Claims Labor did well in Qld is like Poms saying they won the Ashes
Labor spent much of the night believing it did better than it ultimately did. Still, there are a few green shoots for Anthony Albanese in the most crucial of states.
The glacial pace of counting by the Queensland Electoral Commission, and the stark difference between pre-poll votes and those cast on the day, allowed Labor to believe for much of Saturday night that it had performed better than it did.
The baseball bats, which the initial opinion polls indicated may be swung, appeared sheathed. This, we heard, was due to a superior campaign by Steven Miles, a better ground and social media campaign by Labor and the hamfisted intrusion of abortion into the campaign.
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Phillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence. Connect with Phillip on Facebook and Twitter. Email Phillip at pcoorey@afr.com
