VOTERS throughout the Alpine Shire have helped return Indi Independent Helen Haines for a third successive term in Saturday’s federal election.
While the Australian Labor Party was returned with an increased majority nationally in the House of Representatives, support for the governing party continued to wane in Indi.
With 94,947 votes counted from the eligible 120,854 voters in Indi, Labor candidate Mitch Bridges had secured just shy of eight per cent of the primary vote, which was less than Labor candidates Nadia David (8.59%) in 2022 and Eric Kerr in 2019 (12%).
In contrast, Dr Haines, as well as the Liberal Party through candidate James Trenery, both saw their primary vote rise on 2022 results.
Dr Haines secured just over 43 per cent of the primary vote - up 2.34% on 2022, while Mr Trenery’s 31 per cent of the primary vote was up more than 0.5% on last election for the party.
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On two party preferred - with the distribution of preferences from the other seven candidates in Indi - Dr Haines had just under 58.5 per cent (down almost 0.5% on 2022), and Mr Trenery had just over 41.5 per cent (up almost 0.5% on 2022).
Dr Haines enjoyed a majority of support throughout most of the polling places on election day in the Alpine Shire, out-polling all candidates except at Dederang and Gapsted where Mr Trenery gained the most votes.
Both Dr Haines and Mr Trenery were tied on 87 primary votes each at Mudgegonga, while folks at Whorouly also backed Mr Trenery ahead of Dr Haines - 141 primary votes to 96.
At Myrtleford’s polling station, some 500 voters supported Dr Haines, while 314 backed Mr Trenery, with Mr Bridges in third on primary votes with 85, ahead of One Nation’s Athol Thomas with 69.
In Bright 138 voters backed Dr Haines and 58 supported Mr Trenery, with Greens’ candidate Alysia Regan securing the third most primary votes of 28.
At Mount Beauty on election day, 454 voters backed Dr Haines, 201 supported Mr Trenery, with 86 voting for Mr Bridges.
Dr Haines out-polled Mr Trenery on primary votes at Harrietville (67 to 14), Porepunkah (154 to 65) and Wandiligong (60 to 15).
Of the early votes cast at the Bright pre-poll before election day, Dr Haines’ support was more than double Mr Trenery’s - 1576 votes to 751 - followed by Mr Bridges (197), Ms Regan (120), Mr Thomas (117), Libertarian Tim Quilty (54), Legalise Cannabis candidate Ben Howman (53), Independent Mark McFarlane (30) and Family First’s Michael White (27).
