The Labor party is inching closer to a majority government with AEC counts indicating it's likely to - at time of writing - secure 75 seats with two or three others still in contention.
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And while many will claim this election shows a repudiation of Liberal stagnancy on climate change and a federal ICAC, it also brings into sharp relief the rise of minor parties and the freshly coined 'teal wave' of independents.
Independents have claimed a few prominent seats from high profile Liberals including that of Goldstein where Tim Wilson has been ousted by Zoe Daniel, and in Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan has shown Josh Frydenberg the door.
In Wentworth independent Allegra Spender told reporters she hadn't heard from the ejected Liberal MP Dave Sharma.
At face value that could be taken as a shift away from support of the Liberal party, but Labor are also losing ground to the independents and minor parties.
Hume MP Angus Taylor looks set to retain his seat, but lost a 10 per cent swing of the votes, something his Labor opponent Greg Baines benefitted from, but Baines also lost out almost seven per cent on Labor's previous campaign.
Goulburn-based Penny Ackery secured nearly 16 per cent of the primary vote.
This time around, there has been a big swing to the fringe parties with Pauline Hanson's One Nation party particularly picking up big swathes of the primary vote, while the UAP lost ground in the areas of Hume, Gilmore, Whitlam and the Eden-Monaro.
Hume saw the single largest sway to One Nation with a 7.2 per cent swing, closely followed by Whitlam where One Nation garnered a 6.7 per cent taking of the primary votes.
In Gilmore the unknown and literally unseen One Nation candidate Jeremy Eid secured around 4000 votes for an almost four per cent gain and in Eden-Monaro Shannon Boyd clinched a 4.2 per cent swing for the Queensland-based party.
It was revealed recently there is plenty to be gained by running candidates seemingly aimlessly with primary votes netting the parties potentially millions of dollars.
But what is perhaps more surprising is how much traction some of the minor parties have gained this election.
While the polling gives Labor the win this time around, the numbers go to show that Aussies are making a shift away from the major parties.
Jacob McMaster
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
