Both MPs easily retained their safe-Labor seats despite big swings away from their party, with two-party preferred results giving them each a margin of about 10 per cent.

In Throsby, there was a first-preference swing of about 5 per cent against Mr Jones, who won his seat outright in 2010 but received only 45.5 per cent of the vote on Saturday.

Further north in Cunningham, Ms Bird also received less first preference votes than three years ago, with her count down about 3 per cent when 80 per cent of ballot papers had been counted.

Despite a strong national result that delivered Tony Abbott government, results for two of the Illawarra Liberal candidates were less than resounding.

Low-key Throsby hopeful Larissa Mallinson lost nearly 3 per cent of the vote her party received at the last election to secure 27 per cent of first preferences.

Philip Clifford, who also kept a low-profile in Cunningham, had a 0.5 per cent swing towards him to win 33 per cent of the vote but only managed to win one of the seat's 57 polling booths once preferences were distributed.

Mr Jones now faces his first term in opposition after after three years as a vocal backbencher in the Gillard and Rudd governments.

As a cheer went up around Oak Flats Bowling Club when ABC TV called Throsby in his favour on Saturday night, Mr Jones said it was a "fabulous honour" to be returned as his electorate's MP.

However, he acknowledged there would be many challenges in the years ahead as he represented Illawarra and Southern Highlands citizens under a Coalition government.

"I will do it with as much energy and vigour as I have for the last three years and my message to Tony Abbott is, firstly, congratulations, but then to keep the national broadband network through the [region]," he said.

He also said there was "absolutely no reason" the Coalition could not keep Labor's promises to invest in infrastructure, health and education across the region.

As Ms Bird's supporters cheered her on at Bellambi Surf Life Saving Club about 8.30pm, the former Minister for Regional Communications and Regional Development was reflective.

She said she was humbled to be returned as the member for Cunningham but also sad to have been so quickly removed from the ministry.

"There's a level of sadness on a night like this, because you've got a whole lot of colleagues and friends you are worried for - and these people you have worked with in a close and tough environment for the past three years," she said.

Ms Bird acknowledged Labor's significant national defeat and said it required a reassessment within the party.

"It's not a great result and we have to take some time now to respect the fact that people have expressed some unhappiness with us and it's a pretty clear result," she said.

"But it was the case that there was talk during [election] day that there was a whole swag of seats being lost that we actually managed to maintain."

Ms Bird said her short six-month stint as a minister in the Rudd government would stand her in good stead in opposition as she continued to lobby for the interests of the Illawarra, and that she hoped to secure a shadow minister's role.

Like Mr Jones, Ms Bird said she hoped the new Coalition government would not abandon Labor's infrastructure promises in the Illawarra.