Independent Kerryn Phelps has ended over a century of Liberal dominance in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, forcing Scott Morrison into minority government. The high profile GP claimed victory surrounded by jubilant supporters on Saturday night.
The Liberal candidate Dave Sharma says it's been a humbling and enlightening experience.
The Prime Minister says the Liberal party will learn from the Wentworth by-election result. But Mr Morrison remains adamant his party is heading in the right direction.
But it seems Wentworth remains very much up for grabs, with the margin between Dr Phelps and Liberal candidate Dave Sharma narrowing with postal ballots still being counted.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Mr Sharma could still win the eastern Sydney seat with many votes in contention.
Although postal votes are continuing to be counted, Dr Phelps has already announced her first order of business in parliament. She has told the ABC, the resettlement of refugees from Nauru is a key priority.
Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children say they welcome the call, but hope other politicians follow suit. Spokeswoman Clare Forbes says the swing against the Liberals in Wentworth shows people are fed up with cruelty centered policies.
The Australia Institute's exit polling also shows climate change and replacing coal with renewable energy was the biggest issue motivating voters in Wentworth.
Despite the swing against the Liberals, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the government will not reassess its position on climate change.
But Friends of the Earth spokesman Cam Walker says the government needs to listen and learn.
Earlier, the StopAdani Bondi group says many locals were disgruntled with the Morrison government during its door-knocking campaign in the electorate.
Spokesman, Simon Fosterling says it is clear that residents want politicians to stop bending over backwards for the fossil fuel industry. He says there is a movement for change and this will be particularly important coming up to the next federal election.
The Jewish vote also came to prominence, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he is considering moving the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He denied the timing of his remarks had anything to do with winning the Jewish vote in Wentworth, which has one of the largest Jewish populations of any electorate in the country -12. 5 per cent of voters are Jewish.
Representatives from 13 Middle Eastern and North African embassies in Australia have warned the move could lead to a breakdown in trade ties with Arab and Muslim nations. But Jeremy Jones, from the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, has told SBS News many in the Jewish community have welcomed the announcement.
If Kerryn Phelps is confirmed as winner of Wentworth, the government will lose its one-seat governing majority. And with a federal election looming, Flinders University political analyst Associate Professor Haydon Manning says the Liberal government will struggle to gather momentum.
