Australia was headed for a hung parliament or a minority government with more than half of votes counted in a national poll on Saturday. Official electoral data halfway through the count for the House of Representatives showed a 3.3 percent swing away from the Liberal-led coalition government.

The data came shortly before counting officials clocked off for the evening. Counting will resume on Monday morning. The tight vote is a major blow for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. He will face more pressure in his gamble on the risky double dissolution of parliament. 

But he said his party still has every confidence. Opposition leader Bill Shorten said the Labor Party is back. Official projections issued before counting stopped say the coalition should hold 71 seats. This would be against the Labor Party's 68 seats, and five to independents and the Greens Party.