News / Federal Election
Election result is too close to call
UPDATED: Khalil increases lead after Sunday counting
Mark Phillips
LABOR MP Peter Khalil is edging closer to a fourth term in Parliament after increasing his lead over Greens’ challenger Samantha Ratnam to almost 3000 votes following more counting in the seat of Wills on Sunday.
Khalil had gone to bed on Saturday night following the Albanese government’s historic landslide victory with a slender lead of just 941, but following the counting of another 6156 votes on Sunday, his margin has tripled to 2861.
Khalil, who was first elected in 2016, has now secured more primary votes than Ratnam as the swing against Labor dwindled to 0.6%. On a two-candidate basis after the allocation of preferences, Khalil sits on 51.6%.
While he has continued to benefit from preferences from absentee Liberal candidate Jeff Kidney along with One Nation, Khalil has also grown his primary vote after counting of 71% of votes cast.
But with almost a third of votes still to be counted it could be several days before the final result is certain.
Neither candidate was willing on Sunday to either claim victory or concede defeat.
“There’s still a lot of votes to count and Wills remains too close to call,” Khalil said.
Ratnam had a similar sentiment, posting on social media: “The count remains close and the results will go up and down over the next few days. But I remain hopeful as I have throughout this incredible journey.”
The Greens had been optimistic 2025 would finally be the year they won Wills after pushing Labor to preferences time and time again over the past decade. They felt confident a favourable redistribution and anger at Labor over housing, the cost of living and the war in Gaza would deliver them victory.
If Khalil is successful, it will be the second time he has beaten Ratnam in Wills. Last year, Ratnam resigned from the Victorian Parliament, where she was the her party’s leader, to contest the seat.
Peter Khalil
(Labor)
51.6%
Samantha Ratnam
(Greens)
48.4%
Based on 71.5% of votes counted by 7pm on May 4. Source: Australian Electoral Commission
Election day was held in bright sunshine and after an early flurry of activity, most polling booths in Brunswick were quiet by mid-afternoon. But at Fitzroy High School, which was a Wills polling booth for the first time after electorate boundaries were redrawn last year, a long queue meant it took some people an hour to cast their vote.
Ratnam voted early at her local booth at Brunswick East Primary School, where she was joined by Greens leader Adam Bandt in a sign of the party’s confidence about winning the seat for the first time.
She visited several other booths in the electorate during the day.
Khalil – who cast a pre-poll vote – began election day in Fawkner, working his way south as the day progressed.
After polls closed, they both headed off to their respective election night events. Ratnam joined the Greens’ national event at Docklands, while Khalil hosted his supporters and volunteers at the Brunswick Bowling Club.
Following last year’s redistribution, the nominal margin in Wills has been cut to 4.6%.
A record 35,946 votes were cast before election day, including 20,636 at the Brunswick pre-poll centre in Davies Street.
By the close of counting on Sunday night, Khalil led the primary vote with 35.9%. Ratnam’s primary vote was 35.4%, while Kidney was on 12.6%.
Socialist Alliance candidate Sue Bolton, a Merri-bek councillor, has had a 5.5% swing her way to poll 8.4% of votes.
While Ratnam has gained a 2.6% primary vote swing her way, the swing against Khalil was a modest 0.6%. The Liberal vote was down 3.6%.
Ratnam has made a clean sweep of all 12 booths in Brunswick, winning 41.3% of first preference votes, including five booths where she secured more than 45%.
On a two-candidate basis, she had 55.6% of votes in Brunswick.
But outside of Brunswick, Labor still holds sway with 38.7% of first preferences, and 55.2% of the two-candidate vote.
Khalil and Ratnam crossed paths at Coburg Oval on Sunday morning, where they were both attending the annual Vicki Cleary Day event to commemorate the lives of victims of violence against women. They made no other public appearances.
Have your say: how did you vote on Saturday and why?
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