If anyone was going to buck the trend of Bass voters sending first-term federal members packing, it was Bridget Archer.
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The moderate Liberal has represented the small-L Northern Tasmanian electorate with the conviction of her moral compass.
And her re-election is just reward.
Since defeating Labor rival Ross Hart for the first time in 2019, the former George Town mayor has dared to cross the floor and abstain from voting with the Morrison government on several occasions.
Ms Archer abstained from voting in 2020 on the Coalition's cashless debit card legislation and crossed the floor twice.
Once to support a motion by independent MHR Helen Haines calling for a debate on a national anti-corruption commission, and secondly, to include protections for transgender students in the government's modifications to the Sex Discrimination Act.
Results, despite a near 3 per cent swing against her, so far show her actions earnt her the respect of a majority of Bass voters.
Ms Archer appeared to buck the national trend with Labor last night on track to win more seats than the incumbent Coalition.
However, a hung Parliament is a high probability with Labor likely to form government in its own right or strike a deal with the Greens and/or the independents, who are on track to dethrone Liberals in marginal NSW and Victorian seats, to lead the nation for the next three years.
Early analysis of voting in Tasmania doesn't spell good news for Labor who appear to be still on the nose.
Across the state, Labor's two-party-preferred vote looks to be down about 4 per cent, compared to a 2 per cent spike nationally.
How much of that can be attributed to the party's dysfunctional state branch and campaign in the 2021 Tasmanian election is not certain. However, coupled with the state ALP losing a seat in the Tasmanian Legislative Council during this month's elections, it shows the party is clearly not resonating in the Apple Isle.
This federal election, with Ms Archer and Braddon Liberal MHR Gavin Pearce being re-elected and Susie Bower possibly unseating Labor's Brian Mitchell in Lyons, plus last year's state poll results, clearly shows Labor is miles behind their main rivals in Northern Tasmania and faces a long recovery.
But, what does potentially having Liberal members in opposition during the next federal Parliament mean for the region?
History says electorates best benefit from having a member in power, but this result shows Labor can least afford to ignore Northern Tasmania if it is any chance of reviving itself on a state and federal level here.
Australia's likely next Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has work to do.