Labor has won its 7th election in a row in the ACT after an election over the weekend.
Two independents were elected to the ACT Parliament for the first time since the 1990s.
Labor is expected to form a minority government with the Greens and possibly independents, as counting is finalised over the coming days and weeks.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party has lost a by-election in the NSW seat of Pittwater, a traditional Liberal stronghold.
ACT election
The ACT election is held every four years. There are 25 seats in the single-chamber Parliament.
The territory has five electorates, each represented by five MPs.
Candidates are voted in through the ‘Hare-Clark’ proportional representation system. It means they need a certain number of votes proportional to the population of their electorate in order to get elected.
Results
Before the election, Labor governed with the support of the Greens. Out of 25 seats, Labor held 10, the Liberals 9, and the Greens 6.
The 2024 election results so far are:
Labor 10
Liberal 9
Greens 3
Independents 2
Counting is still underway.
Analysis
Labor has been in power in the ACT since 2001. By the end of this term, it will have led in the ACT for 27 years.
This election, Labor’s vote dropped 3.3%. The Greens’ vote also declined, halving their presence in Parliament from six to three seats.
Two independents have been elected for the first time since 1998: Thomas Emerson (a former staffer for independent Senator David Pocock) and Fiona Carrick, who campaigned on improving planning, housing, and transparency.
Leaders
Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Australia’s longest currently serving leader, told Labor supporters he would form a “progressive and stable government”.
In her concession speech, Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee acknowledged the party had come “so close” to winning.
“We have what it takes to deliver the refresh for the ACT that is sorely needed,” she told supporters.
NSW by-elections
Over the weekend, NSW residents also voted in three northern Sydney by-elections.
Two were triggered by the resignation of senior Liberals: Former Premier Dominic Perrottet (Epping) and former Treasurer Matt Kean (Hornsby).
A third was triggered by Liberal MP Rory Amon (Pittwater) stepping down after he was charged with child sex offences. Amon has denied the charges.
Labor did not put up candidates in any of the three by-elections, all of which are traditional Liberal seats.
Pittwater
The Liberal Party held Epping and Hornsby with large margins.
Pittwater has swung significantly to independent candidate Jacqui Scruby. While counting has not finished, she is ahead 55-45%.
Scruby is expected to become the first ‘teal’ MP in NSW Parliament. While not an official party, teals are a group of climate-focused independents, backed by the advocacy and fundraising organisation Climate 200.