ELECTION 2010: Coalition moves ahead in two-party-preferred vote, increased pressure on independents

The Coalition may have moved a step closer to forming a minority government this morning after the latest election tallies show the Coalition has now moved past Labor in the all-important two-party-preferred vote.

The new tally from the Australian Electoral Commission shows that with 80% of the vote counted, the Coalition has 50.01% of the vote, compared with Labor’s 49.99%. The lead in terms of actual votes is just 2,000.

But that hasn’t stopped deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop attacking Labor and Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who claimed in the days after the election that Labor has won the popular vote.

“She set the bar and said that it was clear Labor was ahead on the two-party-preferred vote; in fact she said they had won the two-party-preferred vote. Well that is not the case,” Bishop told ABC Television.

“The facts are these – Labor lost 16 seats at the election, Labor lost its governing majority, Labor lost the election.”

“We hold more seats in the House of Representatives, we hold more Senate seats than Labor, so it’s hard to see what moral authority, or legitimacy Julia Gillard can now claim to try and seek to govern.”

However, Labor frontbencher and small business minister Craig Emerson says the Coalition needs to be careful about declaring victory too early.

“Let the vote continue,” he told Sky News.

“For the coalition to claim victory on the two-party preferred vote on the basis of 2,000 votes when there’s hundreds of thousands, if not more, votes yet to be counted is not correct.”

How the latest news will impact the thinking of the four independents – Rob Oakeshott, Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Tasmanian Andrew Wilkie – is unclear.

The quartet are continuing to meet with representatives from the major political parties and other groups as they seek to decide who to back.

Yesterday, Wilkie released a list of 20 ”priorities” that he wants to see adopted, including new rules to curb poker machine problem gambling, and a number of items for his local area.

He has also made it clear both parties face a tough job to win his support.

”I note that in the last few months, the Labor Government has been neither stable, competent or ethical, and I’m yet to be persuaded that the Opposition can do any better,” he said.