Election 2022: Majority on the cards but Michael Sukkar in front

Anthony Albanese is on track for a majority government with Labor likely to hold at least 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, despite some seats still being in contention.

Liberal MP Michael Sukkar.

Anthony Albanese is on track for a majority government with Labor likely to hold at least 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, despite a number of electorates still being in contention.

The latest counting has Labor on 76 seats and the Coalition on 57, with a crossbench of 15 including six new teal MPs.

Labor’s Jerome Laxale has officially won the blue-ribbon seat of Bennelong over the Liberals’ Simon Kennedy, marking only the second time it has turned red in more than 70 years.

The seat once held by former Liberal prime minister John Howard fell to Labor with a significant 7.9 per cent swing.

Labor has also pulled ahead of the Greens in the latest counting while it is also confident of winning a three way contest in the Melbourne seat of Macnamara Josh Burns leads both opponents.

Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten said Labor’s postal vote campaign outshone the Greens.

“The Greens’ postal vote campaign was worse than a mung bean curry,’’ Mr Shorten said.

However, Labor’s hopes of taking Deakin in Victoria have faded as Liberal incumbent Michael Sukkar pulls ahead of Labor’s Matt Greg by 74 votes.

With almost 60 per cent of the postal votes favouring the former assistant treasurer, the Liberals are cautiously optimistic they will retain the seat.

In the neighbouring seat of Menzies, Liberal candidate Keith Wolahan has pulled ahead, with Labor’s Naomi Oakley trailing by 2177 votes.

In Gilmore on the NSW south coast, the Liberals’ Andrew Constance is a nose ahead of Labor’s Fiona Philips by just 104 votes.

Postal votes, which are still being tallied, have favoured Labor candidate Madonna Jarrett and pushed her ahead of Greens hopeful Stephen Bates on a margin of just 34 votes.

Outgoing Coalition MP Trevor Evans conceded defeat in the namesake capital-city seat on Saturday night, despite securing the most primary votes.

Labor MP Brian Mitchell is facing a challenge from the Coalition for the Tasmanian seat of Lyons, with a 4.6 per cent swing to the Liberals’ Susie Bower. Mr Mitchell leads by 729 votes.