The Australian Electoral Commission gives the Coalition 67 seats, Labor 71 seats, five seats to the crossbench and seven seats not determined. Tony Abbott returns home after a bike ride and a swim on Sunday. Credit:Michele Mossop The ABC had allocated 65 seats to the LNP, 67 seats to the ALP, five seats to the cross bench and had 13 in doubt and undecided with about 77 per cent of the vote counted. Three junior Liberal ministers - Richard Colbeck, Peter Hendy and Wyatt Roy - who backed Mr Turnbull in the September leadership change looked to have lost their seats in Saturday's stunning election result. Mr Turnbull claimed in the early hours of Sunday morning that the Coalition would pick up the seats required to form majority government, but that outcome is not yet certain and a hung parliament remains possible.

On Sunday, Mr Abbott said - several times - that he felt for Coalition colleagues who had lost their seat, in pointed contrast with Mr Turnbull's speech in the early hours of Sunday morning, which made no mention of vanquished MPs and senators. Former prime minister Tony Abbott speaks to the waiting media at his home on Sunday morning. Credit:Michele Mossop "Good people who tried hard, who did what they thought were best for our country, who were in the Parliament are no longer in the Parliament," he said. Mr Abbott urged Liberals to "take stock, think and reflect" but would not say if he was available to lead the Liberal Party. WA senator Chris Back Credit:Andrew Meares

"We don't know the outcome of the election yet, all we can say at the moment is a lot of good people have lost their seats," Mr Abbott said. Appearing outside his Sydney home, Mr Abbott said he would not speculate on whether he would have won the election had he retained his party's leadership. "It was a difficult night for the government, a difficult night for the Liberal Party and I fear a difficult night for the country," he said. Western Australian senator Chris Back told Fairfax Media on Sunday morning that, if Mr Turnbull formed government he should "look for the best skills to take the country forward". "The prime minister of the day has got to appoint those people who he believes have the best set of skills," he said.

"I would be very surprised if Malcolm did not believe that Tony has the skills needed for the frontbench. Look at his background, he has been the prime minister, he has been one of the most successful health ministers we have had." "We are the party of business, in business you appoint the most skilled people, and there will be gaps on the front bench." And fellow Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has lashed out at the Liberal party plotters who replaced Mr Abbott, and at the strategists who guided the Coalition campaign. "This is a very disappointing result but it is a result that is a product of the contempt shown by senior Liberals and so-called Liberal strategists for conservatives and the Liberal base," he said. "This has done enormous damage to the Liberal Party, its brand and its ethos. Unlike other political disasters, we shouldn't gloss over this one, people need to be held to account for the decisions they have made and the damage they have done to the Liberal Party and the insults they have indirectly levelled at our traditional supporters."

A final outcome in every lower house seat is not due for several days and there have been predictions the final Senate count could take weeks to determine. The eight seats that Fairfax judges are too close too call are, in Victoria, Chisholm and La Trobe, in New South Wales the seat of Gilmore, in Queensland the seats of Capricornia and Forde, in Western Australia, Cowan, in Tasmania, Braddon, and in South Australia, Hindmarsh. The 13 seats the ABC says are in doubt are Capricornia, Dickson, Forde, Herbert and Petrie in Queensland, Gilmore and Robertson in NSW, Dunckley, Chisholm and La Trobe in Victoria, Grey and Hindmarsh in South Australia and Cowan in Western Australia. with Patrick Begley, Peter Martin Follow us on Twitter