Historic contest in Sydney’s Bradfield seat sees Liberal Gisele Kapterian grow her marginal lead to 215 votes over independent Nicolette Boele

In one of the election’s tightest races, the Liberals have extended their lead in the final NSW seat to 215 votes, up from 182, with counting still ongoing.

The race for the federal seat of Bradfield remains on a knife edge, with Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian extending her narrow lead over independent challenger Nicolette Boele to 215 votes, up from 182, as of Wednesday morning.

The count reflects a 3.30 per cent swing toward Boele.

With 87 per cent of the vote counted, Bradfield is now the last undecided NSW seat in the 2025 federal election, and neither side has yet claimed victory.

The electorate, which includes affluent North Shore suburbs such as Lindfield, Wahroonga, and Turramurra, has long been a Liberal stronghold.

However, In 2022 Boele came close to unseating former Liberal frontbencher Paul Fletcher, setting the stage for another strong challenge this year.

As of yesterday, only a few thousand postal votes remain to be counted and the Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed that if the final margin falls below 100 votes after preferences are distributed, an automatic full recount will be triggered.

Liberal candidate for Bradfield, Gisele Kapterian, holds a slim lead. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Independent Nicolette Boele campaigning at early voting centre in Gordon. Picture: Rohan Kelly

It comes after a red wave washed over NSW leaving the state’s Liberal Party reeling and holding just a handful of federal seats in Sydney after the 2025 election.

While counting is still underway, Labor is projected to have at least 28 Senate seats in the next parliament, up from 24 at the end of the previous term. The Coalition is on 26 Senate seats, down from 30 at the end of the previous term.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrates with his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan after winning the general election. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)

Across Australia, the Labor Party has secured a commanding majority in the House of Representatives, with 88 seats, while the Liberal-National Coalition holds 40 seats.

The Greens have yet to win any seats in the House, although they retain 11 seats in the Senate, maintaining their influence in upper house legislation.

At least 16 seats remain too close to call throughout Australia due to various counting uncertainties and procedural issues. In Victoria, seven seats — including Calwell, Menzies, Melbourne, Kooyong, Flinders, Monash, and Bendigo — are awaiting final two-candidate-preferred counts or additional votes that could shift outcomes.

Originally published as Historic contest in Sydney’s Bradfield seat sees Liberal Gisele Kapterian grow her marginal lead to 215 votes over independent Nicolette Boele