Who among the candidates fared well in Parkes next to re-elected National Party's Mark Coulton?
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According to the latest Australian Electoral Commission tally, winning Labor Party's candidate Jack Ayoub is runner-up at 32 percent, Pauline Hanson's One Nation candidate Deborah Swinbourn came 3rd with 7.37 percent, Liberal Democrats' Peter Rothwell had 6.6 percent, and newly formed Indigenous-Australia Party's Derek Hardman raked the remote votes with 4.98 percent.
We asked the candidates where the political side of their real lives is taking them and are back next time around.
Mr Ayoub said he's returning to his day job at the Australian Worker's Union and law degree studies at the University of Sydney.
"I look after the rights of employees at the zoo, roads and maritime workers, steel and manufacturing industries and it's quite draining sometimes," Mr Ayoub said.
Second loss after a tough fight
Mr Ayoub was clearly emotional during his second-time loss to the Nationals with 32.37 percent or 24,315 votes because "we did put up a serious fight as an important part of democracy" and believed "I could still match [Mark]" in the next bout on the polls with Anthony Albanese's Labor government in power.
"There is no arena in which I wouldn't be prepared to debate him..I still feel [even with the loss] I am more capable of beating him even though they're better resourced."
At 7.15 pm on Saturday night surrounded by his campaign team at their headquarters on Fitzroy Street, a teary-eyed Mr Ayoub watched the election results unfold on Sky News while Labor spokesman Stephen Conroy calmly say Labor was "still on the hunt for more seats to win" even as more than five Coalition seats flowed towards Labor.
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By 8.30 pm, Labor had won 53 seats while the Liberal and Nationals were trailing 42 seats that LNP spokesman and former Liberal Party president Michael Kroger has analysed "it looks as if Labor is going to win tonight."
"I am really proud of the campaign we've run and very proud of our people who did the groundwork," Mr Ayoub said. "I turn up do the media and all the performative aspects of the campaign but they are the ones who do the actual work and that's impressive."
LDP and One Nation made impressive swings
A surprising result is Ms Swinbourn who did not even show up at any of the booths in Parkes preferring her party's online media campaign yet pulled 5,931 votes, or 7.37 percent of total votes in Parkes.
She told the Daily Liberal by phone, "I am truly grateful and humbled, can I just say thank you to the people of Parkes who voted for me..to my fellow freedom fighters, we will keep fighting for the rights of all Australians."
Mr Rothwell was straight back to his farm at Mendooran to "catch up on work" but he would be closely following what the 10 teal candidates would do in parliament. "Four out of our five wealthiest electorates are won by the teals and they would be dictating how we tackle our lives."
He said LDP will be formidable in Parkes because they are "true believers" and they had "good legs and a good team" they were "heartened by heartwarming support from the people of Parkes."
Indigenous issues at forefront of campaign
Mr Hardman said he voted at Broken Hill south school, near his home, with his newly-formed party's outback campaign in some of the remotest parts of Parkes.
Voters rewarded them with an impressive primary vote of 4,006 or 4.98 percent of electors supported their call for an Indigenous voice in the Constitution. Hardman wants remote residents "get jobs and train for skills, get affordable housing and have access to health services and education."