The best case scenario for the Coalition appeared to be 77 seats, but Coalition sources predicted 75 or 76 seats was a more likely outcome. AEC staff count postal votes in a Sydney counting hub on Tuesday. Credit:Getty Images Opposition leader Bill Shorten, who flew to Tasmania on Wednesday - where he picked up three seats on Saturday, predicted that even if Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did "scrape home", "his problems have only just begun". "In the House of Representatives, he'll be hostage to Mr Abbott and the right wing of the Liberal Party and in the Senate he'll be hostage to Senator Hanson-elect and other right wing senators..." he said. "The count is not over to the best of my knowledge. What we say to Australians who put their trust in large numbers to Labor since the last election, is we will stick to our positive policies and our positive platform.

"We don't know who has won or lost the election in terms of who will form a government, but every Australian knows Mr Turnbull lost his mandate to do anything." Aly is the first female Muslim MP in Federal Parliament. Credit:Gavin Blue Photography And Mr Shorten flagged the government would face a fight to pass its budget, even if he can scrape home with a tiny majority in the lower house. "Australians don't support his budget and cuts to health care. Australians don't support his corporate tax cuts and and it would appear a lot of the Liberal Party don't support their leader." The Opposition Leader also pressed the case for a vote in the Parliament, rather than a national plebiscite, on same-sex marriage legislation.

The six seats too close to call are Capricornia, Forde and Herbert in Queensland, Chisholm in Victoria, Hindmarsh in South Australia and Cowan in Western Australia. Dunkley and Gilmore, in Victoria and NSW, appeared to have firmed up for the Coalition, too, and some in Coalition ranks were even speculating that Queensland's Flynn - which Labor looked set to win - could come back into contention as postals vote came in. Labor has 67 seats, three short of what would be needed to govern in its own right even if all of the undecided seats fell its way. The pace of counting is expected to pick up on Wednesday after much of yesterday was spent verifying postal votes and opening envelopes. In seats that are remain very close after Tuesday, the results may not be known until the middle of the month. The electoral commission has to accept votes received up to 13 days after the poll. Some will take that long because they have posted from overseas. Of the six seats that remain too close to call Capricornia, Herbert, Hindmarsh and Cowan are leaning toward Labor while Forde and Chisholm are leaning toward the Coalition.

However postal votes typically favour incumbents and the Coalition, meaning Labor's leads are likely to shrink. Results, as of 3pm Wednesday, showed in the six undecided seats: Labor leading by 994 votes in Capricornia (Queensland) (no update as of 3pm Wednesday)

Labor leading by 737 votes in Herbert (Queensland) (increase from Labor lead of 694 votes)

Coalition leading by 754 votes in Chisholm (Victoria) (increase from Liberal lead of 362 votes)

Chisholm (Victoria) (increase from Liberal lead of 362 votes) Labor leading by 167 votes in Hindmarsh (South Australia) (Labor lead cut from 347 votes)

Coalition leading by 94 votes in Forde (Queensland) (changed from Labor lead of 79)

Labor leading by 751 votes in Cowan (Western Australia) (increase from Labor lead of 750 votes). Other likely Coalition wins in the 72 seats so far include the South Australian outback seat of Grey, which had earlier looked set to fall to Nick Xenophon Team, Dunkley in south east Melbourne and Gilmore on the NSW south coast. Coalition leading by 688 votes in Gilmore (NSW) (up from 353 votes)

Coalition leading by 710 votes in Dunkley (Victoria) (increase from Liberal lead of 421 votes)

Coalition leading by 3113 votes in Grey (South Australia) (increase from Liberal lead of 1884 votes)

If the Coalition gains four of the six seats in doubt it will be able to form government in its own right. If it gains just three it will need the support of at least one of the crossbenchers: Rebekha Sharkie, of the Nick Xenophon team, Andrew Wilkie, Bob Katter, Cathy McGowan, and the Green's Adam Bandt. Treasurer Scott Morrison on Wednesday said he remained confident the Coalition would pick up the 76 seats required to form government. "I think that outcome remains likely," he said. If that happens, the Coalition would proceed with legislating its budget in the usual way and work practically with crossbenchers in both houses of Parliament, he said. Fairfax Media projects:

Coalition: 72

Labor: 67

Crossbench: 5

Too close to call: 6