Labor has secured a major victory over the Turnbull government in a marathon political contest across five byelections, gaining ground in key seats in a show of strength ahead of the next general election.
Labor held its four electorates while the Coalition failed to regain one of its old strongholds, in an outcome that dashed government hopes of turning the tables on its rivals.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had played down his chances of success in the two key battlegrounds, Braddon in Tasmania and Longman in Queensland, but secured clear wins in both seats on Saturday night.
Labor leader Bill Shorten and the party's candidate for the seat of Longman Susan Lamb celebrate as they arrive at their election night function in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, on Saturday.
Photo: AAP"What a great night for the Labor Party," Mr Shorten told supporters in Longman.
"They've thrown everything at us in the last 10 weeks but we've come through it in pretty good shape."
Declaring victory in "four from four" electorates, Mr Shorten assumed victory in Longman and Braddon and said he expected the same in two electorates in Western Australia.
"Tonight is another signpost into the destination that matters for Australians - a Labor government after the next general election," Mr Shorten said.
The outcome sparked questions within the government about its strategy and performance, signalling renewed dangers for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in a Coalition that is already divided on key issues including energy policy.
A collapse in the Liberal National Party vote in Longman, where candidate Trevor Ruthenberg suffered a swing of almost 10 per cent against him, is fuelling anxiety over the government’s prospects at the next election.
The brutal verdict from voters puts some of the government’s Queensland MPs on notice to expect a backlash at the next election, which is due to be held by 18 May next year.
As expected, Labor held on to two Western Australian electorates, Perth and Fremantle, in a victory over the Greens given the Coalition did not field candidates.
The government lost ground in the South Australian electorate of Mayo, once held by former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer and contested by his daughter Georgina Downer at the byelection.
Former Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie, who resigned from parliament over her citizenship, regained the seat with a swing in her favour.
Centre Alliance candidate for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, at the Mt Barker Wallis theatre in Adelaide on Saturday.
Photo: AAPVoters in Braddon delivered an outcome that was barely changed from the last election, with Labor on track to win by 52 to 48 per cent on a two-party basis, returning former MP Justine Keay to parliament.
In Longman, the swing to One Nation was lower than suggested by opinion polls but nonetheless showed the minor party had increased its primary vote from 9.4 per cent to approximately 15 per cent based on early results.
Labor sources said the flow of One Nation preferences did not go as strongly to the Coalition as they feared, helping former Labor MP Susan Lamb regain the seat.
The president of the Liberal National Party, Gary Spence, admitted the result was “disappointing” and said it showed voters were “over” the citizenship issues that triggered four of the five byelections.
“We were up against it. History is against governments winning byelections in circumstances like this,” he told the ABC.
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne also played down the danger to the Coalition from the results, insisting the government would proceed with its agenda including its full plan to cut company tax rates.
But ministers privately acknowledged the danger to the government from a result that would crush the Coalition at an election if the result in Longman was mirrored in other Queensland seats.
The swing in Queensland is likely to fuel a political row over preference swaps, as Labor and the Coalition confront a protest vote from Australians who backed Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
Labor took a hard line against One Nation during the campaign and was backed by union volunteers who challenged One Nation campaigners on the ground.
The outcome is expected to encourage Labor to intensify its attacks on One Nation and demand Mr Turnbull rule out preference deals with Senator Hanson at the next election.
“One Nation looked a lot more professional in Longman than I’d ever seen before,” Mr Pyne said last night.
“I think it does make a difference.”
Mr Ruthenberg conceded defeat in Longman shortly after 9pm on Saturday night, saying he had spoken to Labor candidate Susan Lamb to congratulate her.
The last day of the campaign saw another disagreement between Mr Turnbull and a voter, with a man in Braddon confronting the Prime Minister on health policy.
Mr Turnbull debated the issue with the man before Mr Whiteley told the voter, “You’ve got your 30 seconds of relevance.”
That came one day after a woman in Longman, Toni Lea, complained to Mr Turnbull at a Bribie Island hotel about cuts to penalty rates, generating television footage of the pair wagging their fingers at each other.
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