The major party candidates remained neck-and-neck and the lead has changed once more in the seat of Macquarie 11 days after polls closed in the 2019 federal election.
Latest figures published by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon showed Labor's Susan Templeman overtake the Liberals' Sarah Richards to be ahead by 67 two party preferred votes with 91.92 per cent of the vote counted.
But the eventual result was still too close to call, with an AEC spokesman saying Macquarie was the "tightest seat in the country" and a result might not be available until the end of the month.
"The law allows 13 days after election day - that's May 31 - for us to receive [postal votes] that can be included in the count," he explained. "In short, it depends if the margin remains tight. If it does, we will need to wait until May 31 because we need all the postal and declaration votes into the count."
The AEC had a policy whereby a recount was triggered in seats where margins were 100 votes or less at the end of the first count, however it was too early to predict if that would happen in Macquarie, he said.
Ms Templeman said on Tuesday the process was a long one for "candidates and the voting public alike, and I thank the many people who have expressed their support.
"A close result is not unprecedented - over the years, such as in the 1993 election and even as far back as 1917, it has been a very marginal seat," she said. "When I first ran in 2010, it was a 0.2 per cent margin to Labor following a redistribution. I think what the current counting shows is that in Macquarie, your vote really does count.
"While many of us are hitting "refresh" on the AEC website, I want to thank my dedicated scrutineers who are watching every single vote being counted and recounted. I look forward to a final result in the near future."
Liberal candidate Sarah Richards said the Macquarie result, "shows how well the Morrison Government's policies resonated across this community and a clear dislike for the policies that Labor was proposing.
"Changes to negative gearing and franking credits were not welcomed by many people here, as they would have had a devastating impact on the value of people's homes and negatively affected people's ability to fund their own retirement," she said.
"People also voted for the Liberals because of our funding support for the third crossing of the Hawkesbury River, which is vital infrastructure needed by the community. Our strong economic management meant that we are able to invest in these crucial local projects.
"Personally, I thank every resident who voted for me and should I be successful, I will work hard to deliver outcomes for all of Macquarie."