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The people's house is a long way from the football field, even if Canberra Stadium is just down the hill.

Wallabies and Brumbies great David Pocock has managed the most difficult of political victories to be confirmed as an independent senator for the ACT.

With the all-important preferences distributed, he is now senator-elect while the man he unseated, Liberal Zed Seselja, has been denied his fourth term and goes in the "former" camp.

The result is political history and there are many views on what swung enough votes towards the first non-major party winner in the ACT in almost 50 years.

The big name, a mood for change, territory rights, the slick campaign, the dirty campaign, a feeling of being taken for granted, a blast against the major parties.

One of them. Some of them. All of them.

What is left is an entire federal jurisdiction without Liberal representation.

There are Canberrans right now of the conservative persuasion who may feel the 47th parliament does not represent them. The second ACT Senate spot was their voice.

They have a right to feel disappointed. Maybe angry.

The soon-to-be-senator will have to watch this. He's promised to work with Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee and has committed to being accessible and accountable.

But this is on the former Senator Seselja as well. He lost the votes as much as Mr Pocock secured them.

In his parting statement to Liberal members on Tuesday, he stood by the conservative and liberal principles that guided him throughout his political career, but ultimately not enough Canberrans voted for.

Among them: "freedom of speech, religion, association and enterprise" and (most pointedly against the polled 75 percent of Australians - even many Liberals - who want the restoration of territory rights), "for the sanctity of human life".

The former senator indicates he heard the critics say he should have abandoned these values "as a way to win more votes", but said he saw colleagues with different views suffer much larger swings against them.

He was not for turning.

"This prescription of rolling over to the left would have been both wrong in principle and ultimately futile electorally," Mr Seselja advised.

"In political life we must stand up for values and principles."

This statement in isolation is one to be admired.

But the Liberal electoral defeat lies somewhere in that guiding personal statement conflicting with the role of representing the people of Canberra.

Mr Seselja could not put his personal beliefs aside for what the people wanted.

He now becomes the first Liberal to lose the ACT Senate spot in what he describes as a "bitter blow" and has imparted no evidence of taking the electoral message in.

"We will be back here in the ACT and nationally," he said.

"It's not always easy to stand up to the Labor/Green Left in Canberra but it's important that there is a political movement which does."

He talks of ending his "journey in politics", but wanting to serve the community. There is certainly more to come from Zed Seselja.

But for the Canberra Liberals, the soul-searching has to be more than working out how to win the seat back from the incoming Senator Pocock in three years' time.

They will certainly throw everything at it, but everything has to include proof the party is listening to the ACT community.

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Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au

Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au

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