Is Australia heading towards a hung parliament?

Canberra: Lawmakers from both the governing center-left Labor Party and the conservative Liberal Party-lead opposition coalition say the vote count is pointing toward a hung parliament in which neither side would hold a majority in the House of Representatives and reach the magic number 76.

Australians have turned away from their first female leader in favor of a conservative male becoming their fourth prime minister in three years in tight elections on Saturday.

Australia has not elected a hung parliament since 1940, when two independent lawmakers supported the conservative party and enabled them to form government.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and senior Liberal Sen. Nick Minchin agreed that it seemed unlikely that either side could achieve a majority.