FED:Coalition MPs set for return in Qld

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2010
FED:Coalition MPs set for return in Qld

CANBERRA, Aug 21 AAP - A host of former Liberal MPs look set to return to the parliament
as the coalition races ahead of Labor in a swag of crucial marginal seats in Queensland.

In early counting, the signs weren't good for Labor as several seats looked likely
to fall to the coalition.

In Brisbane, Labor's Arch Bevis was facing a nailbiting contest against the LNP's Teresa Gambaro.

On a two-party preferred basis - with 9.68 per cent of the voted counted - Mr Bevis
was behind of 49.12 per cent of the vote.

In the seat of Leichhardt, former Liberal MP Warren Entsch was expected to take the
seat back from Labor's Jim Turnour.

With 4.75 per cent of the two-party preferred vote counted, Mr Entsch had 58.41 per
cent of the vote, a swing of more than 12 per cent.

Labor's Kerry Rea was also behind in the seat of Bonner, where she was facing a swing
against her of seven per cent.

With seven per cent of the two party preferred vote counted, she was on 47.41 per cent
of the vote.

She is up against the LNP's Ross Vasta, who lost the seat in 2007.

Nationally, Labor was showing a swing against it of three per cent on 47.03 per cent,
after the distribution of preferences.

The coalition was on 53.97 per cent of the vote.

A swag of marginals in western Sydney and Queensland expected to determine the outcome
of the extremely tight poll.

The latest Newspoll, published in the Australian newspaper, had Labor with 50.2 per
cent support against 49.8 per cent to the coalition after the distribution of preferences.

The coalition needs 17 Labor seats to win the election by garnering a uniform swing
of 2.3 per cent across the country. But the government can lose its absolute majority
if it loses 13 seats.

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KEYWORD: POLL10 COUNT 2ND UPDATE

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