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Former teal independent MP Zoe Daniel has admitted defeat in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein after a partial recount showed that Liberal candidate Tim Wilson narrowly won.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) completed a partial recount of votes in Goldstein, located in Melbourne’s southeast, discovering a slim margin of 175 votes between the candidates.
In a statement, Daniel thanked her constituents, who elected her into Parliament over Wilson at the 2022 Federal Election.
“It has been a lengthy process, and after recounting approximately 85,000 votes, which accounts for 75% of the total votes cast, only a handful of votes made the difference,” Daniel remarked.
“Goldstein is now one of the most marginal seats in the country, and with that comes embedded accountability. In that, we have done our job.
“This incredibly close contest reflects just how much our community cares about the future.”
The AEC today attributed the discrepancy between the initial vote and the recount to “a data entry error on a previous count” as well as “further determinations made on ballot paper formality as a result of challenges from candidate-appointed scrutineers”.
“The partial recount has been a methodical and highly transparent process with all counting activities throughout the entire counting period occurring in front of candidate appointed scrutineers,” an AEC spokesperson said.
Daniel thanked AEC staff for their “diligence, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to the integrity of our democratic process”.
“In a world where trust in elections is being eroded in so many places, we should never take this for granted,” Daniel said of the electoral process.
She concluded by thanking her team of “amazing” scrutineers, volunteers and supporters.
“You stood at polling places in challenging environments. You knocked on doors. You made calls.
“You had hard conversations with courage and grace. You did it because you believe in something better.
“Because you know that politics can be done differentlyâand must be.
“This is not the end. It’s not even the end of the beginning.
“Community independent politics is alive. It is thriving. And together, we will keep shaping the future of our democracy.”
Daniel has been under pressure to concede the electorate for the last three weeks, after Wilson declared victory on May 7.
The teal independent claimed victory on election night when early counting heavily favoured her, only for postal votes to swing the contest into Wilson’s favour, breaking more than 60-40 for the Liberal candidate.
The NSW seat of Bradfield remains the last uncalled seat in the country.
That result could take up to two weeks.
