It's nothing less than extraordinary that just eight votes separate the major parties in the North Queensland electorate of Herbert.

That's eight votes out of almost 100,000.

Of course, when you have an eight vote outcome it means only five people had to vote another way for the result to be different.

 The re-count will take a couple of weeks. Every vote will be examined by an AEC official with Party Scrutineers over each shoulder. They'll be looking for the slightest suggestion that a vote counted as “formal” is no such thing.

  “Do you really think that is a 3? Do you really believe the voter's intention is clear?”  They are questions which will be asked many times.

 People on each side of the political divide will be sweating on the discovery of the pile of ballot papers which on election night, were put on the wrong pile.  A bunch of 50 ballot papers wrongly counted would be a game-changer for either side.

Herbert is critically important. Malcolm Turnbull has won 76 seats, a one-seat majority.  But unless he can find a cross-bencher to do the job, he'll need to provide a Speaker.  The Speaker does not get a deliberative vote so the Government will only have 75 votes out of 150. Not enough. 

So Herbert could produce another hung parliament and a nasty headache for the current prime minister.

Meanwhile, the Senate is promising Malcolm Turnbull nothing but trouble.

The Double Dissolution was supposed to be about fixing the red chamber. That worked well!  The Prime Minister has trouble on every front, too many to survive in my humble view.

 Those in his Party seeking retribution are many and active. This toxic dynamic will end in tears for someone. 

Time will tell who it is but Malcolm is at short odds!

Last week Labor's Caucus met to elect a new front bench.  I'm honored to have been elected to serve another term as a member of the Shadow Cabinet.

 It's busy but rewarding work.  It provides an opportunity to shape policy and adds weight to one's ability to further the interests of his or her electorate.

I promise to use every bit of the influence I have in Canberra to meet the expectations of our local people.

That's always been my first priority.

Following my re-election to the Shadow Cabinet and at my request, Bill Shorten has re-appointed me to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry portfolio.  I have been enjoying my work in the food and fibre sectors and have plenty of unfinished business to pursue.

The Leader also added Rural & Regional Australia to my portfolio which means I will lead the development of Labor’s regional development policy and hold the government to account on all matters affecting our rural and regional communities.

A number of recent academic reports have suggested that regional residents continue to fall behind their city cousins in a range of areas including health and education. These issues will be a key focus for me.  I will also remain the Spokesman and convenor of Labor Country Caucus which provides another mechanism for ensuring our regions receives the attention they deserve.

I am always keen to assist with issues or questions relating to Federal Government departments or put you in contact with someone who can, so please ring, write, visit the website or call in.

Why not go the extra step by following me on my Facebook page “Joel Fitzgibbon” or on Twitter and type in the search bar “fitzhunter”. Or by regularly checking my website at www.joelfitzgibbon.com.