“I think there has been a fundamental shift in voter sentiment over the past couple of weeks. People are more resolute,” Dr Phelps said. Loading “Whether that’s enough to overcome such a margin remains to be seen.” The day’s tedium was briefly interrupted when John Bell, of Bell Shakespeare fame, dropped into the polling station, donned a Phelps team shirt, and delivered his verdict via improv. Channeling Brutus in Julius Caesar, he called for his comrades to seize the moment and strike their opponents.

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune,” Mr Bell quoted, before disappearing as quickly as he arrived. The Malcolm Turnbull issue - his knifing, and his noticeable absence from the campaign - has loomed large over the Liberals’ efforts, diluting their message as they’ve tried to persuade voters to give them another chance. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Scott Morrison returned to Bronte beach with Liberal candidate Dave Sharma - where they held their first press conference several weeks ago after Mr Sharma's preselection win. Liberal candidate Dave Sharma with PM Scott Morrison on Friday. Credit:Nick Moir As Mr Morrison tried to deliver his last-ditch plea to voters, several locals tried to interrupt the press conference with their own questions about the party's climate change policy.

While a nearby fitness bootcamp continued with their boxing, ignoring the large media contingent and security detail, a man wearing a T-shirt with "Where's Malcolm?" did his best to get in the TV cameras' shot. The gentleman may have been a campaign “plant”, but the sentiment has been pervasive on the hustings, even among blue blood Liberals. “I’m annoyed at the way our former prime minister was ousted in the way he was,” said Richard, who voted for Turnbull in 2016, and declined to give his surname as he exited the polling booth on Friday. He voted for Dr Phelps. The Liberal candidate Dave Sharma. Credit:AAP Couple Bernd Waeschle and Phil Wiren also departed from their usual political instincts and voted for Dr Phelps.

“We voted tactically,” Mr Wiren said, explaining “the last thing we want is for the Liberal Party to win.” Normally a Greens voter, Mr Wiren said he had taken into account Greens leader Richard Di Natale’s late endorsement of Dr Phelps on the eve of the byelection. Mr Di Natale praised Dr Phelps as “progressive”, and joined former leader Bob Brown in suggesting Greens voters ignore their own party’s how-to-vote card which directs preferences to Labor. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Waeschle, who owns Sugar Cafe in Bondi Junction and normally votes Labor, said he “100 per cent wanted to see the Liberals out of there”.