Independent candidate for Wannon Alex Dyson has conceded the election.
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Mr Dyson made the announcement on Tuesday morning, congratulating rival and Liberal incumbent Dan Tehan.
"After a spirited campaign it was the right thing to do to make the call" Mr Dyson said.
"Ideally the official results would have been known much sooner, but as the votes are still being counted due to the tightness of the race, I decided it was in Wannon's best interest to bow out and allow the member to get to work on addressing the many issues that were brought up with me throughout the campaign."
The Wannon vote count faced several delays after a close primary vote between Mr Tehan and Labor candidate Gilbert Wilson left considerable doubt about the two candidate preferred (TCP) count, which involves the distribution of preferences to the two leading primary vote getters.
As of Tuesday morning around 40 per cent of the TCP count had been completed, with Mr Tehan on 55.9 per cent and Mr Dyson on 44.1 per cent.
In congratulating Mr Tehan, Mr Dyson emphasised the closeness of the race and said the "massive swing" towards the independent vindicated the key themes of his campaign: climate action, regional housing, a public integrity commission, and Wannon getting a fair share of federal funding.
He said he hoped Mr Tehan would be mindful of the priorities of local voters as he entered his fifth term in parliament.
"Dan was very gracious as always, we complimented each other on the spirit in which the campaign was run, and I wished him well for the next three years," he said.
"In the meantime, I also want to call on the Labor government to support his efforts over the next term to support Wannon on a needs basis, and not allow partisan politics to allow our home to be left behind for a moment longer."
Mr Dyson signed off by thanking everyone who supported his campaign and foreshadowed another strong independent campaign in three years, although he stopped short of saying he would be the candidate.
"I want to thank every single volunteer and voter who helped prove that a fresh voice for Wannon was not only possible, but with a strong positive campaign, something that could indeed be probable in 2025."
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