Labor's Laura Hughes thrilled with increase Labor vote, commits to running at next election

Labor is on track to secure close to 20 per cent of the vote, representing a swing of around 5 per cent on its 2019 tally. That would mean Labor would have enjoyed a swing of more than 10 per cent over the past two elections.

Ms Hughes said it was now impossible to ignore the fact more people were voting progressively in the electorate, and action on climate change in particular was a sticking point for some.

"A primary vote for Labor in the order of 20 per cent is a big increase and I'm humbly grateful for that, and I noticed The Greens had an increased primary vote as well," she said.

"So I think we can see there are people in the New England who do want a progressive parliament, they do want action on climate change and they do want an integrity commission."

Ms Hughes thanked her team of volunteers, which she said was larger than in previous elections, and said she felt like the vote was for the collective across the New England, not just for her.

However, she did hit back at Mr Joyce for hinting the increased presence of Labor volunteers was the main reason the party got such a significant swing in the electorate.

"Mr Joyce's comments perhaps indicated that he isn't prepared to consider one quarter of the people in his electorate and acknowledge that there are people who want change," she said.

"And want things decided on behalf of all Australians, not just some."

When asked whether she would consider running for the party at the next election, should she be selected to do so, she was quick to confirm that was her intention.

"Yes, most definitely yes, people can continue to call me the Labor candidate because that is what I will be," she said.

"I want to engage across the electorate with community groups, with people working in agriculture and farming, with businesses and be a voice for them in the parliament because I think I can be a conduit to the Labor party," she said.

On a federal level, she said the results represented a "seismic change", and even went so far as to say that it could be the end of the traditional two-party system.

"It's very clear the two-party preferred approach to Australia politics is quite possibly over, roughly one-third have voted for the conservatives, roughly one-third for Labor and roughly one-third for other candidates. It's a different landscape and I think the Labor party is well positioned to work collaboratively," she said.