Liberals take the lead in counting for seat of Adelaide

LIBERAL Rachel Sanderson has inched closer to becoming a minister as she increased her lead in the battle to win the seat of Adelaide.

• ELECTION HQ: All the latest news and analysis
• Steven Marshall sworn in as new SA Premier
• What to expect in Marshall’s first 100 days
• Seat by seat: What’s happening in your electorate

LIBERAL Rachel Sanderson has inched closer to becoming a minister as she increased her lead in the battle to win the seat of Adelaide.

The incumbent MP was 437 votes ahead on a two-party preferred basis on Tuesday night after further counting.

Her lead over Labor candidate and lawyer Jo Chapley had stretched to 537 votes before a counting error was discovered.

Ms Sanderson has held the city seat since 2010 and was the Liberals’ child protection spokeswoman in opposition.

She is tipped to take a place in the Liberal ministry, which is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

There had been concerns that prolonged uncertainty about the outcome in Adelaide could hold up that process. It is understood there are still about 3000 votes to count.

The final outcome in the sprawling southern electorate of Mawson was also still unclear late Tuesday.

Incumbent Labor MP Leon Bignell was leading Liberal challenger Andy Gilfillan by just 88 votes after further counting.

Ms Sanderson retook the lead on Monday evening, with Liberal strategists confident they would hang on after all postal votes are counted.

Ms Sanderson edged in front of Ms Chapley by more than 250 votes late Monday. At the start of Monday day, Ms Chapley had held a slender 116-vote two-party preferred lead over Ms Sanderson.

Ms Sanderson told The Advertiser the count was “looking positive but I’m not ready to declare yet”.

Rachel Sanderson

Jo Chapley with former premier Jay Weatherill during the election.

On Monday night Mr Bignell maintained a 189-vote lead. If he holds the seat he will be heralded a Labor hero for protecting territory widely expected to fall to the Liberals ahead of polling day.

In the bayside seat of Morphett, incumbent independent Duncan McFetridge is refusing to concede.

The former Liberal, who quit the party last year after losing a bitter preselection stoush, is trailing former Holdfast Bay Mayor and the man who beat him for the Liberal nomination Stephen Patterson.

Dr McFetridge has held the seat, centred around Glenelg, since 2002.

Mr Patterson is well ahead with 59.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote — compared with Labor’s 40.5 per cent.

Dr McFetridge garnered about 14 per cent of the primary vote.

He said the final result could be weeks away and he still believed he could win as SA Best and Labor preferences flowed to him.

“It’s not over yet — we’re a long way from being beaten,” he said.

“People are getting all excited about first preferences, which in the end don’t give you a really good indication of where you’re going to be in a fortnight’s time. I’m not giving up until the last vote is counted.”

The Electoral Commission will accept postal votes until Saturday.