Labor might win more than 76 seats

Labor is increasingly confident of holding on to two of three cliffhanger seats – Richmond in northern NSW, Lyons in Tasmania and Macnamara in Melbourne.

The Liberals remain ahead in Gilmore on the NSW South Coast and in Deakin where former minister Michael Sukkar is clinging on.

The euphoria of the Greens claiming three seats in inner-Brisbane in Saturday’s election, has been dampened with updating counting showing Labor has taken over the lead in Brisbane.

Labor candidate Madonna Jarrett now has a wafer-thin lead of 34 votes over Greens candidate Stephen Bates who had been leading by 342 votes on Sunday afternoon which was then whittled down to 158 votes by Sunday night.

With Ms Jarrett snaring a bigger share of postal votes during counting, Labor campaign insiders believe Labor will win the seat.

That would help Labor save face over the loss of high-profile frontbencher Terri Butler who lost her South Brisbane seat of Griffith after a strong grassroots community campaign by Greens candidate Max Chandler-Mather.

The Greens also defeated Liberal National Party MP Julian Simmonds in the once blue-ribbon seat of Ryan in Brisbane’s western suburbs.

If Labor wins Brisbane it will keep its electoral status quo in Queensland, with six of the 30 federal seats.

A slip to five seats will only put more pressure for an internal party review as to why Labor did not do better in the Sunshine State despite so much time and effort being put in by Labor leader Anthony Albanese and his ministers to winning back voters after the disastrous 2019 election.

Labor still does not hold a Lower House seat north of Brisbane.

Labor campaigners point to the trimming of margins in seats in key seats in Central and North Queensland saying it would leave them in “striking distance” in the 2025 election.

In-coming Queensland Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne (right) with Senator Larissa Waters Supplied

The Greens were also buoyed by picking up a new Senate seat in Queensland with Penny Allman-Payne from the industrial city of Gladstone to join fellow Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters in the Upper House.

One Nation founder Pauline Hanson remains the favourite to pick up the sixth and final Senate seat in Queensland, finishing ahead of mining billionaire Clive Palmer.

Labor and the Coalition have already secured two Senate seats with LNP Senator Amanda Stoker the biggest casualty after not picking up a spot from the difficult third place on the party’s ticket.