Teal Monique Ryan claims key Victorian seat of Kooyong from Liberals Amelia Hamer
Liberal candidate for Kooyong Amelia Hamer has conceded defeat to teal independent Monique Ryan, with result taking nine days to finalise.
Ms Hamer revealed in a post on her Instagram about 4.30pm on Monday that she had called Dr Ryan to congratulate her on her re-election.
'While counting continues, it is now clear the remaining ballots will not deliver us the majority we need to win the seat,' the post said.
Dr Ryan released a statement shortly after, thanking Ms Hamer for her campaign and wishing her the best for the future.
'I am deeply grateful to my family, friends, my incredible team, and the many, many
Kooyong volunteers, for their unwavering support over the past three years and
throughout this campaign,' Dr Ryan said.
'It's a crucial time for Australia – we're facing a cost-of-living crisis, housing shortages,
increasing intergenerational inequity, and our response to the global challenge of climate
change has been too slow and too incremental.
'With the Albanese government holding an increased majority, it's time for it to show the courage we need – and respect the mandate given to it by the Australian public – by taking real action on these issues.
'I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to hold the government to account on the economy, climate, health, and the other critical issues for my community.'
Ms Hamer said standing as the Liberal candidate 'has been an honour' and thanked a list of groups who had supported her campaign.
'To the more than 54,811 Kooyong locals who voted for me, thank you for your confidence and trust in me as a potential representative,' she said.
'To those who took the time to speak with me and share your perspectives, values and ideas, thank you.
'To all our incredible volunteers who knocked on countless doors, stood at train stations in the early mornings, and shopping centres on the weekend thank you.'
Ms Hamer concluded the post by saying the Liberal values 'like individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and free enterprise', are 'timeless' and 'worth fighting for'.
'We are so lucky to have a beautiful local community, a fair democracy, and a wonderful country,' she said.
'I hope to play my small part in making it a better place, now and into the future.'
The battle for the seat of Kooyong was one of the most closely watched of the May 23 election, after controversial moments derailed the campaign for both candidates.
As election campaigning began to ramp up in March, Dr Ryan's husband was forced to apologise after he was filmed tearing down a corflute poster belonging to rival candidate Ms Hamer.
A month later, Ms Hamer was called out by Nine newspapers for owning properties in Canberra and London, despite claiming to be a renter throughout her election campaign.
Dr Ryan claimed Kooyong at the 2022 election, where she controversially booted former treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Dr Ryan was a pediatric neurologist at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne before she entered politics.
'I was elected to advocate for urgent action on climate change, integrity in politics, and a strong and sustainable economy,' her website says.
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