The seat of Goldstein is heading for a partial recount as former Teal MP Zoe Daniel refuses to concede to Liberal Tim Wilson.
The inner south-east Melbourne seat has been one of the most closely fought of the federal election campaign.
Daniel, a Climate200-backed independent, originally claimed victory on election night, before having to walk back her premature celebrations just days later.
The seat was then called for Tim Wilson by almost all new organisations, including Daily Mail Australia, before it appeared to be in doubt again.
Wilson, who was ousted by Daniel in 2022, was declared the winner by 260 votes, but the Teal requested a full recount.
The Australian Electoral Commission has now partly agreed to that, meaning there will be a recount of first preference votes for both candidates, in addition to a recount of all informal votes.
‘The AEC is satisfied that all votes for other candidates have been re-checked and verified with a “high degree of rigour throughout the distribution of preferences process” and will not be counted again,’ the ABC’s election analyst Anthony Green said.
The AEC said that the partial recount will begin on Wednesday morning and is ‘anticipated to take around four days to complete’.
Tim Wilson (pictured) claimed he was ‘very relaxed’ about the partial recount – before accusing the Labor party of assisting Zoe Daniel in her push for a recount
Daniel, a Climate200-backed independent, originally claimed victory on election night, before having to walk back her premature celebrations just days later
‘This will be dependent on the nature of scrutineering at the count centre,’ an AEC spokesperson added.
‘As always, the AEC remains absolutely committed to electoral integrity, and this decision is in accordance with that commitment.’
Wilson claimed he was ‘very relaxed’ about the partial recount – before accusing the Labor party of assisting Daniel in her push for a recount.
‘We have been very relaxed about every count and recount to date in Goldstein, as we know the count will deliver the result that reflects the will of the people of Goldstein,’ Wilson wrote on X.
‘However it does not surprise me that the Teals have consultants working for them that have also been consulting to Labor, and who have been providing cover to push for this recount.
‘I look forward to the conclusion of the partial recount and the declaration of the poll, and thank the AEC staff, all scrutineers and the people of Goldstein.’
Daniel welcomed the recount and thanked the ‘scrutineers and AEC staff for their diligence and dedication to the democratic process’.
‘I will be making no further comment until the process is complete,’ she added.