Labor appears on track to govern in its own right, as vote counting continues following the federal election.
At 2pm on Monday, official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission had Labor on 76 seats in the House of Representatives – a majority in the 151-seat chamber.
The Liberal-National coalition was holding 58 seats.
Ten independents were on track for victory, joined on the cross bench by Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie from the Centre Alliance, Greens leader Adam Bandt and veteran Kennedy MP Bob Katter.
The AEC listed four seats where the two-candidate preferred vote was unavailable: Macnamara, Maranoa, Melbourne and Richmond.
Only one seat was formally listed as “close” – the NSW electorate of Gilmore.
Labor picked up 52.4 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
Incumbent MPs were trailing in 19 seats: Swan, Pearce, Tangney, Hasluck, Curtin (WA), Chisholm, Higgins, Kooyong, Goldstein, Deakin (Victoria), Wentworth, Gilmore, Reid, North Sydney, Robertson, Mackellar, Fowler and Bennelong (NSW), Boothby and Grey (SA).
The Senate results are yet to be finalised, but the most likely biggest losses will be veteran Queensland senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Liberal minister Zed Seselja in the ACT.
