SENIOR Nationals are confident of retaining all the party's seats, but admitted the Coalition's chances of forming government slimmed with every independent candidate elected.
Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud was re-elected in his rural Queensland seat of Maranoa, but as the votes were rolling in, Mr Littleproud acknowledged the result of the election would most likely be decided in the inner-city electorates.
Mr Littleproud said the election of any "teal" independents would open up the crossbench, and "then they will be able to add the numbers [to Labor]".
"The magic number is 76 [seats to form government], but every teal seat that goes across the length, that is one less that the Liberal Party needs to get," Mr Littleproud said.
"The teals might dress up as being small liberals, but they are giving a pathway to victory for Anthony Albanese.
"That is the brutal arithmetic of politics."
Party leader Barnaby Joyce was re-elected in his seat of New England for a fourth term and said there were two elections going on - "an urban election and a regional election".
"In the regional election, voters are looking at job security and what policies you have to take them forward in a meaningful way, not a philosophical way," Mr Joyce said.
"Regional seats won't be taken for granted, they want to know what you intend to do for them. They won't accept inner-Sydney or Melbourne gospel."
Mr Joyce was reluctant to speculate on whether the party would pick any additional seats.
The Nationals campaigned hard in two Labor strongholds, following the retirement of long-time MPs; Joel Fitzgibbon in Hunter (NSW) and Warren Snowdon in Lingiari (NT).
Labor is considered the favourite in both seats, but Mr Joyce expected a tight contest.
"The fact that there's even a question Labor might not win in Hunter shows there is a seismic shift going on in the regions," Mr Joyce said.
The "biggest concern" for the Nationals was retaining the Victorian seat of Nicholls, Mr Joyce said, where the party was facing off against the Liberals and strong independent Rob Priestly.
With half the polls counted in Nicholls, Nationals candidate Sam Birrell has polled 28.15 per cent of first preferences, just in front of Mr Priestly on 27.79pc.
Two long-time Queensland Nationals MPs retired in Ken O'Dowd and George Christensen (who later defected to an unwinnable One Nation senate ticket spot).
But Mr Joyce was confident of retaining their seats of Flynn and Dawson, because he "basically lived in those seats" during the campaign.