Victory confirmed, now the job ahead

THE return of all but one Independent to federal parliament, at this stage, has Helen Haines heading into the next three years in familiar territory and with experience and allies on her side. At Wednesday's official declaration of the poll by the Australian Electoral Commission in Wangaratta, confirming the Independent incumbent has retained the federal seat of Indi at last month's 2025 federal election, Dr Haines told a couple of dozen ‘orange army’ supporters she was looking forward to heading back to parliament on 22 July. It was a convincing third-term win for the Independent with an 11,794-vote margin over closest rival, Liberal James Trenery. AEC divisional returning officer Deborah Giosserano read out the results of primary votes with Helen Haines (Independent) 44,270, Mitch Bridges (Labor) 8860, James Trenery (Liberal) 32,476, Athol Thomas (One Nation) 7619, Alysia Regan (Greens) 3838, Tim Quilty 1706, Michael White (Family First) 1901, Ben Howman (Legalise Cannabis) 3162, and Mark McFarlane (1518). As a footnote, Ms Giosserano said the votes are not necessarily the final figures for each candidate. “I anticipate that while there are zero votes to be received by my office to be counted, there may be slight variations as a result of final sortings – these votes will not affect the final result of the election,” she said. Dr Haines, and Family First candidate Michael White, were the only candidates in attendance on Wednesday. “We're still waiting on a couple of seats, of course, Bradfield and Goldstein, but the crossbench has fewer Greens, for example, only one Green compared to four before, but it looks like all but one of the Independents have been returned to the parliament, possibly an additional one, so we’ll wait to see," she said. Despite Labor having a large majority, Dr Haines said it won’t change the way she operates. “I’ve only every worked with a government that has a majority, so in terms of how I operate, nothing changes," she said. “I continue to do the work out in the electorate, take that through to the federal parliament and influence it in the ways that I have before. “I'll be seeking to push the government very hard on their investment in rural and regional Australia on infrastructure particularly around roads and health care and the housing and here in Wangaratta of course we've got some big projects that we're seeking funding for so I'll continue to work with our community groups and local government to pursue those agendas." Dr Haines said her office has been busy since the election with many people wanting to speak to the returned MP. “I have written to key ministers in the 48th Parliament to outline the key platforms and issues that I will be pursuing for Indi," she said. “This work reflects the clear priorities of the people of Indi - housing, cost-of-living, healthcare, childcare, regional infrastructure and action on climate change. "These are the platforms that I took to the election and will guide my advocacy in the new parliament."

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