Politics live: Batman byelection and South Australia election results

Voters go to the polls in Melbourne's inner city in the Batman byelection and in the South Australian state election.

5:37pm

South Australia votes in one of the state's most unpredictable elections

South Australian's faced a rare choice on Saturday.

Not two, but three genuine candidates.

Nick Xenophon's SA Best has flipped the conventional political paradigm in the state that has seen Labor rule for almost two decades.

The Liberal Party is unlikely to be thanking him for his decision to swap Canberra for Adelaide last year.

Led by Steven Marshal, the party had hoped to win a majority by virtue of just being someone different to Labor who have been in office since 2012, while riding in on a tide of voter resentment of state energy policy.

SA Best changed all that.

The latest polls suggest neither Labor nor the Liberals are going to be be able to govern in their own right.

Saturday's Newspoll in The Australian found Labor had secured 31 per cent of the primary vote, the Liberal party had taken 34 per cent of the vote, while SA Best split the difference at 17 per cent.

5:23pm

Labor fires back with robo-call blitz

AAP and Matilda Boseley are reportng that Labor conducted a last-minute blitz of 10,000 robo-calls and 2400 texts urging senior citizens to vote after reports some older voters received phone calls telling them they didn't have to.

It remains unclear where the reported calls urging older residents not to vote emanated from.

5:14pm

There are reports coming in that older residents have been targeted by robocalls telling them that they do not have to vote in Batman.

University of Melbourne Professor Marcia Langton has called them a "dirty trick campaign".

By law, all eligible residents of an electorate must vote and will face fines if they fail to do so.

5:09pm

Greens urge Coalition voters to back them in Batman

In a calculated political move that could cost them a few votes on the left and gain them a few on the right, the Greens have made a last minute pitch to conservative voters.

Vote Greens ahead of Labor to protect retirees' incomes.

The comments from Greens leader Richard Di Natale are aimed at capitalising voter discontent at Labor's proposal to recoup $59 billion from shareholders over a decade by cancelling a cash refund on tax credits.

The Coalition has not bothered to run a candidate in the left-leaning seat, potentially splitting conservative votes between the Greens and Labor.

Read Adam Carey's story here

5:00pm

Welcome to our coverage

Good afternoon,

I'm Eryk Bagshaw and I'll be taking you through tonight's results in the Batman byelection and the South Australian state election.

The polls are due to close in Victoria in just over an hour, with South Australia to follow shortly after.

Fairfax's Mark Kenny and Alex Ellinghausen are in Adelaide and will be bringing you the results and the reactions as they find out if Labor can hold for on for a record fifth four year term in South Australia, or if the Liberals and Nick Xenophon's SA best can snare enough votes to bring their time to an end.

The Age's Noel Towell and Adam Carey are on the ground in Batman where Alex Bhathal and the Greens has been ahead of Labor's star candidate Ged Kearney.

The contest is shaping up for a neck and neck finish, with significant consequences for the policies of either party if they fall short of the line.

Get in touch throughout the night via our comments section or tweet me @ErykBagshaw.

Greens Candidate for Batman Alex Bhathal
Photo: AAP