At the time of going to print, with 52 per cent of the vote yet to count, The Nationals candidate was just 128,395 votes short of winning the final NSW seat. Candidates must reach a quota of 365,081 votes to be elected.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) yesterday confirmed Coalition and Labor had already won two NSW seats each.
The Greens are expected to gain enough votes to pick up the fifth Senate spot, leaving Ms Davey in a battle with One Nation for the final seat.
The Coalition joint ticket saw Ms Davey third on the ballot paper and early indications are showing a two per cent swing in their favour across the state.
If One Nation is to win a seat with Corowa based farmer Kate McCulloch, they’ll need more than 245,172 votes to reach quota.
A successful win for Ms Davey will see her as the only Nationals Party member to gain an upper house seat across the country.
While reluctant to celebrate just yet, a joyous infliction could be heard in Ms Davey’s voice when she spoke with the Pastoral Times yesterday.
‘‘The way the Senate works and with preferences, it’s really unpredictable because you don’t know if people have followed the how-to-vote cards,’’ she said.
‘‘In saying that, it’s looking good and certainly possible to get there, but I’m not calling anything until I get the call from the AEC.
‘‘From a Senate point of view, being so close to a quota this early in the count is positive; it’s a testament to the hard work the Coalition has done.’’
The NSW results, similar to the rest of the country’s polling, were surprising with Ms Davey’s chances initially predicted as ‘slim’.
‘‘I gave myself a 50/50 chance of getting elected. I have been surprised by the early good indicators so it has boosted my mood greatly,’’ Ms Davey said.
‘‘Essentially it will come down to preferences coming my way or going to One Nation.’’
On election day, the Nationals candidate started her day handing out how-to-vote cards at one of her local polling booths — Deniliquin High School — before travelling through voting booths in Lockhart and Wagga.
She joined National Party leader Michael McCormack to celebrate his victory in the lower house seat of Riverina.
Ms Davey said during her short time in Deniliquin Saturday morning, the mood towards her was positive.
The breakdown, at the time of going to print, is as follows:
●Deniliquin High School — Coalition 334, SFF 150, Labor 132, One Nation 112.
●Deniliquin Edward School — Coalition 168, SFF 81, Labor 89, One Nation 68.
●Deniliquin North Scout Hall — Coalition 172, SFF 71, Labor 31, One Nation 32.
●Mathoura Shire Hall — Coalition 127, SFF 72, Labor 64, One Nation 44.
●Wakool Public School — Coalition 61, SFF 77, Labor 14, One Nation 18.
If Ms Davey and the Coalition win the final spot it will have an important impact on the layout of the Senate with the Coalition increasing its majority from 31 to 33. This means it only needs the support of six crossbenchers to pass legislation.
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