After election day, the contest was noted for being one of only ten occasions where a candidate who did not finish first or second went on to win under Australia's instant-runoff voting system. Thompson finished third on the first count, behind Hanson and Labor's Virginia Clarke. However, the major parties all preferenced each other ahead of Hanson, allowing Thompson to pull ahead of Clarke on National preferences. On the eighth count, Thompson picked up three-fourths of Clarke's preferences, enough for him to win the two party preferred vote against Hanson.