Nicholls ‘will not be taken for granted again’: Priestly

The face of Nicholls has changed for good — that’s the view of independent candidate Rob Priestly regardless of the result of Saturday’s poll.

Mr Priestly’s campaign event was a sea of orange at The Woolshed on Saturday night, and before results were clear volunteers were still jovial and excited after a gruelling months-long campaign.

Speaking before the result of the count was known, although he suspected he did not quite have the votes to get up, Mr Priestly said he was proud of the change he had inspired across the electorate.

“Whatever the outcome of the election, Nicholls is not going to be taken for granted in the near future,” Mr Priestly said.

“I think that's a really good outcome and all of our campaign team and our community can be really proud of that change.”

However, he said the vote had not unfolded the way he expected.

“We’re softer in Shepparton than I thought, we’ll still win Shepparton, but not in the way that perhaps I thought, and then we're stronger in the outlying booths than I thought,” he said.

“Preference leakage is softer than the ALP and it’s stronger from One Nation and UAP, so all those things together mean it’s hard to tell where it’s going to land.

“Whatever the outcome of the election, Nicholls is not going to be taken for granted in the near future.”

He said the campaign’s nasty turn in the past week from the National party would have shaped votes, but done it both ways.

“There’s no doubt it had an impact but it’s not all one way,” he said.

“Some of it drove people towards our campaign and some of it drive away.

“There’s sort of a law of diminishing returns about it.

“I think it tends to scare older voters and and erodes the future of voters.

“So it's a pretty short-term strategy... if that major parties are suffering a declining primary vote I think this accelerates that trend.“

He also revealed he had been receiving those phone calls and letters warning against “the dangers of independents”.

Mr Priestly thanked the hordes of volunteers who were with him at the campaign event on Saturday night.

“A lot of wonderful people have done a huge amount to make this happen, so that’s been a humbling experience,” he said.

“I think that’s a really good outcome and all of our campaign team and our community can be really proud of that change.” — Rob Priestly