Oliver Laughland theguardian.com, Monday 9 September 2013

It wasn't just about Abbott and Rudd; here are more high-profile victors and vanquished

WINNERS

Clive Palmer

Photograph: AFP

Both as leader of the Palmer United party and as candidate for the Queensland seat of Fairfax, mining billionaire Clive Palmer has been the surprise success story of the election. Whilst counting continues in Fairfax, Palmer has already declared victory. Meanwhile, the PUP has one Senate spot all but confirmed in Queensland, and Palmer says he's confident of winning another two Senate seats, one in Tasmania and one in Western Australia.

Adam Bandt

Photograph:AAP

Bandt is the only Greens member of the lower house and held onto his seat of Melbourne despite the Liberals preferencing Labor above the Greens in the seat. The Labor party were effectively wiped out in the Melbourne electorate, suffering a 12% negative swing, in what was once a safe ALP seat. Bandt's election has been credited to an innovative, grassroots campaign strategy.

Fiona Scott

Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAP

The Liberal candidate for Lindsay in western Sydney, Fiona Scott, took arguably the biggest Labor party scalp at the election by unseating the outgoing assistant treasurer, David Bradbury. Scott, who was described as having "sex appeal" by the incoming prime minister and attempted to blame Sydney's traffic jams on asylum seekers, pushed a 3.87% swing against Labor to win the seat.

Wayne Swan

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The rout that never was in Queensland meant that ex-treasurer Wayne Swan held the seat of Lilley with a slender 2% margin. It was so close that even on polling day Swan admitted he was unsure if he would hold on. Swan has already ruled out a bid for the leadership, saying he is content with the backbench.

LOSERS

Jaymes Diaz

Photograph:AAP

Diaz became a laughing stock when he failed miserably at explaining the Coalition's border protection policy during an interview that eventually went viral around the world. Although he has yet to concede, Diaz looks clearly to have lost the electorate of Greenway in western Sydney, and bucked the national trend to suffer a 3% swing away from the Liberals.

Julian Assange

Photograph:Juan Passarelli/AP

Despite producing polling that 26% of voters were "likely" to vote for Assange's WikiLeaks party, it ended up receiving just 0.62%. The party was marred after a preferencing controversy in which a number of party members and a candidate resigned. Nonetheless, Assange has said he plans to keep the party going and contest the next election.

Bob Katter

Photograph:Cleo Fraser/AAP

Where Clive succeeded, Bob stumbled. With 70% of the vote counted in Katter's electorate of Kennedy, it's unclear if he's held on, although it looks like he'll squeeze through on preferences. Nonetheless, LNP candidate Noeline Ikin has outpolled Katter by 10% on the primary vote in a dramatic swing.

Dick Adams

Photograph: Sam Rosewarne/AAPImage

Where Queensland stayed relatively stable for the Labor party, Tasmania collapsed with an 11.8% swing. Adams, the member for Lyons since 1993, has conceded defeat. Lyons was previously considered one of the safest Labor seats in Tasmania.

Australian election: winners and losers | World news | theguardian.com