Teal MP Monique Ryan defeats Amelia Hamer for Kooyong seat
Teal MP Monique Ryan is on track to retain the seat of Kooyong, with Sky News projecting her narrow victory over Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer after a tense week-long count that has gone down to the wire.
Dr Ryan holds 50.3 per cent of the two candidate preferred vote, maintaining a narrow lead of 693 votes over Ms Hamer.
With about 5000 ballots left to count and the remaining votes breaking evenly, Sky News has declared it unlikely that Ms Hamer will close the gap.
Dr Ryan first claimed the historically blue-ribbon seat in 2022, unseating former treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Before entering politics, she was a paediatric neurologist at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
She was approached for comment on Sunday but did not respond by deadline and did not claim victory.
At one point last week, Ms Hamer closed the gap on Dr Ryan to just 366 votes, forcing the Climate 200-backed MP to retract her election night victory claim and warn the seat was now 'too close to call'.
Strong postal vote support was powering Ms Hamer's comeback, and while the margin could tighten, Sky News declared there was now enough of a trend to say that Dr Ryan will hold on in a cliffhanger.
In terms of first preference votes, latest AEC figures show Ms Hamer secured 43.7 per cent (47,604) of the votes, while Dr Ryan received 34.1 per cent (37,162).
Teal MPs will now hold on to five out of six of their existing seats having lost Goldstein.
Just days after the election, Ms Hamer admitted she debated conceding defeat not long after the polls closed.
'I actually did speak to the team and I said: 'Look, should I call and concede?'' Ms Hamer told 3AW on May 6.
'The team said to me: 'No, it does look like what's coming out of pre-poll is much more positive.
'I trust my team and so we hung on.'
Ms Hamer has been approached for comment.
As of 11am on Sunday, the ABC has not yet called the seat in favour of Dr Ryan. Mohammad Alfares Journalist
Mohammad Alfares, a journalist and a keen fisherman. Growing up, I would film and edit 'productions' I made with family friends every holiday. Combined with my love of writing and storytelling, being a journalist was the perfect fit! I obtained a Bachelor of Communication at Massey University in New Zealand and was lucky enough to get my first taste of the industry in broadcast journalism. Outside of work, I keep my hunger for adrenaline satisfied by chasing a big fish! I'll also find time to relax too, either with a cup of coffee or enjoying some fresh air and sunshine. Nation
Police have seized more than a tonne of cocaine worth over $623 million after intercepting a vessel off the NSW coast, arresting five men in a major sting. Politics
Outgoing frontbencher Ed Husic has also suggested he believed his support for Palestine and criticisms of Israel were one of the reasons he lost his spot in the second-term Albanese cabinet.
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