ANDREW Broad has shrugged off a 2.11 per cent two-candidate preferred swing to Labor and described his election win as a “very good outcome”.
Mr Broad said it was difficult to compare Saturday’s results to 2013 because last time the battle for Mallee was a three-cornered race, with the Liberals contesting the seat.
This time, Mr Broad won 64.64 per cent of first preferences and 71.55 per cent of the two candidate preferred vote, while his main rival, Labor candidate Lydia Senior, won 21.37 per cent and 28.45 per cent respectively.
“We set out to serve the people of the Wimmera Mallee and do our best and that has absolutely been endorsed,” he said.
Mr Broad welcomed the swing to the Nationals nationally, including in the neighbouring seat of Murray, where Damian Drum beat Liberal candidate Duncan McGauchie.
“That’s a fantastic outcome, he will be a very good member for Murray,” he said.
The seat is one of 144 to have a clear winner, with the makeup of the new parliament not to be known for days.
As of 11am yesterday, the Australian Electoral Commission gave Labor the lead with 71 seats, four more than the Liberal-National Coalition.
Either party will need 76 seats to have a clear majority, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull or Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten needing to work with the six crossbench representatives – headed by two Independents, two from the Nick Xenophon Team and single members of the Greens and Katter’s Australia Party – to form government.
“I hope we can limp over the line with a majority,” Mr Broad said.
I don’t think hung parliaments have every served us well, but if we are in that position there will need to be a level of maturity.”
Mr Broad paid tribute to the other four candidates who contested Mallee.
“They ran a very decent campaign and even on election day there was camaraderie between election workers from different political persuasions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Broad will aim to spend more time in the Gannawarra Shire during his next three-year term.
“I’m mindful that I received a strong endorsement from Kerang and Cohuna and I hope to be there more than I have been,” he said.
“When I have been in Kerang and Cohuna I haven’t received as much interaction as I would like so I need to think about how to interact better.”
