LIBERAL candidate Steve Martin says the Coalition government will not "punish" voters in Indi because they preferred Independent Helen Haines to him.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While not formally conceding victory to Dr Haines, Mr Martin admits it is unlikely he will be able to win enough postal votes to defeat his Wangaratta rival.
However, he said his probable loss would not mean Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government would renege on a long list of promises for Indi.
"The Liberal Party is not interested in trying to punish, we want good government, that's our brand," Mr Martin said.
"The great news is the Morrison government is a government that keeps its word and we'll see all of those election commitments delivered.
"I look forward to seeing the issues that I've advocated for come to fruition, including the McKoy Street overpass, safety barriers, the new hockey pavilion (all in Wodonga), renovation of the (Myrtleford) Scout hall, Baranduda Fields.
"It's going to have a huge impact on our community."
Mr Martin said with Mr Morrison set to have majority government it was "very disappointing" personally and for Indi not to be in it.
With 6000 postal votes to count, Mr Martin has a slender hope of success, but won't concede until the end of this week at the earliest.
"We'll wait to see how the trend of the postal votes is going and then if it continues to be the same as the current trend then clearly Helen is going to end up being successful," he said.
On a two-party preferred basis Dr Haines has 51.61 per cent to Mr Martin's 48.39.