Wentworth by-election result on a knife edge

THE government is hoping that an electoral miracle in the form of postal votes will fall its way and give it an unlikely win in the Wentworth by-election — and cling to its parliamentary majority.

THE government is hoping that an electoral miracle in the form of postal votes will fall its way and give it an unlikely win in the Wentworth by-election — and cling to its parliamentary majority.

The Liberal Party suffered a devastating 18 per cent swing, putting it behind in Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat as the shock result has sparked another round of internal recriminations.

With independent Kerryn Phelps tipped to maintain her narrow lead, the Morrison Government will lose its one-seat majority, leaving it open to defeat on key votes in the House of Representatives.

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One of Labor’s earliest moves could be to refer Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to the High Court over his eligibility as soon as this week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: David Swift.

As Labor refused to rule out a vote of no confidence against the government, Mr Morrison yesterday vowed to work with independents to address their concerns and avoid an early election.

The government may be forced to go to the polls early if it loses key votes in parliament, or crossbenchers and Labor block supply of money to the government. If it lost a vote of no confidence, the PM would be forced to go to the Governor-General and call an election.

Conservative MPs are calling Mr Turnbull a traitor for not publicly backing Liberal candidate Dave Sharma during the by-election. Other MPs directed their anger at Mr Dutton over his bungled leadership challenge in August.

Mr Morrison said he hoped Liberal candidate Dave Sharma could still win, but admitted the electorate was furious over Mr Turnbull’s ousting.

“Liberal voters expressed their anger at the parliamentary Liberal Party … and we copped that fairly on the chin,” Mr Morrison said. “The events of two months ago angered and outraged many Liberals and particularly those in the seat of Wentworth.”

Independent candidate for Wentworth Kerryn Phelps appears set to win. AAP Image/Chris Pavlich

Dr Phelps, the former head of the Australian Medical Association, was last night 1626 votes in front of Mr Sharma.

Postal votes were yesterday falling Mr Sharma’s way but Liberal insiders said it did not appear enough to deliver a win.

Mr Morrison is now facing calls from his party room to backtrack on several policies just two months after he took over as Prime Minister.

Liberal MPs are calling on the government to dump plans for a religious freedoms Bill, and rule out moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Some MPs are warning that Dr Phelps, a veteran gay rights campaigner, will make it much harder to pass a religious freedom Bill. One MP said “it’s time to cut our losses and re­focus” on mainstream issues.

The government will have to deal with a crossbench of six in the Lower House if Dr Phelps wins, with Labor holding 69 seats and the Coalition one short of a majority with 75.

Bob Katter, who has guaranteed support for the government since the 2016 election, did not rule out backing a no-confidence motion. “My rage and anger now has to be taken into account when making decisions down there in ­Can­berra,” Mr Katter said.

Greens MP Adam Bandt said he would back a no-confidence vote, saying the PM needed to immediately call an election: “The sooner we turf out this rotten government, the better,” he said.

Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie said he would not guarantee support, while Victorian Cathy McGowan said she would not comment until the result was clear.

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