How are the independents are going?
Dr Monique Ryan looks likely to hold Kooyong. She’s ahead with a 1.9% swing, but with only a small portion of the votes counted, it’s best to be cautious here.
Goldstein is too close to call, but Teal independent Zoe Daniel is marginally ahead of her old foe, Liberal Tim Wilson. There’s a 3% swing to the Liberals though.
Helen Haines looks safe in Indi on 58.9% after almost half the votes are counted, despite a small swing to the Liberals of 0.1%.
Allegra Spender is sitting comfortable in Wentworth with a swing towards her of 8.3% and a very comfortable 65% of the vote, with a third counted so far.
Zali Steggall has a 3.1% swing towards her in Warringah, and a comfortable 62.4% of the vote.
WA votes are only just starting to be counted, so it's too early to know the fate of Kate Chaney.
What this tells us so far is a very positive story for the independents. Once they win the hearts of an electorate, they’re usually there for the long haul. It’s injecting a third political force into the House of Representatives.