Labor sweats on Greens preferences in Deakin and Menzies as polls closeBy political reporter Tom CrowleyTopic:Australian Federal Elections26m ago26 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 8:00amAnthony Albanese and Peter Dutton delivered their last campaign messages on Saturday. (ABC News: Matt Roberts and Adam Kennedy)In short:Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have projected confidence about their prospects ahead of the vote count from today's federal election.Labor has criticised the Greens after some volunteers handed out "open" how-to-vote cards in the marginal seats of Deakin and Menzies, rather than recommending preferencing Labor above Liberal.What's next?Polls have closed in the eastern states, with very early results to trickle in soon.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-night-2025-who-is-winning/105239714Link copiedShareShare articleLabor has accused the Greens of stymieing its chances in two marginal seats, as a confident Anthony Albanese looks to build on his 78-seat majority.Speaking on the turf of the MCG on Saturday morning, Mr Albanese said he was optimistic about becoming the first prime minister since John Howard to be elected twice.Election essentials:Federal election live updates: Get the latest news as polls begin to closeAustralian federal election 2025 live resultsKey seats to watch and when will we know the result?"I do [feel confident] because I know that I lead a fantastic team," he told Seven's Sunrise. "I'm captain of the team, but I'm not playing full forward, centre half forward and half back."Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also projected optimism about unseating a first-term government for the first time in nearly a century, saying he was "confident that Australians had seen through a bad government" and that "quiet Australians [would] come out today to support the Coalition".Labor fury in Menzies and DeakinMr Dutton's seat of Dickson is one of a handful of marginal Liberal seats on Labor's target list, alongside Adelaide's Sturt, North Queensland's Leichhardt, and Melbourne's Menzies and Deakin.Those last two seats were the site of Labor uproar earlier on polling day when Greens volunteers were seen handing out "open" how-to-vote cards which did not recommend a candidate order beyond putting the Greens candidate first.A Greens how-to-vote card in Deakin does not recommend to voters how to order candidates after the Greens candidate. (Supplied)On the Greens' website, the Labor candidates for Deakin and Menzies are listed higher on the suggested preference order than Liberal MPs Michael Sukkar and Keith Wolahan, consistent with the Greens' practice in every seat.A Labor campaign text message said the decision not to do so in these two razor-thin seats would "put in jeopardy Labor forming government"."The Greens have made a decision to NOT preference Labor … Preferences are critical in keeping Dutton out," the text read.A Greens spokesperson said this was "not unusual" and accused Labor of a "scare campaign", but also drew a link between the open how-to-vote cards and the decision of Labor's Josh Burns to do the same in the three-cornered contest of Macnamara, which angered the Greens.Read more about the federal election:A single moment early in this election campaign came to define itHow Antony Green makes election analysis seem effortlessWhere the election will be won or lost — or left hangingWant even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverageCatch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC ListenThe Liberals won Deakin by 375 votes and Menzies by 1,377 votes at the 2022 election, although the margin in Menzies is now even smaller after a boundary change.Labor collected about 90 per cent of the preferences of Greens voters in those seats, numbering a total of about 14,000 in both seats.Coalition eyes big swings in Melbourne's outer suburbsAt the top of Mr Dutton's target list heading into the vote count are the outer suburbs of Melbourne, where the Liberal leader has devoted much time during the campaign in a bid to flip several traditionally safe Labor seats, including McEwen and Hawke.The seats watch as the election results are announcedPhoto shows Green ballot papers are tipped out of ballot box.Make sure you've got snacks, your phone charged and the remote handy. Here's your quick guide to what to watch for in the vote count tonight. Sources in both camps believe any swing to the Coalition is likely to be largest in Victoria, where anger at the state government has factored into the campaign.By contrast, Labor campaigners have projected more confidence about holding ground in New South Wales, where it holds several seats by thin margins including Bennelong, Gilmore and Paterson, where the Liberals are confident of a breakthrough.Polls closed at 6pm AEST in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT. Early results in those states will begin to trickle in by 7pm, local time, but the high volume of early votes, which may be counted slowly, could mean the picture does not become clear until later in the night.All polls close at 6pm in the relevant local time, so South Australia and the NT close half an hour after the eastern states and Western Australia is the last to close at two hours after the eastern states.LoadingLoading...Having trouble seeing this form? Try this link.Posted 26m ago26 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 8:00amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesFirst polls close, counting begins in eastern statesTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows man in a suit next to a woman in red jacket and a younger man in a black shirt casting their voteI get to see the Antony Green that election coverage viewers don'tCPerspective by Casey BriggsPhoto shows ABC election expert Antony Green smiles at the camera with his hands clasped behind his back.Blackout plunges Bali into darkness 'after subsea cables disrupted'Topic:Tourism and Leisure IndustryPhoto shows Silhouettes of people at a hut watching the sun rise over the sea.Femicide Watch founder describes memorial graffiti as 'soul-destroying'Topic:VandalismPhoto shows Photos posted on a graffitied wall are spraypainted with words in red that say "war on men"Were Erin Patterson's deadly beef Wellingtons a terrible accident or murder?Topic:CourtsPhoto shows A digital drawing of Erin Patterson wearing a pink shirtPopular nowMillions of votes to be counted as race to 76 seats beginsLIVEPhoto shows Anthony Albanese and Jodie in a crowd shaking hands What time will a winner be called tonight?Topic:ExplainerPhoto shows Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese smiling on rainbow background.What to watch for tonight as the federal election results roll in Topic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows Green ballot papers are tipped out of ballot box.Related topicsAustraliaAustralian Federal ElectionsFederal GovernmentGovernment and PoliticsTop StoriesFirst polls close, counting begins in eastern statesTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows man in a suit next to a woman in red jacket and a younger man in a black shirt casting their voteI get to see the Antony Green that election coverage viewers don'tCPerspective by Casey BriggsBlackout plunges Bali into darkness 'after subsea cables disrupted'Topic:Tourism and Leisure IndustryFemicide Watch founder describes memorial graffiti as 'soul-destroying'Topic:VandalismWere Erin Patterson's deadly beef Wellingtons a terrible accident or murder?Topic:CourtsJust InLabor sweats on Greens preferences in Deakin and MenziesTopic:Australian Federal Elections26m ago26 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 8:00amJustis Huni steps up to fight for interim heavyweight world championshipTopic:Boxing33m ago33 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 7:53amQantas employee in hospital after falling 5 metres from aerobridge at Sydney AirportTopic:Accidents and Emergency Incidents9m ago9 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 8:17amWhat to watch for tonight as the federal election results roll in Topic:Australian Federal Elections10m ago10 minutes agoSat 3 May 2025 at 8:16amMore Just InBack to top