SUNDAY 5.30PM UPDATEUncertainty reigns in the seat of Wollongong tonight as counting continues. The latest information from the NSW Electoral Commission shows independent Gordon Bradbery still in the race against Labor's Noreen Hay.SUNDAY 1PM UPDATEThe hotly contested seat of Wollongong still hangs in the balance as counting continues today.Reports from independent Gordon Bradbery's camp suggest that while his primary vote is solid, preferences from the Liberals are not flowing strongly as initially hoped.It was widely expected Mr Bradbery would need good preference flows to overtake incumbent Labor MP Noreen Hay.Mr Bradbery told the Mercury today he was riding an "emotional rollercoaster"."It’s still moving through preferences, its up and down ... at this stage I think Noreen has got it," he said."It will be very close".10.20PM UPDATE The result in the Labor-held seat of Wollongong will not be clearer until Sunday morning, with sitting member Noreen Hay refusing to concede and her challenger independent Gordon Bradbery backtracking on what appeared to be an earlier victory speech.About 70 per cent of the vote has been counted, with Ms Hay well ahead on primary votes.Ms Hay has 37.2 per cent, Mr Bradbery 29 per cent and the Liberals 19.4 per cent.The primary figures are very close to those of a Mercury-Iris poll published a week ago. That poll, which surveyed respondents about how they would allocate their preferences, indicated Mr Bradbery would win with a 4 per cent margin on a two-candidate basis.It remains uncertain if a Labor win would be challenged by other candidates given a how-to-vote scandal that erupted earlier involving doctored Liberal material. The Liberal Party claims Labor opponents were to blame.PRIMARY VOTES SO FAR Noreen Hay (ALP) 12,450Gordon Bradbery (IND) 9686Michelle Blicavs (LIB) 6490Counted: 34,9039.30PM UPDATE Independent Gordon Bradbery says he didn’t make a victory speech - it was a ‘‘thank you speech’’, with the result in Wollongong now apparently in limbo.‘‘It was a thank you speech to the people who were with me,’’ he told the Mercury at his campaign office in Flinders St, Wollongong. ‘‘At the same time, there is more counting yet to happen. It is not all over yet.’’Sitting member Noreen Hay has 12,360 primary votes to Mr Bradbery’s 9624, his camp said.The result is going to preferences, which is expected to favour the Uniting Church pastor.Ms Hay has moved to the Grand Hotel in the heart of Wollongong with supporters and is engaged in furious number-crunching.The ALP camp is refusing to concede.Media commentators are calling it both ways. The ABC has declared Mr Bradbery the victor. However, other outlets say the result remains in doubt.8.50PM UPDATE Independent Gordon Bradbery has declared victory over sitting ALP member Noreen Hay.But she isn’t conceding yet.‘‘He would want to wait,’’ Ms Hay told the Mercury. ‘‘The votes are still coming in.’’The latest primary vote follow:Noreen Hay (ALP) 11,113Gordon Bradbery (IND) 9794Michelle Blicavs (LIB) 6136Once preferences were distributed, Mr Bradbery would almost certainly be the victor in an extraordinary result in Labor’s heartland.8.20PM UPDATE The formerly unthinkable may have happened in the seat of Wollongong where independent Gordon Bradbery is on the verge of victory.Insiders say he is well ahead on a two-candidate basis - and the result could be confirmed soon.Earlier, Mr Bradbery told the Mercury preferences were not flowing to him from the Liberals as he had hoped.Ms Hay has won the majority of votes at booths at Lake Heights, Coniston, Farmborough Heights, Cringila, Windang and Warrawong.She won resoundingly at one booth at Berkeley but Mr Bradbery was even at another in the suburb.Mr Bradbery has won booths at West Wollongong, Dapto, Mt St Thomas, Mt Kembla and Hayes Park.7.25PM UPDATE Independent Gordon Bradbery has got off to an extraordinary start in the battle for the seat of Wollongong, outpolling sitting ALP member Noreen Hay on primary votes.Mr Bradbery has 32.3 per cent of the vote, Ms Hay 30.8 per cent and the Liberal candidate Michelle Blicavs 20.6 per cent. Mr Bradbery is expected to get a high number of preferences when it comes down to two-candidate preferred.But only about 9 per cent of the vote has been counted.6.30PM UPDATE Counting of votes has begun in the seat of Wollongong, one of the state’s most contested - but it has taken an unsavoury turn after sitting ALP member Noreen Hay’s campaign team was accused of tampering with Liberal how-to-vote cards.The Liberal Party lodged a formal complaint with returning officers in Wollongong after 800 fraudulent how-to-vote cards were allegedly found hidden among Labor’s campaign material at the Farmborough Rd polling booth this morning.The cards falsely direct Liberal voters to give their second preferences to Ms Hay.The Liberals are advocating a “vote one” strategy in Wollongong.While a result may be established tonight, if Ms Hay wins the seat it is almost certain to come under protest.The controversy topped off what has been an exhausting, bitterly fought final week of campaigning in Wollongong.Premier Kristina Keneally has visited the region nine times in seven weeks. And placards featuring the Premier outnumbered those with Ms Hay’s image at polling booths.A Mercury-IRIS poll last week predicted independent Gordon Bradbery would edge out Ms Hay with a 4 per cent margin after preferences were distributed. Liberal candidate Michelle Blicavs is expected to also get a good share of the primary vote.Ms Hay won the seat in 2007 with a 25.3 per cent margin.4.30PM Wollongong Labor MP Noreen Hay has denied any knowledge of the how-to-vote tampering incident today.Her campaign team has been accused of altering the how-to-vote cards, falsely directing Liberal voters to give their second preferences to Ms Hay.''I know absolutely nothing about that and I'm trying to investigate it myself right now,'' she said.The Liberals have lodged a formal complaint with returning officers in Wollongong following the discovery of 800 fraudulent how-to-vote cards allegedly hidden among Labor’s campaign material at the Farmborough Rd polling booth this morning.It is believed some cards were handed out to voters.The Liberals are advocating a “vote one” strategy in Wollongong.“This is a serious breach of electoral law,” Liberal Party campaign director Mark Neeham said.“In a campaign marred by Labor’s dirty tricks, this is a new low.”The Liberal Party has called for a full investigation. A NSW Electoral Commission spokesman confirmed a complaint had been received.“The returning officer was instructed to tell the ALP people involved to not hand out that material,” he said.Adulterated material was classed as unregistered, he said.While aggrieved parties would not have recourse through the electoral commission, the matter could be pursued through the courts, he said.A Mercury-IRIS poll last week showed Ms Hay was trailing independent candidate Gordon Bradbery after preferences and could lose her seat, which she won in 2007 with a 25.3 per cent margin.