Independent Helen Haines won the seat of Indi in Saturday’s Federal Election, which saw Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison returned to Government.

Dr Haines won by a slim margin, ahead of Steve Martin (Liberal), who won more first preference votes.

Preferences were required by Dr Haines to succeed in her campaign to succeed Cathy McGowan as MHR for Indi.

Dr Haines’s role as an Independent may be less prominent, as there is a possibility that the Morrison Government may have won enough seats to govern in its own right.

The previous Federal Government required the assistance of the cross bench, including Ms McGowan, on important decisions.

Dr Haines campaigned with a focus on national issues, rather than an emphasis on local matters.

“Indi wants action on climate,” Dr Haines told a celebration on Saturday night.

Dr Haines and her orange team were prominent at polling centres throughout Murrindindi.

“Orange is the new green,” commented a person from one of the opposing parties.

Dr Haines fended off a challenge from Liberal Steve Martin to secure 51.6 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, as at Sunday.

Liberal Party candidate for Indi, Steve Martin, won the most first-preference votes in Indi, with 79.9 per cent of votes counted on Sunday night.

Mr Martin won 30,259 first-preference votes (35.1 per cent). Thisd was a 7.3 perf cent increase for the Liberals, compared with the last election when Sophie Mirabella was candidate.

Dr Haines attracted 28,731 votes, representing a 33.3 per cent share, down 0.1 per cent from Ms McGowan’s vote.

Preferences from other candidates were important to take Dr Haines across the finish line.

Other Indi candidates:

• Eric Kerr, Labor. 10,061 votes. 11.7 per cent. Up 1.6 per cent.
• Mark Byatt, Nationals. 8457 votes. 9.8 per cent. Down 7.9 per cent.
• Shane Wheatland, United Australia Party. 3225 votes. 3.7 per cent. Up 3.7 per cent.
• Helen Robinson, Greens. 3172 votes. 3.7 per cent. Down 0.3 per cent.
• Jason Whalley, Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party. 2338 votes. 2.7 per cent. (Others) down 4.3 per cent.

The Liberals held the seat of Indi from 1977 to 2013, when Ms McGowan first won the seat.

Dr Haines has worked as a Senior Research Fellow with the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health and as the Director of Education and Research Unit at Northeast Health Wangaratta.

Graduating with a bachelor’s degree at Deakin University, Dr Haines has worked as a midwife and was the youngest ever matron and Director of Nursing at the Chiltern Bush Nursing Hospital.

In the Murrindindi area, there was some confusion of the move of the polling centre from Kinglake Primary School to the Kinglake CFA Centre.

There was no polling centre this year at Buxton, with voters going to nearby Marysville, Narbethong or Taggerty.

On a two candidate perferred basis, Liberal Steve Martin won booths at Alexandra, Bonnie Doon, Glenburn, Jamieson, Marysville, Piries-Goughs Bay, Ruffy, Taggerty, Thornton, Yarck and Yea.

Helen Haines won booths at Eildon, Flowerdale, Kinglake, Kinglake West, Narbethong and Toolangi.

LOCAL POLLING BOOTHS
Two Candidate Perferred
• Aleandra. 1303 formal votes. Haines, 613, 47.05 per cent. Martin, 690, 52.95.
• Bonnie Doon. 263 votes. Haines, 110 votes, 41.83. Martin, 153, 58.17.
• Eildon. 473 votes. Haines, 250, 25.85. Martin, 223, 47.15.
• Flowerdale. 339 votes. Haines, 205, 60.47. Martin, 134, 39.53.
• Glenburn. 233 votes. Haines, 88, 37.77. Martin, 145, 62.23.
• Jamieson. 162 votes. Haines, 77, 47.53. Martin, 85, 52.47.
• Kinglake. 771 votes. Haines, 452, 58.63. Martin, 319, 41.37.
• Kinglake West. 795 votes. Haines, 453, 56.98. Martin, 342, 43.02.
• Marysville. 427 votes. Haines, 205, 48.01. Martin, 222, 51.99.
• Narbethong. 172 votes, Haines, 97, 56.40. Martin, 75, 43.60.
• Piries-Goughs Bay. 125 votes. Haines, 52, 41.60. Martin, 73, 58.40.
• Ruffy. 136 votes. Haines, 49, 36.03. Martin, 87, 63.97.
• Taggerty. 265 votes. Haines, 128, 48.30. Martin, 137, 51.70.
• Thornton. 244 votes. Haines, 110, 45.08. Martin, 134, 54.92.
• Toolangi. 240 votes. Haines, 122, 50.83. Martin, 118, 49.17.
• Yarck. 314 votes. Haines, 125, 39.81. Martin, 189, 60.19.
• Yea. 963 votes. Haines, 33, 39.77. Martin, 580, 60.23.

These early figures do not include absent, pre-poll, postal or provisional votes.

More complete figures will be published in later editions.