NSW Labor backlash not as bad as feared

Labor suffered a voter backlash in NSW, losing the key federal seat of Bennelong, a host of marginals in western Sydney and ended Election Day in limbo over the fate of the once safe seat of Lindsay.

But the net result by midnight on Saturday was not as bad as predicted, with the party retaining the bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro and looking a good chance to keep the highly marginal Robertson on the central coast.

With more than three-quarters of the vote counted, Labor suffered a 6.8 per cent swing against in NSW and recorded a primary vote of just 37.8 per cent.

Greens could take SA Senate seat

The Australian Greens are putting up a fierce fight for a Senate seat in South Australia.

Greens' candidate Penny Wright is close to securing the required one quota of votes need to get elected.

Almost three-quarters of ballot papers in the state have been counted so far.

Meanwhile, Labor have 2.7 quotas, enough to see recontesting senators Anne McEwen and Dana Wortley re-elected.

The Liberals aren't far behind, with 2.5 vote quotas.

That means Senator Mary Jo Fisher would retain her seat, and Sean Edwards would make his debut on July 1 next year.

It is not clear whether Labor or the coalition will win the remaining sixth upper house seat up for grabs in the state.

Coalition steams ahead

The coalition improved its NSW vote by 4.5 per cent to 45 per cent, and the Greens by 2.1 per cent to 9.9 per cent, the latest electoral commission data show.

Maxine McKew was defeated by the Liberal Party's John Alexander who won back former Prime Minister John Howard's seat of Bennelong after a 5.2 per cent swing.

But the former tennis star dismissed talk of being the coalition's "giant slayer".

"I don't think it is like that at all," he said after Ms McKew had conceded defeat.

Both Bennelong candidates laid part of the blame for Labor's loss with an ill-conceived decision by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to back a $2.6 billion Parramatta to Epping rail link, previously announced and then scrapped by the state Labor government.

"I think given the on-again of-again nature of transport commitments in this city, we are battling up-hill to convince people of the credibility of that commitment," Ms McKew told the ABC.

Mr Alexander said the rail announcement was a "transparent and insincere gesture".

"It was a hollow promise from a desperate person trying to buy five marginal seats."

Lindsay undecided

Meanwhile, Labor's David Bradbury was clinging on in the western Sydney electorate of Lindsay after a suffering a 6.1 per cent swing, the latest data shows.

Lindsay had been described as ground zero in this campaign, after a June by-election in the state seat of Penrith, which lies within its borders, resulted in a record 25.7 per cent swing against NSW Labor to the Liberals.

Mr Bradbury urged voters angry at the unpopular NSW Labor government to take it out at next year's state election, not on the Gillard administration.

But as expected a good number of voters moved to Liberal candidate Fiona Scott, with the result too close to call.

"Tonight I'll go to bed not knowing whether or not my service to the community as an elected representative will continue," Mr Bradbury told supporters at St Marys RSL.

Coalition gains ground in NSW marginals

Elsewhere, the western Sydney Labor marginal seat of Macquarie, and the notionally Labor Macarthur, both looked to have fallen to the Coalition.

The Coalition was also close to a win in Greenway, with Labor suffering a 5.3 per cent swing after redistribution had redrawn the seat in its favour.

NSW state opposition leader Barry O'Farrell said the swings towards the federal Coalition showed voter dissatisfaction with Labor was not limited to Penrith.

"It's a remarkable result and I think what it demonstrates is that it wasn't just Penrith repudiating right-wing Labor," he told AAP at the Liberal's campaign party in Sydney.

"We're at the top of a list of biggest swings against the Labor party in the country."

Labor looks likely to retain its most marginal seat in NSW, Robertson on the central coast, after Deborah O'Neill defied the pundits to improve the ALP vote.

Labor's Mike Kelly comfortably retained Eden-Monaro with an 1.3 per cent boost in his vote.

State Government dissatisfaction

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally said the backlash against Labor was not impacting all of NSW, but largely parts of Sydney.

"This isn't a uniform NSW swing going on," she told Sky News.

"You've seen strong results in Eden-Monaro and on the central coast, much stronger than anyone projected."