TAS:Labor struggling in Denison

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2010
TAS:Labor struggling in Denison

By Patrick Caruana

HOBART, Aug 24 AAP - Labor slipped behind independent Andrew Wilkie in the race for
Denison on Tuesday and now faces an uphill battle to retain the seat.

Labor's Jonathan Jackson is 1375 behind Mr Wilkie in the two-party preferred count
for the Hobart-based seat, with almost all of the ordinary votes counted.

Mr Jackson said he was not yet ready to concede defeat.

"It's gone up and down, and now it's just waiting for tomorrow," he told AAP on Tuesday.

"My understanding is that most of the postal votes will be done by tomorrow and we'll
have a clearer indication then."

The final result of the seat may not be known for another 11 days, as the deadline
for all postal votes is next Friday.

The Australian Electoral Commission will begin counting around 8100 of the 10,508 pre-poll,
postal, absent and provisional votes already received.

Mr Wilkie's wife (and spokeswoman) Kate Burton said he was not across the line yet.

"We're happy with where we are at, but we're not prepared to call it at this stage,"

Ms Burton told AAP.

"We're still regarding it as 50-50, so we'll know where we stand next week."

Greens candidate Geoff Couser said he still considered himself an outside chance to win the seat.

"It's really unlikely, it's a big mountain to climb," he said.

"But there are still 13,000 postal votes to be counted. I'd just like to make the point
that it's by no means definite.

"I'm a fair distance behind, but if I do get past Andrew Wilkie, then I'll get preferences,
and anything can happen."

Labor had held the seat by a comfortable 15 per cent margin before August 21, and received
a substantial swing towards them in the other four Tasmanian seats, as well as in the
Senate race.

AAP pbc/was/mm

KEYWORD: POLL10 DENISON WRAP

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.