12.26PM UPDATE: Cathy McGowan is still headed toward certain victory over Liberal Sophie Mirabella in Indi, as counting in Wangaratta concludes for the day.
Ms McGowan is leading by 387 - down from the 405 votes she started the day on - with fewer than 500 votes to go.
That’s equivalent to 50.22 per cent of the toal two-candidate preferred vote.
AEC’s Steve Kennedy said earlier today that just 415 votes were counted today, a combination of pre-poll, absentee and provisional votes.
A further 457 votes from interstate arrived today, which will be processed today; those considered valid will then be counted tomorrow.
A final handful of postal votes will be counted on Friday, though Mr Kennedy said these were unlikely to change the final margin dramatically.
The AEC is still hoping to officially declare the poll by Thursday.
Unless all the final 457 votes are valid and go to Mrs Mirabella, Ms McGowan is assured of victory - however, she told the Border Mail yesterday she wouldn’t be claiming the seat until the AEC declared it officially.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mrs Mirabella has brushed aside questions of whether the Liberal member will seek a recount, saying “that is a matter for the Victorian division of the Liberal Party”.
