With a brief handshake, the federal election result in the Illawarra’s most-marginal seat was officially declared on Thursday.
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The feeling was somewhat frosty as incumbent Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis and Labor’s Fiona Phillips came together for a fleeting moment of campaign finality.
A glowing afternoon sun offered some warmth inside the declaration room – at the Australian Electoral Commission’s divisional office in Wollongong – as the result was announced.
Ms Sudmalis secured a 1503-vote win over Mrs Phillips, garnering 50.7 per cent of the two-party preferred count.
The re-elected MP said the result had been “a long time coming” and she was ready to put the knife-edge campaign behind her.
“Now it’s time to really get down to the projects that need to be done to serve the people of Gilmore,” Ms Sudmalis said.
Mrs Phillips thanked Gilmore electors who voted Labor.
“I’ll certainly be continuing to fight for those people and holding the Liberal member for Gilmore to account,” she said.