Federal election coverage of regional seats

Kennedy – Incumbent Bob Katter has enjoyed a 9.3pc swing back to KAP and retains the seat. In a hung parliament scenario, he may play a very powerful role.

Capricornia – the seat is on a knife-edge. With 58 of 61 booths counted, LNP member Michelle Landry is 292 votes behind ALP’s Leisa Neaton. Landry’s vote has increased by 0.1pc and the ALP’s by 1.5pc.

Flynn – There has been an 8.6pc swing against LNP incumbent Ken O’Dowd, who is 1067 seats ahead of the ALP’s Zac Beers. Plenty of support has gone the way of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Phil Baker, who is running third with 17.6pc of the vote.

Dawson – Despite a swing against him of nearly 4pc, the LNP’s George Christensen is assured of retaining the seat.

Herbert – Sitting member, Ewan Jones, representing the LNP, has suffered an 8.1pc swing against him but leads the ALP’s Cathy O’Toole by 1834 votes. Some 11,000 postal votes could decide the outcome of the seat. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has picked up 13.2pc of the vote.

Leichhardt – Sitting LNP member Warren Entsch has recorded a swing of 4.8pc against him but will retain the seat. The swing against the ALP candidate Sharryn Howes was even greater, 5.1pc. Those voters instead went towards One Nation’s Peter Rogers with a swing of 6.6pc, and independent Dan McCarthy with 6.9pc.

Maranoa – One of the safest LNP seats in the country, David Littleproud has retained the seat for the LNP upon the retirement of Bruce Scott. The LNP has recorded an 8pc swing against it. One Nation candidate Lynette Keehn, with 18.3pc of the vote is just behind the ALP’s Dave Kerrigan on 19.2pc.

Groom – Former state MP John McVeigh has won his father’s former federal seat, then known as Darling Downs, with 52.6pc of the primary vote. Formerly held by Ian McFarlane for the LNP, Mr McVeigh has had a 3pc swing against him. Family First and Nick Xenephon Team candidates have picked up 10.4pc and 7.4pc of the vote respectively.

Wide Bay – Llew O’Brien will take over from former deputy PM Warren Truss as LNP representative for the seat with 43.6pc of the primary vote. ALP opponent has 23.5pc of the vote and One Nation candidate Elise Cottam has 14.9pc.

Wright – Sitting member Scott Buchholz has 41.6pc of the primary vote for the LNP and will be returned. One Nation received good support in this seat as well, with candidate Rod Smith receiving 21.1pc of the vote. The ALP has 22.9pc.

9.15pm: Senate update – provisional quotas so far for Queensland are LNP 4.75, ALP 2.77, One Nation 1.59.

The CountryMinded provisional quota is 0.03, and the Greens is 0.74.

These are first preference votes only

For a candidate to be elected to the Senate they need to gain a full quota of the formal votes.

Each party's provisional quota gives an indication as to the potential for their candidate/s to be elected.

The final quota cannot be struck until all votes are received – at least thirteen days after election day.

9.04pm: With just over two-thirds of the first preference count completed in Leichhardt it appears as though the LNPs Warren Entsch will retain his seat.

Mr Entsch currently hold a 38 per cent share of the vote with closest competition the ALPs Sharryn Howes on 29pc.

8.49pm: GEORGE Christensen is sitting comfortably in the lead in the seat of Dawson, with more than 3000 votes more than his next competitor. 

Current MP Mr Christensen is sitting on 16,158 votes, with the ALP's Frank Gilbert trailing behind with 12,061. 

Just over 30 per cent of the vote has been counted for the region. 

8.41pm: KEN O'Dowd is holding onto a lead for the seat of Flynn, but ALP's Zac Beers is close behind. 

Current MP Mr O'Dowd is at 12,248 votes with Mr Beers on 11,072. 

Interestingly it is Pauline Hanson's One Nation candidate Phil Baker in third position with 5890 votes. 

With 28.2 per cent of the vote counted, it is still early days in Flynn. 

8.32pm: It’s another very close race in Herbert.

With 26 of 41 booths counted, the LNP’s Ewen Jones holds a slim lead with a 34 per cent share of the first preference vote, though the LNPs hold on the seat appears to be waning based on the negative 8.9pc swing the party is facing.

The ALPs Cathy O'Toole holds 32pc of the vote, but the big surge of the support gone to Pauline Hanson's One Nation party with candidate Geoff Virgo holding 12pc of the vote for a plus 11.7pc swing.

8.18pm: Capricornia is sitting tight tonight, with less than 1000 votes between the ALP's Leisa Neaton and LNP's Michelle Landry.

Current MP Ms Landry is sitting behind Ms Neaton in the count - with Ms Landry on 15,608 votes and Ms Neaton in the lead with 16,598. 

With 36.67 per cent of the vote has been counted in the seat, which was labeled as a marginal seat from the start of the election, it is still too early to call. 

Ms Neaton currently holds a 0.72 per cent swing against Ms Landry. 

8pm: Much of the vote in regional Queensland that went to the Palmer United Party in 2013 looks to have moved to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation this time around.

In Maranoa, PHON so far has 18 per cent of the vote, compared to the ALP candidate, Dave Kerrigan on 19.3 per cent. In 2013, PUP had 15 per cent of the vote.

PUP captured 10 per cent of the vote in Flynn in 2013. At the moment, the LNP’s Ken O’Dowd has had an 8 per cent swing away and PHON has picked up 17 per cent of the vote there.

In the fight in Herbert in north Queensland, there’s an 8.5 per cent swing against the LNP’s Ewan Jones and a 10.5 per cent swing to PHON.

In the electorate that houses Palmer’s wholly-owned troubled Yabulu nickel refinery, the PUP vote is down 8 per cent.

Groom is a little different. The PUP vote in 2013 was 9.5 per cent. This time around the Nick Xenephon Team is polling 7 per cent and Family First 8 per cent.

7.20pm: It’s only early in the night but our colleagues at the North West Star have already called the result in Kennedy, saying Bob Katter has retained the seat with a swing of over 10 per cent.

This will be Mr Katter’s ninth election win in Kennedy since 1993.

Mr Katter almost lost the seat in 2013 to the LNP’s Noeline Ikin, behind by 10,000 votes before winning on Labor preferences.

Ms Ikin was favourite to win this time but was forced to withdraw in January due to a brain tumour. Her replacement, the 25-year-old Jonathan Pavetto is from a fifth-generation family of canegrowers near Ingham

Latest results. Katter 7562, Pavetto LNP 6297, Jacobsen ALP 3038, Weier Greens 957, Gallehawk FF 713.

7pm: The election tonight is for the Senate as well. We’ll bring you any information that comes to hand. In the meantime, it’s worth recapping our story this week on the only state candidate, from any party, standing from west of the Great Divide.

Cheryl Thompson comes from Barcaldine but has spent a number of years teaching in Brisbane and Chinchilla.

5pm: After eight long weeks of campaigning, it’s all over bar the shouting. Polls in the 2016 federal election close in less than an hour and the counting will start.

There are a number of close contests expected in Queensland, particularly in Capricornia where sitting member Michelle Landry holds the seat by 0.8 per cent, and Kennedy where a 2.2 per cent swing is needed to unseat Bob Katter’s self-named Katter’s Australian Party.

Stay with us throughout the night as we update you on counting progress and take part in the conversation by tweeting using #bushvotes.