Former minister for defence materiel Mike Kelly has conceded defeat in his NSW electorate of Eden-Monaro, confirming its status as a bellwether seat.
Mr Kelly had been trailing the Liberals Peter Hendy since the weekend's election, and on Friday morning finally threw in the towel.
"To all my valued friends on twitter I'm sorry to have to say I will be conceding this morning," he tweeted.
"It's over. Thank you for your support."
Mr Kelly, a former army officer who entered parliament in 2007, had on Saturday night been hopeful of bucking the national trend against Labor.
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However, his slight lead quickly evaporated during the week, and on Friday he trailed by 633 votes.
Eden-Monaro has long been thought of as a bellwether for the overall federal result, the seat falling to whoever takes government since 1972.
The electorate stretches from Queanbeyan to the NSW coast, and down to the Victorian border.
Mr Hendy is a former chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and in 2008 was chief of staff to then Liberal leader Brendan Nelson.
