Industrial relations lawyer Terri Butler has retained Kevin Rudd’s old seat of Griffith for Labor.

ABC election analyst Antony Green called the seat in Ms Butler’s favour at about 8pm (AEST), two hours after polls closed.

Ms Butler had a projected 53.01 per cent of the two-party preferred vote with 65 per cent of the vote counted.

The ex-prime minister’s successor, Ms Butler was always favourite to claim the Brisbane-based seat, but still had to fight off a strong challenge from Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate Bill Glasson.

Mr Glasson, an ophthalmologist, beat Mr Rudd in the primary count in the general election in September, only to miss out on preferences.

The by-election, which came about after Mr Rudd’s retirement from politics, followed a similar theme, with negligible swings fluctuating towards both major candidates as booths came in.

The LNP was hoping Mr Glasson’s high profile and historically low turnouts at by-elections would work in its favour.

The Labor victory thwarted Tony Abbott’s opportunity to become the first prime minister in 93 years to win a seat off the opposition in a by-election.