By Jaidyn Kennedy
Wyndham voters overwhelmingly backed Labor on Saturday night, as Anthony Albanese’s government was re-elected.
In the electorates of Lalor and Gellibrand, Labor’s candidates Joanne Ryan and Tim Watts secured 43.97 per cent and 47.02 per cent of the primary votes respectively.
The results marked the fifth election of Ms Ryan and Mr Watts, who have both held their seats since 2013.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said Ms Ryan would return as the Lalor MP.
AEC data showed that Ms Ryan had secured 62.98 per cent of votes on a two-party basis, over Liberal candidate Mira D’Silva.
In Gellibrand, Mr Watts secured 65.08 per cent of the two-party vote count, compared to Liberal candidate Ben Reeson’s 34.92 per cent.
Speaking to Star Weekly on Sunday, Ms Ryan said the result was “incredibly humbling”.
“It’s incredibly humbling to know that your neighbours and this community – people that have been here for generations and people who are just arriving in this community–all have that kind of faith in me,” Ms Ryan said.
“Today is actually about saying thanks to that community for the faith they are putting in me.”
Despite a 16.5 per cent swing against the Labor’s primary vote in February’s Werribee state by-election, the federal government whip said she stuck to her guns.
“I always had faith that my hard work in the community would hold me in good stead and that people knew the difference between a state and federal government,” Ms Ryan said.
“The way I ran my campaign was pretty standard to the way I’ve run every other campaign.”
Ms Ryan said working with state MPs John Lister and Dylan Wight on building the Wyndham Ring Road between Tarneit and Wyndham Vale was top of her agenda.
In a Facebook statement on Sunday, Mr Watts thanked his Gellibrand voters and commended Liberal candidate Ben Reeson and Ponraj Krishna Pandi of the Greens on their campaigns.
“We have different political philosophies but they have personally engaged in our democratic process in good faith and with dignity,” Mr Watts said.
