12.26PM UPDATE: Cathy McGowan is still headed toward certain victory over Liberal Sophie Mirabella in Indi, as counting in Wangaratta concludes for the day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms McGowan is leading by 387 - down from the 405 votes she started the day on - with fewer than 500 votes to go.
That’s equivalent to 50.22 per cent of the toal two-candidate preferred vote.
AEC’s Steve Kennedy said earlier today that just 415 votes were counted today, a combination of pre-poll, absentee and provisional votes.
A further 457 votes from interstate arrived today, which will be processed today; those considered valid will then be counted tomorrow.
A final handful of postal votes will be counted on Friday, though Mr Kennedy said these were unlikely to change the final margin dramatically.
The AEC is still hoping to officially declare the poll by Thursday.
Unless all the final 457 votes are valid and go to Mrs Mirabella, Ms McGowan is assured of victory - however, she told the Border Mail yesterday she wouldn’t be claiming the seat until the AEC declared it officially.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mrs Mirabella has brushed aside questions of whether the Liberal member will seek a recount, saying “that is a matter for the Victorian division of the Liberal Party”.
The Border Mail is seeking a response from Liberal Party headquarters.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.08AM UPDATE: Independent Cathy McGowan is edging closer to victory in Indi as counting continues in Wangaratta this morning.
AEC’s Steve Kennedy said 415 votes - a combination of pre-poll, absentee and provisional - would be counted today, giving a clear indication of the likely victor.
The AEC previously told the Border Mail that there were fewer than 500 votes to count, but Mr Kennedy said a further 457 votes had arrived today from interstate, a larger figure than expected.
These votes would be processed today, and be counted tomorrow.
A further 62 postal votes were still en route from overseas, but these were unlikely to affect the outcome.
The AEC is still hoping to officially declare the poll by Thursday.
Mr Kennedy said on current trends, Ms McGowan was “pretty certain” of victory and should win by more than 300 votes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CATHY McGowan looks unbeatable in Indi, with fewer than 500 votes to count.
But the independent isn’t claiming the seat just yet, preferring to wait for the Australian Electoral Commission to officially call it.
News of Ms McGowan’s 405-vote lead over the Liberal member Sophie Mirabella yesterday came as prime minister-elect Tony Abbott revealed his cabinet and ministry — and paid tribute to Mrs Mirabella.
AEC spokesman Steve Kennedy said heavy scrutineering of the remaining votes would resume today with counts of 150 pre-poll and 100 absentee votes, as they waited for the last of the postal votes to trickle in.
With only about 30 postal votes and another 200 provisional votes after that, Mr Kennedy said the result would be known “once and for all” by 11am.
“It’s pretty certain now that Cathy has won it,” he said.
“All of the remaining votes could go to Sophie but it’s unlikely.”
Mr Kennedy said the poll was unlikely to be officially declared before Thursday, to ensure all votes were in.
The few postal votes left would not be counted before Friday, he said — under AEC rules, officials must allow 13 days after an election to ensure all postal votes have been received.
At close of counting yesterday, Ms McGowan had 44,242 votes (50.23 per cent) and Mrs Mirabella 43,837 (49.77 per cent).
That was after a nail-biting weekend that saw Mrs Mirabella edge closer, cutting an 837 lead to 515 late on Sunday.
A positive Ms McGowan — who is in Seymour today as a guest at a rural women’s leadership course — yesterday maintained she would wait for the AEC to call it.
“I am feeling really positive and optimistic,” she said.
“Though there is still no clear winner, we don’t have much longer to wait and I am happy to still be ahead nearing the end of the count.
“I would really like to acknowledge all the incredible people who supported us.
“We couldn’t have achieved this result without them.”
Mr Kennedy said the AEC would order an automatic recount if the margin was less than 100 votes, an outcome he called “unlikely”.
Candidates can apply for a recount but Mr Kennedy said “they would have to have fairly good reasons why that should happen”.
