Tony Windsor and Ken Jasper input into the Indi 2013 campaign was significant

Mr Windsor, who helped support the Labor minority government between 2011 up until his retirement at the 2013 election, landed one of the most critical blows in the Indi campaign when he described Mrs Mirabella on national television as the politician he would miss the least.

Mrs Mirabella said she and Mr Windsor had offices near eachother in parliament house and never clashed during the 12 years they spent together in federal politics.

“The facts are I’ve never had an altercation with Tony Windsor at all," she said.

“Obviously that was part of the smear campaign.

“But I think people are sick of that and actually want to debate ideas and want to see runs on the board."

Mr Windsor confirmed he spoke to Voice For Indi in the lead-up to the election, but said his "nasty prize" comment on television wasn't pre-meditated.

"The two things had nothing to do with eachother," he said.

"The reality is I had met them and spoke to them on a number of occasions, but in no way did they influence me to say what I did.

"It was an off the cuff comment."

Another key moment in the campaign was long-serving National Party state MP Ken Jasper's public endorsement of Ms McGowan.

"It was a deliberate course of action that upset a lot of National Party people," Mrs Mirabella said.

“I saw some long-term National Party members in tears after the election.

“What his endorsement allowed to happen was to portray the independent as a rural conservative.

“You wouldn’t embark on that course of action without aiming for it to be effective."

Mr Jasper was approached for comment, but declined.

Mrs Mirabella will go up against National Party candidate Marty Corboy at the next election.

“We are obviously in Coalition, but we are separate parties trying to win the seat," she said.

“There is competitive tension even in a party room, but you can actually get some good ideas and good outcomes with that co-operative competitive tension."