Though a tighter contest than first thought, it looks as though the Coalition is set to lose its one seat majority in a historic Wentworth by-election defeat.

Kerryn Phelps currently holds a commanding 1,862 vote lead over Liberal competitor Dave Sharma, making the government retaining the blue ribbon seat an unlikely prospect.

For Sharma to win, more then 85% of the total 12,788 postal votes would need to be sent in and favour the Liberal candidate 65% to 35%.

In analysing the turn away from the Liberal Party, leadership instability has been identified as the aggrieved Wentworth electorate’s main gripe. It seems the insurgency initiated against Turnbull and the eventual coup and ousting, did not sit well with the inner-city seat.

Miranda Devine says the by-election represented a “referendum on regicide.” The rejection of Government is a “well-deserved kicking from fed-up voters,” who are disillusioned by the revolving door that is being Australia’s Prime Minister.

“I think you could go right back to 2010, when Julia Gillard knocked off Kevin Rudd. In the decade since, we’ve just had leader after leader knocked off. We saw Tony Abbott knocked off in 2015, then inevitably when Turnbull is knocked off, the electorate is going to voice its disapproval.”

“I don’t know how many times the Australian public has to tell these numbskulls in Canberra that we do not like them knocking off our democratically elected Prime Minister. Whether it was Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott or Malcolm Turnbull, it is up to us.”

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