FED:Libs extend lead in Hasluck

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2010
FED:Libs extend lead in Hasluck

PERTH, Aug 23 AAP - Liberal candidate Ken Wyatt remains ahead of Labor incumbent Sharryn
Jackson in the crucial Perth seat of Hasluck, extending his election-night lead in counting
on Monday.

With three seats still in doubt nationally, all eyes are on vote counting in Hasluck
for a result that may decide which party can form government.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) put Dr Wyatt ahead of Ms Jackson by 382 votes
at 5pm (WST) on Monday, 19 votes more than the Saturday night tally.

Earlier, at about 12.30pm, he had been ahead by 396 votes.

On a two-party preferred basis, Dr Wyatt had 33,810 votes against Ms Jackson's 33,428.

The AEC did not expect any new votes to be counted until Tuesday when absentee votes
would be in from other electorates.

Dr Wyatt led Ms Jackson by 363 votes when the counting of ballots cast at polling booths
in the electorate was wound up on Saturday night.

Scrutineers from both parties were keenly watching the counting at Midland in Perth's
east on Monday, and it could be some days before a final result is known.

A win for Dr Wyatt, a health expert, would make him the first indigenous member elected
to the federal House of Representatives.

Peter Kramer from the AEC said a fresh count of the votes cast on Saturday had been
made in the electoral office on Monday with party scrutineers making sure the process
was transparent.

"Scrutineers will keep an eye on votes being declared informal," he said.

"They'll stand and watch the count and if they believe the vote is or isn't informal,
they can raise that, and that vote gets put aside and checked again."

Mr Kramer said there would be several thousand pre-poll, postal and absentee votes
to count in coming days.

"If it stays really, really close, we then have the situation where overseas postals
can be accepted up till September 3," he said.

Dr Wyatt has declined to comment on the counting until a result is clear.

Ms Jackson said postal votes traditionally favoured incumbents and she hoped they would
get her across the line.

"Of course, I would rather be the person who is three or four hundred votes in front
at this time, than behind.

"When you are this close, I think you hang in there and hope for the best."

The former union official, who won the marginal seat back at the last election after
losing it for a term, said the Labor government's planned mining tax was a big issue,
but much of the heat had gone out of it by the election.

"But it was a big scare campaign that was run."

Ms Jackson said she had minimised the swing against Labor in her seat, but Labor and
the Liberals had lost primary votes, with the big winners being the Greens and the independents.

AAP ldj

KEYWORD: POLL10 HASLUCK WRAP (WITH PIX)

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