Australia is heading for a long period of uncertainty, just when the country does not need it.
Malcolm Turnbull insists the final dribble of votes will go the coalition's way and deliver at least the 76 seats needed for majority government.
However, as prime ministers past have discovered, discipline is hard to maintain in a tight situation.
The government could be one or two scandals or political stoushes away from losing a majority.
There are plenty of pitfalls ahead for Turnbull.
The first is the economy.
Having promised to lift jobs and growth, voters will be demanding he deliver especially in rust-belt states where unemployment is stubbornly high.
Britain's exit from the European Union is still reverberating, the US recovery is patchy and China is facing challenges.
The coalition still has budget measures to pass dating back to 2014 and there's no guarantee the new Senate will be more amenable, with the likes of One Nation's Pauline Hanson expected to join the upper house.
On election night, there was talk among senior coalition members of reviewing the proposed superannuation changes which many older voters rejected and revising a number of other budget policies.
Turnbull has promised a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, which will open rifts between conservatives and moderates in his party and spill over into leadership mutterings.
And then there's the question of how to deal with Labor's Medicare attack - the most potent weapon of the election campaign.
If forced to find more money for health and hospitals, and drop savings measures, Turnbull's promise of returning the budget to balance in mid-2021 will be a distant memory.
Turnbull will also have to do something to address the concerns of 23 per cent of voters who did not back either major party.
In his speech to the Liberal faithful in Sydney, as Saturday turned into Sunday, he said it was a time to "come together" and deliver on his economic plan.
The problem is, these voters have categorically rejected his plan and want something more than trickle-down economics.
Labor portrayed this desire as working and middle-class people seeking a fair go.
But even Bill Shorten's message was effectively rejected.
The key to the next term of parliament will be to tap into what a growing, disgruntled rump of Australians need and want.
Turnbull might be better advised to schedule his first meeting with Pauline Hanson, rather than his cabinet.
