Dutton names crossbenchers who could help him clinch minority government as poll puts Coalition ahead of Labor

Peter Dutton has ruled out working with the Greens to form minority government as well as certain teal MPs as the Coalition is projected to fall just three seats short of majority at the next federal election. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Peter Dutton is considering which crossbench MPs he could do a deal with to form minority government, naming independents Bob Katter and Dai Le as potential allies, as polling predicts the Coalition could fall just short of majority at the upcoming federal election.

YouGov’s latest pre-election polling, released Sunday, projects the Coalition could win 73 lower house seats at the 2025 federal election – shy of the 76 needed to form majority government – with Labor trailing at 66 seats, the independents winning eight and the Greens, Katter’s Australian Party and Centre Alliance winning a seat each.