Election sticks to the script in SA

Labor looks set to dominate the Adelaide metropolitan area in Saturday's federal election, leaving the Liberals with just one city-based seat in the SA capital.

Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie

Rebekha Sharkie has seen off a second challenge from Liberal Georgina Downer in the seat of Mayo. (AAP)

South Australia stuck to the script in the federal election with only one seat a chance of changing hands and Labor holding sway across metropolitan Adelaide.

The ALP remains in the hunt to win Boothby from first-term Liberal MP Nicolle Flint but the result was too close to call on Saturday.

With more than 50 per cent of the vote counted, Labor's Nadia Clancy was narrowly ahead with 50.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

In other SA seats of interest, Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie romped to another win in Mayo and looked set to slightly increase her majority after seeing off a second challenge from Liberal Georgina Downer.

Ms Downer, the daughter of former long-serving Mayo MP and foreign minister Alexander Downer, also lost to Ms Sharkie at a by-election last year.

While in Sturt, the Liberals appeared untroubled by the retirement of party powerbroker Christopher Pyne to easily retain the eastern suburbs electorate.

With 40 per cent also counted James Stevens was leading Labor's Cressida O'Hanlon 55-45 per cent on a two-party basis.

Boothby aside, Labor was set to pick up at least five seats across SA, all in metropolitan Adelaide, with the Liberals winning at least three, including the state's big country electorates.

Across the city, the ALP will retain Makin, Kingston, Adelaide, Spence and Hindmarsh.

While the Liberals will win in the regional seats of Barker and Grey, in Sturt, in Adelaide's east and remain in the hunt in Boothby.

Ms Sharkie said as the returned MP for Mayo she hoped to work with a "frustrating" coalition government to "restore integrity into the parliament."

And she admitted to being shocked by the likely outcome.

"I don't think anyone was expecting this result," Ms Sharkie said.

"(But) It's my job to work with whoever the government of the day is and I will do that.

"I did that last time and I will do that this time."

In the SA Senate count, the Liberals looked likely to win three seats and Labor two with sitting Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young favoured to take the final spot.


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Source: AAP


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