Liberals, Shorten win well

VOTERS gave the minor parties the flick in two key elections at the weekend.

Nick Xenophon failed to make much of an impression in the South Australian election, where pollsters and commentators predicted he could claim the balance of power.

There was even talk of him becoming premier when he stepped down from the Senate to lead SA Best.

Instead, the Liberals, led by Steven Marshall, look to have won sufficient seats to govern in their own right, ending 16 years of Labor rule.

Departing Premier Jay Weatherill conceded it was always going to be difficult for Labor to win a fifth straight election.

Labor still held on to a rump of seats and it wasn’t the usual landslide associated with the end of a long-term government.

In the inner-Melbourne seat of Batman, Labor unexpectedly held off another attempt by the Greens in the by-election caused by the dual-citizenship exit of David Feeney.

Labor candidate and former ACTU president Ged Kearney actually managed a swing towards her party.

In both cases, it could be seen as another vote of confidence in Opposition Leader Bill Shorten after being attacked just days out from the elections for announcing a risky policy that will end cash handouts to non-taxpaying shareholders.

The result puts Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on course for 30 consecutive Newspolls showing the Coalition trailing Labor — a benchmark he set on rolling Tony Abbott.

The weekend’s results may also be a sign that the minor parties are losing their appeal.