Lisa Singh’s success rewrites history as Greens Nick McKim snares final Tasmanian Senate seat

RELIEF,  disappointment and a win against all the odds have featured in the Tasmanian Senate race.

RELIEF,  disappointment and a win against all the odds have featured in the Tasmanian Senate race.

The Australian Electoral Commission has finished its painstaking count, confirming that four Liberals, five Labor, two Greens and independent Jacqui Lambie will be the state’s senators.

Re-elected Senator Lisa Singh said her campaign had “shown the impossible is possible” as she pulled off the ­remarkable feat of winning from sixth on the Labor ticket.

Labor Senator Lisa Singh called her re-election “the people’s win”. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

The Greens Nick McKim took the 12th seat, just 141 votes ahead of One Nation candidate Kate McCulloch.

Former Turnbull Government minister Richard Colbeck’s 14-year Senate career came to an end when he failed to be re-elected from fifth on the Liberal ticket.

Senator McKim said he was determined to get to work right away after managing to maintain the Greens’ second Tasmanian seat.

“There is an element of relief I am feeling today, as I’m sure all Greens supporters and Greens voters are feeling,” he said.

He said the result overall showed Tasmanian voters had rejected the “factional warlords” of the major parties.

Senator Colbeck said he was proud to have represented Tasmania since 2002.

He thanked those who voted below the line to support his re-election.

“In particular I thank those who believed in me enough to mount a campaign to support my re-election ... It is often not easy to air your political views so publicly,” he said.

Before the election Senator Colbeck said he believed first-placed Liberal Senator Eric Abetz had been behind his ­demotion to fifth.

Tasmanian Greens senators Nick McKim, left, and Peter Whish-Wilson. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

On the confirmation of the result, Senator Abetz said he was sorry to see Senator Colbeck go.

“I will be sad to see him leave the Senate after such a lengthy and distinguished ­record of service,” he said.

Senator Abetz said he was humbled to have topped the Senate vote without the help of the “personality campaign” that benefited senators Colbeck and Singh.

“I’m very thankful to the Tasmanian people ... out of the candidates that did not have a personality campaign run by them or for them, I got the highest number of one votes below the line,” he said.

Senator Singh became the first candidate since the 1950s to win from sixth spot on a Senate ticket.

“This is not just my win, it is the people’s win, the people of Tasmania have made their voices heard throughout this election campaign,” she said.

“We have shown the ­impossible is possible.”

After being shunned by her colleagues and put last on the Labor ticket, Senator Singh said she was happy to have contributed to the strong result for Labor in Tasmania.

Re-elected Labor Senator Catryna Bilyk, who finished behind Senator Singh, issued a statement thanking every Tasmanian federal Labor MP by name, as well as unsuccessful candidate John Short, without mentioning Senator Singh.

Tasmania’s senators are: Eric Abetz, Stephen Parry, Jonathon Duniam and David Bushby (Liberal); Anne Urquhart, Helen Polley, Carol Brown, Lisa Singh and Catryna Bilyk (Labor); Peter Whish-Wilson and Nick McKim (Greens); and Jacqui Lambie.