With 48 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Joyce had secured 53 per cent of the first preference votes and a 0.8 per cent swing in his favour, declaring victory two hours after the polls closed.

The biggest contest came from Independent candidate Adam Blakester who received 15.7 per cent of the first preference votes with 53,671 votes counted.

Labor's Yvonne Langenberg has also enjoyed a swing of 6.3 per cent for the party in New England, receiving 13.3 per cent of the vote.

Surrounded by party supporters, Mr Joyce gave an interview on ABC moments before declaring victory.

"People are talking about their power prices, they want to know how they can get dignity in their lives by being able to turn on their fridge, by being able to turn on the toaster," he said.

He criticised Labor's campaign, saying they had drifted away from "blue collar workers" and "their base".

"This is a wake up call for the Labor party - big time," he said.

Labor are set to suffer a shock loss as the Coalition picks up vital seats, although whether it will be majority or minority government is still unclear.