Liberals make gain in Victorian by-election as second vote still to close to call

The Victorian Liberals have gained a seat from the Greens in a tight race in one of two Saturday Victorian by-elections, while the other poll will have to wait to find out who has won.

The Liberals have gained Prahran from the Greens in a close race called late on Saturday night.

Liberal candidate Rachel Westaway won the seat with 51.6 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote lead over the Greens’ Angelica Di Camillo.

Ms Westaway will succeed former Greens member Sam Hibbins who resigned in October after admitting to having an affair with a staff member.

The seat has been held by the Greens for a decade after winning it from the Liberals in the 2014 State election.

Labor opted not to run a candidate in the by-election.

Further west in the seat of Werribee, Labor’s John Lister held a slim lead of 53 per cent to 47 per cent over the Liberal’s Steve Murphy.

Despite leading the race, the current margin is an eight-point swing away Labor compared to 2022.

Speaking on Saturday night while counting was ongoing, Mr Lister said the vote was extremely tight.

“We knew it was going to be a close count, but this might be longer than we expected,” he said.

“This was never going to be an easy election, and I was never going to take it for granted.”

Labor is battling to hold onto a seat it has held since 1979.

Despite winning it in 2022 with more than 60 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, Labor is facing a tough challenge.

Former State Minister Tim Pallas announced his retirement in December sparking the by-election.