The counting has stopped until Tuesday and the overall position is unclear but there is no doubt about the local result in the 2016 federal election.
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Bob Katter has been comfortably re-elected to the seat of Kennedy and could have a powerful role to play in the new parliament.
At the time of writing, it is likely to be a hung parliament though a shock Labor victory is still possible.
With around 12 seats still in doubt, the Coalition and Labor are running neck and neck with the AEC election website giving Labor 69 seats to the LNP’s 64.
Both are well short of an overall majority in the 149 seat parliament.
At least five seats will be held by minor parties or independents.
Those five are Bob Katter (Kennedy, Qld) for the KAP, Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Vic) for the Greens, Cathy McGowan (Indi, Vic) independent and Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, SA) for the Nick Xenophon Team.
There are no real natural allies for Mr Katter in that group though he has shown a willingness to work across the aisle in parliaments past and it could put him in a position of kingmaker as it did in the tight election of 2010.
Mr Katter told Sky News he didn’t have a preference who the next prime minister was.
“I couldn’t care if the Queen of Sheba was going to be the next prime minister, who ever it is hasn’t done too much for us,” he told PM Live’s Paul Murray.
Mr Katter’s position has been strengthened after the 72-year-old tightened his grip on Kennedy with two-party preferred swing of 9.24% over the 25-year-old LNP candidate Jonathan Pavetto.
With 99 booths counted out of 108, Mr Katter has 25,697 votes to Mr Pavetto 19,999.
Norm Jacobsen of the LNP is third with 11,866 followed by Valerie Weier of the Greens with 3088 and last Donna Gallehawk of Family First with 2342.
Mr Katter spent the Saturday night on the family homestead near Charters Towers and a spokesperson said the margin of the result was a “surprise and delight”.
“We did not expect this, we thought it would be a lot tighter,” Mr Katter’s spokesperson said.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
