ANNE Webster has lifted her vote up to six per cent at Loddon booths to be elected for a third term as the member for Mallee.
The Nationals MP received a primary vote swing of 1.67 per cent to claim more than half the 101,000 votes counted by the Australian Electoral Commission.
On a two-party preferred count, the Coalition’s shadow assistant health minister has just under 70 per cent of the vote.
All eight candidates increased their party’s vote compared with 2022 election, picking up voters who backed independent Sophie Baldwin and the former United  Australia Party three years ago.
The UAP’s successor, Trumpets of Patriots, only secured a third of the party’s vote in 2022.
“I am humbled that Mallee has voted for me to represent them for the next three years,” said Dr Webster.
“Not only has there been a swing towards The Nationals in Mallee this election, it looks likely that we have won Mallee on first preferences and now hold Mallee with one of the largest margins for a Coalition seat in the nation.
“On the latest counting, The Nationals’ hold on the seat on a two-party preferred basis had risen over half a per cent to 69.6 per cent, against an apparent nationwide swing of 3.2 per cent to Labor.  Mallee was one of only a few seats that had a swing towards the Coalition, instead of swinging to Labor.
“From Opposition, The Nationals will keep fighting for you, your community and regional Australia.”
Dr Webster told the Loddon Herald on Saturday night that she feared Mallee and Australia faced a rough three years with the re-election of the the Labor government.
She also questioned whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had been open with voters on its plans for the future.
“Last time. there was no word of the Voice referendum and then we had a referendum,” Dr Webster said.
Greens’ candidate Nicole Rowan has described her party’s vote in Mallee as solid, almost doubling to 8.74 per cent.
Dingee was Dr Webster’s best booth on the two-party preferred count, with 88.71 per cent of the vote. At Boort and Seprentine she received more than 82 per cent after distribution of preferences.
The closest result for Dr Webster was at Tarnagulla where her winning margin was 4.48 per cent.
Of 107 polling places in the electorate, the only booths not won by Dr Webster were Halls Gap, two in Maryborough and Talbot.
 Meanwhile, in the neighbouring seat of Bendigo the count on Tuesday remained on a knife-edge with Nationals’ Andrew Lethlean ahead of sitting Labor MP Lisa Chesters.
Ms Chesters won with a margin of 12.1 per cent in 2022 although a redistribution had reduced that to 11.8 per cent.
Mr Lethlean has achieved the biggest swing against a sitting member in Bendigo since 1917 when then-Prime Minister Billy Hughes defeated Labor Alfred Hampson with a swing of 12.5 per cent.
- CHRIS EARL