Luis Feliu
Incumbent northern rivers MPs Kevin Hogan (Page, Nationals) and Justine Elliot (Richmond, Labor) have retained their seats after a knife-edge federal election result which could see a hung parliament.
Mr Hogan narrowly fended off a strong challenge from Labor’s Janelle Saffin, who held the seat before him.
In the latest counting he had won the seat with a 52.06 per cent of the vote on a two-candidate preferred basis to Mrs Saffin’s 47.94 per cent.
The Coalition nationally suffered a 3.7 per cent swing against them.
Surprise results include:
The possible kingmaker role of the Nick Xenophon Team in a hung parliament;
Deputy premier Barnaby Joyce retaining his seat of New England against popular Independent Tony Windsor;
Former state MP Linda Burney becoming Australia’s first Indigenous person to be elected to the House of Representatives;
One Nation Party leader Pauline Hanson looks set to re-enter the Senate, possibly taking another seat for her party as well;
Former prime minister Tony Abbott hanging onto his seat of Warringah; and
Malcolm Turnbull’s controversial immigration minister Peter Dutton is just hanging on to his Queensland seat of Dickson, having suffered a swing twice the national average.
The swing against Mr Hogan was 1.04 per cent with 96,842 votes counted from the 117,317 voters enrolled. (See latest results for Page at the Australian Electoral Commission tally room website:
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-20499-138.htm
The Greens’ Kudra Falla-Ricketts won 10.83 per cent of the vote with 10,079 primary votes, a swing to them of around 1.78 per cent.
In Richmond, as widely tipped, Mrs Elliot retained her seat, despite a swing of 2.65 per cent against her.
She had 54.23 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote to Mr Fraser’s 45.77 per cent.
While Mr Fraser won 30,823 primary votes over Mrs Elliot’s 25,830, Greens preferences helped her across the line.
Mr Fraser suffered a swing of around 3 per cent against him on a two-candidate preferred basis.
The Greens polled stronger than ever, with Dawn Walker drawing 22.84 per cent of the primary vote, a 7.11 per cent swing to the party.
Mrs Elliot told media feedback on election day was ‘encouraging, particularly on Labor’s positive plan to protect and save Medicare’.
Mr Fraser, however, declined to concede defeat, blaming his poor showing on Labor’s ‘Mediscare’ campaign.
In Richmond, 85,617 people had voted of the 112,820 enrolled.
For the latest Richmond results, see: http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-20499-145.htm
Counting resumes on Tuesday.
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