Ryan on a razor's edge as Greens fight to hold their last seat

7NEWS

07-05-2025

Even days after the election, crucial seats across Queensland still remain too close to call.
The seat of Ryan could become the final domino to fall for the Greens in Brisbane — and the last hope the party has of keeping a seat in the House of Representatives.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has triggered a three-candidate preferred count, a process used in tight contests to determine which two of the top three candidates will face off in the final tally.
Although Maggie Forrest of the Liberal National Party (LNP) is ahead on the primary vote, sitting Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is currently in second place, closely followed by Rebecca Hack of the Labor Party.
If Watson-Brown holds onto second place, Labor preferences could secure her a narrow victory and preserve the Greens' only lower house seat.
However, if Hack pulls ahead into second place, Greens preferences could hand Labor the victory.
Greens' last chance
The result in Ryan carries enormous weight for the Greens.
After losing Griffith, Brisbane and even their flagship seat of Melbourne — where leader Adam Bandt was defeated — Ryan is now the only remaining seat the party could win.
A loss would leave the Greens entirely reliant on their Senate presence for influence in parliament.
In the neighbouring Dickson electorate, Peter Dutton, the-then leader of the Liberal Party, lost his seat after 24 years in the House of Representatives.
Dutton's defeat marks the first instance in Australian history of a sitting opposition leader losing their own seat in a federal election.
Also on a knife edge: Longman
North of Brisbane, in the seat of Longman, another close race is unfolding.
LNP MP Terry Young is ahead by only a few hundred votes, with Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas in hot pursuit.
Like Ryan, Longman may not be called for several days, the AEC confirmed.
Count continues
To date, more than 93,500 of the 114,891 eligible votes in Ryan have been counted.
Postal and absentee ballots can still arrive until 13 days after the election, meaning the result might not be final until mid-May.