He also called for Mr Turnbull to resign.

"You have been a disaster," he wrote.

"You betrayed Tony Abbott and then led the party to humiliation, stripped of both values and honour," Mr Bolt wrote.

11.13am Who is to blame for the current situation?

Meanwhile, Attorney-General George Brandis has some thoughts on why this uncertain outcome has occurred. He is blaming Twitter and social media. Or, in his words; "the trivialisation of political discourse".

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who retained his Tasmanian seat of Denison overnight, has a different opinion.

He has told ABC journalist Monique Ross that the "political ruling class is out of touch with voters, who want school and hospital funding, and action on pokies."

Mr Wilkie is also refusing to enter into "any form of agreement with any party to allow them to form government."

"Nothing has changed," he said.

10.57am Australian Federal Police expected to comment on Medicare texts

The Australian Federal Police are "preparing to speak on a referral" from the coalition, the Guardian is reporting.

The coalition want the AFP to investigate text messages which were allegedly sent to voters and journalists on voting day by the Labor party, relating to Medicare.

Thousands of Australians received text messages on election day purporting to be from Medicare, warning of Mr Turnbull's plans to privatise the system.

"Time is running out to Save Medicare," it said.

At the time, Mr Turnbull said police would "no doubt" investigate the incident.

Labor's Queensland branch has since confirmed it sent the messages, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. A spokesman said they had intended for Medicare to be the subject of the text, not the recipient.

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said he had not seen the messages and "did not know" who had sent them.

Mr Turnbull accused Labor of "lying" and described it as "shameful".

10.33am Leadership challenge rumours are already starting

Sky News are reporting that 'senior sources' believe Bill Shorten is expected to face a leadership challenge from Anthony Albanese.

When questioned on Insiders, however, Labor MP Brendan O'Connor insisted Mr Shorten "would still be the party leader by the end of the year".

Resources minister Josh Frydenberg hit back, claiming that there was plenty to point to for evidence of those sharpening their knives.

"As to who would be the leader in the Labor party, I think you've got Albanese, Bowen, Plibersek - they're all lining up for their shot," he replied to O'Connor.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari told Sky News that leadership speculation is "ridiculous" and any rumours of a challenge are "certainly news to him".

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie has called any Labor leadership speculation "cr*p", the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"If Anthony Albanese thinks he can move against Bill Shorten he's out of his cotton picking mind," Mr Beattie said.

Former NSW Labor leader and Sky commentator Kristina Kennally rubbished the reports as soon as they are made saying they are "ridiculous, unhelpful and distracting", the Sydney Morning Herald has said.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten is expected to address the media at around 1pm today.

10.22am Lazarus concedes defeat

Former PUP party member Glenn Lazarus has conceded defeat on Facebook.

"Polling results are in and it appears that I may not have secured enough votes to retain my seat," he wrote.

"While there are still many more votes to count and voter preferences to allocate, the battle ahead does appear too big."

My family and I would like to thank everyone for your support over the last couple of years. We would also like to thank my team, volunteers and candidates for your unwavering support and hardwork."

After securing just 1.6 per cent of the state's senate vote at this stage, the former Palmer United MP admits he is unlikely to get across the line.

The final Senate spot could also go to either the Greens or Pauline Hanson's One Nation, who have both already picked up at least one seat.

Meanwhile, the ABC is reporting that the coalition has "slipped behind Labor" on the tally of seats. Independents are now claiming five seats, Labor is on 67 seats, while the coalition are sitting on 65.

9.36am This is why we have to wait, potentially for a whole month

The Australian Electoral Commission has released a statement on Twitter explaining why we must wait until Tuesday, or later, to know a more definitive result.

An electoral commission has told the ABC that waiting for postal votes will take at least 13 days.

"By law we have to wait," the commissioner said. "We have to wait for postal votes for 13 days after polling stopping, given that for these seats many could be just a handful of votes."

8.04am Three of the key players

ABC political commentator Barrie Cassidy has said this morning on Insiders that tents will have to be erected on the lawn of Parliament House to "accommodate all the Independent senators."

Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Jacqui Lambie, Nick Xenophon, and Derryn Hinch kept things interesting by declaring they were going to be 'best friends'.

"We've got nine hours sleep between us," Hinch said. Number one on his to-do list, he said, would be to install a national register for sex offenders.

Mr Xenophon said he was hoping to secure three seats. "Some of my candidates are still in with a chance," he said. His priorities would be to tackle online gambling, pokies, and jobs. "They're the big issues."

Mr Xenophon said he was looking forward to working with his counterparts.

Ms Lambie said her biggest areas of concern were pensioners and drug rehabilitation for youths. When asked about her thoughts on Pauline Hanson's success, Ms Lambie said "she's the last person on my mind at this stage."

Mr Xenophon was more diplomatic on the topic; "I disagree with some of her views on immigration. But I will do my best to engage with her constructively."

Mr Hinch said he had "no idea" how the next three years would play out.

Speaking on Insiders later in the morning, Mr Xenophon said the party with the largest number of seats "would be a big factor to take into account" for negotiations, the ABC reports. "You would be silly to ignore the weight of arithmetic."

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7.08am - Barnaby Joyce celebrates with a picnic

Public spats with Johnny Depp and his dogs appear not to have hindered Barnaby Joyce.

Joyce has sealed two victories against former independent Tony Windsor, retaining his seat of New England on primaries and for the Nationals.

Mr Windsor is refusing to concede defeat. Mr Joyce, meanwhile, has told AAP he will spend today enjoying a "family picnic."

6.41am - The Outsiders

She's back. It seems likely that One Nation's Pauline Hanson could pick up two seats in the senate, while Jacqui Lambie is expected to return to her seat in Tasmania.

Meanwhile, Nick Xenophon's party is inching closing to gaining three seats.

So far, of the seats remaining in doubt, Labor is ahead in six of those, Sky News reports this morning.

6.36am And now, we play the waiting game
As Mr Turnbull declared in his post-midnight address, "we will have to wait a few days" before knowing a decisive result.

Vote counting is not set to resume until Tuesday.

This includes postal and absentee votes, while a handful of imminent legal challenges and vote disputes may delay things even further.

So, what happens today Absent, interstate, postal and other declaration votes will be reconciled, sorted and packaged ready for dispatch to the home division from Monday. Any counting today will be limited to the small numbers of votes collected by AEC mobile teams.

Tomorrow, officials will verify more than one million postal votes. On Tuesday, lower house voting will continue.

The ABC's Antony Green said postal and absentee votes often make for a "long and tedious process".

Senate counting is also likely to take even longer than the Lower House.

6.24am - The lay of the land

The Snapchat filters and Medicare texts have stopped, but the vote-counting and finger-pointing must push on.

As of this morning, the coalition has lost at least 11 seats, although Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull remains confident his party will form majority government.

Labor believes a hung parliament is still possible, but a final result is unlikely to be known until Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Labor leader Bill Shorten is maintaining that Mr Turnbull has "lost his mandate".

Late last night, following both Mr Shorten and Mr Turnbull's speeches, the Guardian reported Labor was leading the Coalition by 50.06% to 49.94% on a two party preferred basis.

Another 23 per cent of the vote still remains to be counted. News.com.au reported at 1.43am that there were "just 8124 votes" separating he two majors.

6.05am - It's all over but no result

Australia faces an uncertain few days after a 3.3 per cent swing against the Turnbull government has made another hung parliament possible.

Senior Liberals are talking up the chances of winning a bare majority of 76 seats.

ABC modelling was showing the coalition holding 74 seats to Labor's 66, with one Green, four independents and five seats in doubt.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said the coalition “has its nose in front” but there were still many seats in doubt. He described the swings across the nation as “erratic”.

ABC journalist Barrie Cassidy said he thought Australia could be facing a hung parliament.