ABC analyst angered by slow vote count on Saturday night

ABC analyst Antony Green has taken aim at the NSW Electoral Commission over the “slowest count I’ve ever seen”.

ABC's election analyst Antony Green. Picture: Supplied

ABC election analyst Antony Green has taken aim at the NSW Electoral Commission over what he described as the “slowest count I’ve ever seen” on Saturday night.

Green, who featured on the ABC’s election panel alongside NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, state Labor frontbencher Jodi McKay, and federal Labor MP Linda Burney, acknowledged the slower than usual speed numerous times during the broadcast.

“It’s 8 o’clock and we’ve got 11 per cent counted, it’s the slowest count I’ve ever seen,” Green said.

He said he had doubts over some of the numbers coming through and was subsequently cautious in calling certain seats, including Ballina.

“There’s something wrong with the numbers here … from a comment someone’s said there may have been a data entry error there so that’s why we’re hanging off on a few of these seats,” Green said. “I have had my doubts about some of the numbers so I will hold off.”

Green’s on-air frustration came after a testy few days in which he had criticised Channel 7’s advertised election panel on Twitter for being unbalanced.

Green posted an image of Channel 7’s panel, depicting only conservative commentators including Barnaby Joyce, Alan Jones, Pru Goward and Mark Latham, among others, with the caption: “Bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark.’’

“It’s an election panel (and) the point of an election panel is to discuss results,” Green said in an accompanying message to his original tweet.