Former Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) president Ged Kearney has helped Labor snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the federal seat of Batman.
Kearney will now join a long list of former ACTU officials to enter parliament as a Labor MP.
But unlike most who have marched the well-trodden career path before her, Kearney has managed to do so in a marginal seat.
Kearney ran an effective campaign anchored on education and health to ensure Labor clung onto the inner-metropolitan Melbourne seat it has held for 80 years.
Without a Liberal Party candidate, the Greens were clear favourites in a by-election triggered by the resignation of Labor MP David Feeney.
Kearney appealed to left-leaning voters with her strong personal opinions on asylum seekers and the proposed Adani coal mine.
She also won over conservative voters and low income retirees by insisting Labor has time to review the impact of its proposal to cut cash dividend imputation credits.
In defying the odds to win Batman, Kearney has helped secure Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's grip on the party's leadership.
Shorten and other senior Labor MPs sought to manage expectations throughout the campaign, describing it as an incredibly tough contest and uphill battle.
Kearney, who does not live in Batman, started her working life as a nurse before rising through the ranks of the union movement.
Kearney is the youngest of nine children and has four kids of her own.
