It’s been a night that defied many expectations nationally although in the ACT it’s business as usual. Photos: George Tsotsos.
Despite a shock Coalition victory in the Federal election, the Canberra region will deliver a solid bloc of seats to Labor, with the party’s candidates comfortably ahead in all three seats in the ACT, as well as the former bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro.
Region Media coverage of 2019 Federal Election
It's been a night that defied many expectations nationally although in the ACT it's business as usual. RiotACT visited each party's election night gathering and found all of them positive about the local results.
Posted by The RiotACT on Saturday, May 18, 2019
Katy Gallagher will return to the Senate, as will Liberal Senator Zed Seselja with an improved vote, despite an unprecedented drive to unseat him.
On Sunday night the Coalition is three shy of a majority on 74, with Labor on 65, one Green and five others. Six seats are in doubt. Queensland rebuffed Labor and Bill Shorten, particularly over the proposed Adani coal mine, with the LNP sweeping the state.
The Greens push to take the redistributed central seat of Canberra has fallen way short with Labor’s Alicia Payne recording a big win with 66.48 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, well ahead of Liberal Mina Zaki who pulled away from Green Tim Hollo, with 47 out of 48 booths counted. Ms Payne has picked up a primary vote of 40.82 per cent.
Mr Hollo has received 23.41 per cent of the votes, just behind Ms Zaki who has got 27.61 per cent.
Winners: Labor’s Alicia Payne and family voting today. Katy Gallagher was with her.
In the new southern seat of Bean, Labor’s David Smith’s forced pivot to the lower house after keeping Katy Gallagher’s Senate seat warm has been successful, with the former head of Professionals Australia ahead on 57.7 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, followed by Liberal Ed Cocks and the Greens’ Johnathan Davis.
Mr Smith always said he wasn’t a seat warmer for Katy Gallagher when he replaced her in the Senate last year after the High Court booted her out for being a dual citizen, but when she wanted her seat back it was clear that if he wanted to continue in Federal politics, it would have to be in the lower house.
A redistribution making Canberra a central seat and creating a third ACT seat in the south where the Marist College old boy and his family live gave him that opportunity.
He duly won preselection for Bean and has achieved a comfortable victory.
Fifty of 51 booths have been counted and Mr Smith has a primary vote of 38.53 per cent. Mr Cocks has 31.35 per cent and Mr Davis 12.76 per cent.
In the north, frontbencher Andrew Leigh will easily retain Fenner for Labor with 61.03 per cent of the two-party vote so far with 43 out of 44 booths counted, followed by Leanne Castley and the Greens’ Andrew Braddock. He has a primary vote of 45.59 per cent.
Ms Castley has 34.41 per cent and Mr Braddock 14.12 per cent.
With 79 booths out of 86 counted in Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly is on track to win with 51.3 per cent of the two-party vote but he has suffered a 1.63 per cent swing against him, with his primary vote at 39.90 per cent, down 1.98 per cent.
Senator Zed Seselja has successfully fought a campaign to unseat him, improving his vote.
In the Senate, Katy Gallagher, now just an Australian citizen, will return to the upper house, and Liberal Zed Seselja has withstood a concerted campaign to unseat him from the Greens, Unions ACT and independent Anthony Pesec.
Labor gathered 39.68 per cent of the vote, the Liberals 29.84 per cent and the Greens 19.61 per cent. Mr Pesec came in at 5.27 per cent.
Senator Seselja called it a “dirt campaign” but he said focusing on the issues had been the key to being returned.
“I never spoke or responded to the dirt campaign because I don’t think that is what people want to hear about,” he said.
“I talked about issues and that is the key. I hoped that there was a rejection, at least in part, of the personal denigration that particularly UnionsACT and others engaged in. Some people who didn’t vote Liberal in the last couple of elections have given us their support. This shows that if you focus on the issues instead of the muck-raking, maybe you get a reasonable response.”
We are LIVE at the Southern Cross Club in Woden where Canberra Liberal Senate hopeful Zed Seselja is speaking to Genevieve Jacobs about the election results tonight.
Posted by The RiotACT on Saturday, May 18, 2019
Ms Gallagher was glad to be back and that Labor had done well in Canberra but warned against the party being complacent in the ACT.
“It has been a really funny 12 months for me. I didn’t realise today was going to be a moment for me but it was. I was out and about at the polling booths and I was thinking about the last 12 months and really happy that I put my hand up again,” she said.
“I don’t think Labor should ever take Canberra for granted. That would be a very dangerous thing. The two big issues on my campaign trail were climate change and honesty in politics but I am not sure that is replicated across the country.”
Ms Gallagher said she always thought it would be hard to unseat Senator Seselja. “There is a 30 per cent rusted on Liberal vote so I always thought Zed was pretty safe and we have seen that replicated tonight.”
We are LIVE at the Canberra Labor Club in Belconnen talking to Katy Gallagher from the ACT Labor party about the election results tonight.
Posted by The RiotACT on Saturday, May 18, 2019
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