Anthony Albanese may be just 24 hours away from knowing whether he has secured a majority government in the lower house.
Three seats that remain in doubt after elections just over a week ago could be called on Monday, according to respected ABC election analyst Anthony Green.
“Staff will process return envelopes to be ready for a big recount on Monday,” he tweeted Sunday.
“This should clarify the final result, unless all three seats remain very close.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives with partner Jodie Haydon to walk the street with Member-elect for Bennelong Jerome Laxale in Eastwood, Sydney, Saturday 28 May 2022.
Labor needs 76 seats to win a majority in the lower house of federal parliament, and the party holds 75, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
“I think having a majority Labor government is important to send a message, but I’m also very clear that I want to treat parliament with respect,” Albanese told Sky News.
Three seats in the House of Representatives are still to be decided: Deakin and Macnamara in Victoria, Lyons in Tasmania and Gilmore in New South Wales.
Liberal MP Michael Sukkar is 655 votes ahead of Labor candidate Matt Gregg in Deakin, which recorded a swing towards Labor of around four per cent.
In New South Wales, Labor MP Fiona Phillips is 214 votes behind Liberal candidate and former minister of state Andrew Constance in Gilmore, with postal votes slightly favoring Mr Constance.
The Victorian seat of Macnamara is complicated because it is not yet clear which two candidates will face off in the final preference count.
Labor MP Josh Burns has taken a slight lead over his Greens rival Steph Hodgins-May, with Liberal candidate Colleen Harkin trailing behind.
If this continues, then Ms Harkin’s preferences will push Mr Burns, who is the incumbent, or Ms Hodgins-May over the line.
If Burns wins, Labor will have its 76th seat and a majority government, but if Hodgins-May wins, Labor will likely be confined to a minority government.
Peter Dutton (left) is pictured with his wife Kirilly. Dutton is expected to become the next leader of the Liberal Party.
Even with Labour’s final tally in Parliament uncertain, the party will hold a meeting on Tuesday where factions can decide their preferences for the new ministry, which will be sworn in on Wednesday.
Albanese reiterated his election promise to welcome a wage increase of approximately $1 per hour or 5.1 percent above the national minimum wage of $20.33.
“I think it’s appropriate for the government to put forward a proposal in line with our values and I think they are values that Australians also share,” he said.
Albanese also called for greater cooperation between companies and unions.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to see greater cooperation between businesses and unions. In the photo, a young maintenance engineer testing voltage with a digital multimeter.
‘I have said that companies and unions have common interests. “Companies cannot succeed without workers and without a collaborative relationship through worker representatives and the union movement,” he stated.
‘If you don’t have successful businesses, you don’t have union members. We have to recognize that the way to increase both profits and wages without putting upward pressure on inflation is, of course, productivity.’
If Labor needs cross-votes to pass legislation, Albanese is confident it can get it.
“I had a constructive relationship with Rebekha Sharkie, Andrew Wilkie and Bob Katter, the whole team, over a period of time,” he said.
Anthony Albanese said he has had a “constructive relationship” with Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie (pictured in Parliament in Canberra, Monday October 18, 2021)
‘I have had constructive conversations with (Greens leader) Adam Bandt. We will talk to people from across parliament. “I am confident we will give Australia a good government that will deliver the necessary changes and bring people back with us.”
Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley are expected to be endorsed as new leaders of the Liberal Party on Monday.
The Nationals will also meet to vote on a leader and both David Littleproud and Darren Chester will compete against former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.