Labor claims Aston by-election victory in crushing blow for Peter Dutton and Liberals

Labor has claimed victory and the Liberals conceded defeat in an ‘extraordinary’ victory in the by-election of Aston, which used to be a safe Liberal seat held by ex-cabinet minister Alan Tudge.

Liberal candidate Roshena Campbell called Labor’s Mary Doyle to congratulate her on victory just before 9pm after it became clear there was no going back from a huge blow to the coalition.

ABC’s political analyst Antony Green had previously called the Melbourne seat for Labor at 8.17pm after ballots showed voters turning against Peter Dutton’s opposition in unprecedented numbers.

If the result is confirmed, it will be the first time in more than a century that a federal government has claimed a by-election victory in a seat previously held by the opposition.

“This is a terrible result for the Liberals,” Green said as he put it for Labour. “It’s extraordinary.”

Liberal candidate Roshena Campbell called Labor’s Mary Doyle (pictured) to congratulate her on victory just before 9pm after it became clear there was no turning back from a huge blow to the coalition

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed victory in a statement at 8.44pm, saying he called Ms Doyle to congratulate her on her historic victory.

Based on two party affiliations, Labor has 53.45 per cent of the vote and the Liberals 46.55 per cent with a swing of 6.3 per cent not even Labor supporters expected.

“Aston is painted red from start to finish,” Green said on ABC. “This is just an extraordinary result.”

Ms Doyle took a massive 7.3 per cent blow for the party in the federal election last May, but outgoing MP Alan Tudge still retained the seat by a 2.8 per cent margin.

The formerly safe seat in the outer eastern suburbs was vacated by former minister Tudge when he retired in February, triggering Saturday’s by-election and giving Ms Doyle a second chance at winning.

As counting continues, Ms Doyle was declared the winner on Saturday, en route to a majority of the vote.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with Mary Doyle) told Tasmania’s 120th anniversary dinner that he had spoken to Ms Doyle and congratulated her on the historic victory

She celebrated the surprise victory – which even surprised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was in Tasmania when the result was announced – with cheering supporters at a Labor Party rally.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles praised her performance, telling campaign workers: “There are very few moments when you are in the presence of history.

“So enjoy!”

He added: “Tonight is a huge show of support for our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albo is a great guy. I know it and the Australian people know it too.’

The Prime Minister told the Tasmanian 120th anniversary dinner he attended that he had spoken to Ms Doyle and congratulated her on the historic victory. He will return to Melbourne on Sunday morning.

Mrs Doyle was jeered off by the many supporters when Mr Marles introduced her to the public as Mary Doyle MP.

“Wow,” she said. ‘You. Wow. I’m Mary Doyle – you know, I still like to be humble. I’m a suburban mum and from tonight I’ll be your next member for Aston…

“I think even our most optimistic campaigners knew I was the underdog. What we were trying to do hadn’t been done for 100 years.

Aston has been liberal since Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U topped the charts in 1990.

“We’re the underdog – but boy, we’ve shown we’ve got a big bite.”

She added, “The support has blown me away. I even had Billy Bragg in one of my t-shirts!’

Liberal leader Peter Dutton, flanked by Ms Campbell, admitted it was a ‘difficult night’ at a post-election rally in Melbourne.

“We will become stronger from today’s experience and we will work towards the next election to ensure that we are in a much better and stronger position,” he told party supporters.

“I want to congratulate Mary Doyle and the Labor Party on their success tonight.”

But he warned, “We will rebuild and we will never give in.”

Disappointed, Ms Campbell said she had to ‘respect the voters’ decision’.

She added: “The time will come when the country needs a strong liberal government.”

She thanked Mr Dutton for his support “during a very difficult time for our party”.

Liberal supporters clung to hopes of a massive turnaround as the votes were counted by mail and ahead of the polls, but Green said the swing required was too great to be a realistic possibility.

Pre-polling votes managed to narrow the gap slightly, but Labor held onto its lead, making a Liberal recovery impossible.

More to follow