A recount of votes in the Queensland electorate of Dickson yesterday put Labor’s Cheryl Kernot over 100 votes ahead. One packet of votes from the original count was found to have been given incorrectly to the Liberal candidate.
Barring discovery of further mistakes in the count, it now appears certain that Kernot will take the seat. Assuming the ALP takes the Tasmanian seat of Bass and the Liberals win Kalgoorlie, the state of the parties in the new House of Representatives will be:
| Liberal | 64 |
| National | 16 |
| ALP | 67 |
| Ind | 1 |
| Total | 148 |
Following the provision of a Speaker, the government will then have an absolute majority of 11 votes.
