Labor under incoming prime minister Anthony Albanese are inching towards an outright majority in the 151-seat Australian parliament but it is business as usual in the seat of Kennedy.
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Mr Albanese and senior members of his new cabinet will be sworn in Monday ahead of the Quad meeting of international leaders in Tokyo on Tuesday.
It is looking increasingly likely Mr Albanese will be able to rule without the need to rely on Green and Teal votes in parliament though it could be many days before the final result will be known.
According to the AEC Tally Room around 9am Monday, Labor were ahead in 75 seats - one short of an outright majority.
The Liberal National coalition lead in just 57 seats, Independents lead in 10, Greens lead in five plus one each for the Centre Alliance and the Katter's Australian Party with two too close to call.
In Kennedy Bob Katter was re-elected for the eleventh time even gaining a slight swing towards him.
With 97 of 100 polling booths returned, Mr Katter had 28,797 votes (42.02pc), Bryce Macdonald of the LNP had 18,666 (27.23pc), Labor's Jason Brandon had 11,277 (16.45pc), Jennifer Cox of the Greens had 4543 (6.63pc), Peter Campion of the UAP had 3043 (4.44pc) and independent Jen Sackley had 2213 (3.23pc).
It represented a 1.06pc swing since 2019 to Mr Katter, with the LNP down 0.25pc, Labor down 0.53pc and the UAP down 2.22pc but the Greens up 1.46pc.
On his Facebook page Mr Katter thanked everyone who worked on his polling booths.
"It was) a very humbling experience for me," Mr Katter
"To my staff who worked like dogs, thank you.
"To the voters of Kennedy thank you. You have to be where I am to understand how humbling this is. We work to make the world and our country a better place."
Labor's Jason Brandon said their work over these past few months wasn't in vein.
"We have built some great friendships and relationships and look forward to continued contact as we plan for the next 3 years," Mr Brandon said.
You have to be where I am to understand how humbling this is
- Bob Katter
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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.
