FOR a kid who grew up never imagining such a day could come, Ken Wyatt believes his achievements in life rather than his upbringing have led him to become the first Aborigine elected to the House of Representatives.

The Liberals claimed the West Australian seat after counting on Saturday gave Mr Wyatt a nearly 1,000-vote lead over sitting Labor MP Sharryn Jackson, with less than that number of votes to be counted.



Mr Wyatt will become the first indigenous member elected to the House of Representatives, following in footsteps of Neville Bonner, the first Aborigine to take a seat in the Senate.



The former director of Aboriginal health in WA and NSW said it was a historic result, since it showed most people were able to look past the colour of his skin and elect him on his own achievements.



"In 50 years' time historians and people will be analysing why Hasluck chose an indigenous candidate," he said in Perth today.



"What they'll discover is that they didn't choose an indigenous candidate because I was indigenous. They chose a person who they believed would represent the interests of everybody within Hasluck.



"They chose someone who had the skills in education, health and the bureaucracy and understands the system. Who will speak fiercely. Who will stand up and deliver."



But on a day that should have been filled with celebration, reports that the 58-year-old had received hate mail added a discordant note.



Mr Wyatt said his office had received about 50 hate-filled emails and postings on websites, including comments by some voters who said they would not have voted for him had they known he was Aboriginal.