As of 2pm on Tuesday, Sussan Ley led by over 10,000 votes in Farrer.
The Australian Electoral Commission has abandoned its major party preference count in Farrer three days after the federal election.
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On Tuesday, May 6, a two candidate preferred count was unavailable for the electorate on the AEC’s Tally Room site.
The AEC ditched the Liberal-Labor preference count as it appeared independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe was likely to finish second in the electorate, according to the ABC.
Incumbent member for Farrer Sussan Ley will retain her seat, but an impressive result from Ms Milthorpe has seen Labor candidate Glen Hyde end up in third place based on first preference votes.
Independent candidate for Farrer Michelle Milthorpe at Moama Beach in February.
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On Sunday, May 4, Ms Milthorpe congratulated Ms Ley in a Facebook post, and said there was a lot of work to be done in Farrer.
“I do wish her well over the next three years. If she does well, we all do well,” she said.
Ms Milthorpe thanked the volunteers who supported her campaign, and said she would now take time to be with her friends and family.
“This is not the end of the road for me. This is just a new chapter,” she said.
As the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Ms Ley has become acting leader, replacing Peter Dutton, who lost his seat at the election.
The party will now elect a new leader, with the contest expected to be between Ms Ley, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and immigration spokesman Dan Tehan.
The Riv sought comment from Ms Ley’s office on her result in Farrer, but was told she would not be commenting until the result was formally declared.
As of 2pm on Tuesday, Ms Ley led by over 10,000 votes, and had received 43.6 per cent of first preference votes, according to the ABC.
Two candidate preferred counts are not yet available from the AEC for polling places in Moama, Mathoura, or Barham.
In Bendigo, the race between incumbent Labor member Lisa Chesters and the Nationals’ Andrew Lethlean has tightened further.
After an initial projected win for Labor, the ABC’s projected tally was at 50.7 per cent for Mr Lethlean and 49.3 per cent for Ms Chesters on Tuesday morning.
As preferences continue to be redistributed, these figures will likely change.
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