Greens leader Adam Bandt projected to lose Melbourne seat
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Sky News and the ABC have projected that Greens leader Adam Bandt will lose his seat of Melbourne, with Labor's Sarah Witty set to win after Bandt suffered a 4.4% drop in his primary vote.
The numbers: The Australian Electoral Commission shows that Witty holds a 2,040-vote lead in the seat of Melbourne, with Bandt suffering an 8.8% swing against him.
The context: The Greens have said that Bandt will not concede the seat, and that while One Nation and Liberal preferences to Labor could see him defeated the count must proceed.
Deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi said the seat is still in play: "Over the last few days seats have been called, they've been uncalled. Positions and decisions have flipped … We can't declare a position until every last vote is counted."
There are as many as 15,000 absentee and declaration ballots that remain to be counted, a Greens observer told the ABC.
Bandt was first elected to the seat in 2010, holding the inner-city seat for another four elections. He has been leader of the Greens since 2020.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton also lost his seat in the election which saw Labor claim a landslide victory.
