In a tight competition with Independent Rob Priestly, The Nationals managed to hang on to Nicholls with Mr Birrell winning almost 55 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote.
Mr Priestly received 25.73 per cent of first preference votes and Mr Birrell 27.29 per cent.
Liberal candidate Steve Brooks received just under 18 per cent of first preference votes.
Indi
With an eight per cent swing in her favour, Independent Helen Haines was home and hosed in Indi.
She received almost 41 per cent of first preference votes and almost 60 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote.
Liberal candidate Ross Lyman won 31 per cent of the first preference votes and just over 40 per cent of the TCP vote.
Farrer
Within about 90 minutes of polls closing, Liberal Sussan Ley had been deemed a comfortable winner of the southern NSW electorate.
Ms Ley claimed about 68 per cent of the overall TCP vote ahead of Labor’s Darren Cameron.
This was her eighth time contesting the seat.
Mallee
Nationals MP Anne Webster romped back in as the Member for Mallee with almost 70 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote.
The federal seat of Mallee has always been held by the Country Party/National Party.
Ms Webster received 49.82 per cent of first preference votes, far ahead of the ALP’s Carole Hart, who received 16.7 per cent of first preference votes (30.08 per cent of the TCP).
