After a wine, Queensland Premier says it's straight back to work

At the end of a four-week campaign, and ahead of a historic four-year parliamentary term, newly re-elected Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was ready to hit the ground running after some election night celebrations.

"I might have had a glass of wine," she said. "I don’t think anyone’s going to begrudge me that, are they?"

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with her dog, Winton, and her nephew's dog, Oakey.Credit: Glenn Hunt

Given Ms Palaszczuk had just cemented herself as a legend of Queensland Labor, to be mentioned in the same breath as Wayne Goss and Peter Beattie, a cheeky election night tipple would probably have been expected.

On Sunday, it was clear Labor had secured enough seats for an outright majority in Queensland's 93-seat Parliament, with 48 seats firmly in the red column.

It was likely more seats would be called for Labor in coming days.

Fronting media at Seventeen Mile Rocks, with dogs Winton and Oakey in tow, the Premier made no attempt at hiding her delight in seeing off the determined challenge from Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington's Liberal National Party.

Not only did "accidental Anna" win a third successive term as Premier – and the state’s inaugural four-year fixed term – she also forever cast aside that unkind nickname afforded to her in 2015.

Victory lap: The Premier with new Labor MPs Jason Hunt (Caloundra), Ali King (Pumicestone), Jonty Bush (Cooper) and Jimmy Sullivan (Stafford).Credit: Glenn Hunt

Then, Ms Palaszczuk defied all expectations to lead Labor, reduced to just seven seats in the Campbell Newman landslide in 2012, back to the government benches at the first attempt.

Ms Palaszczuk said her 2020 consolidation of power was, in part, a vindication of the response the COVID-19 pandemic that has come under sustained attack from southern media and politicians, including NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"There were a lot of attacks and we stood strong – Queenslanders stood strong – everything I do is on behalf of the people of this state and I will always stand up for what is right and what I believe to be right and I listen to the health advice," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"In this job, you have to listen to the experts and you have to communicate that to people, and that has stood us in good stead.

"The news overnight that in the UK they’re going back down into lockdown, I think for the next four to six weeks, that’s going to take a huge toll on their economy.

"You can’t have an economy if you can’t control the health virus."

One of Labor’s victors, Pumicestone MP-elect Ali King, had no doubt it helped her defeat LNP incumbent Simone Wilson.

"Every single day that I was out on the streets and on people’s doors and talking to them on the telephone in Pumicestone, people told me how proud they were of our Premier, how much they appreciated her commitment to their health and her strength in keeping them safe," she said.

Next up for the re-elected Premier would be the selection of her new cabinet and the preparation of the COVID-delayed state budget.

Only Treasurer Cameron Dick and Deputy Premier Steven Miles were guaranteed to keep their roles, she said, with the final line-up expected to be known "in the next few days".

"We will be meeting with key directors-general tomorrow to start the hard work and the fast work that needs to happen on delivering a budget," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I said I would deliver a budget before Christmas to the people of Queensland and that is exactly what we will do.

"If that means working right up until Christmas Eve, so be it."

For federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese, the result was a sign that Queensland, the state that delivered Prime Minister Scott Morrison an election victory last year, was there for the taking.

"There's nothing wrong with the Labor brand in Queensland," the Opposition Leader said in Darwin.

"It’s seen a significant increase in its vote, it’s seen us win votes off the LNP and that's the main contest here, who forms government, and Annastacia Palaszczuk will be able to form a majority government with, indeed, an increased majority."

Awkward: Jackie Trad and Greens rival Amy MacMahon hand out how-to-cards at a polling booth in West End on Saturday.Credit: Tertius Pickard

The one sour point for the Premier in an otherwise jubilant post-election media conference was the fate of her former deputy, Jackie Trad.

The Greens’ Amy MacMahon claimed the seat of South Brisbane, helped in part by the LNP’s decision to recommend its voters preference the party ahead of Labor.

Ms Palaszczuk was clearly disappointed with the loss of the seat, which was formerly held by Labor premier Anna Bligh.

"I think it was a very nasty campaign and I think, at the end of the day, what we’ve seen is Deb Frecklington has delivered a Green member to the Parliament," she said.

On that point, Mr Albanese agreed.

"The only reason that a seat changed hands in South Brisbane is because the Liberal National Party chose to put a Green into Parliament, rather than someone representing a mainstream political party," he said.

Ms MacMahon, successful in her second attempt at the seat, rejected the suggestion the LNP got her elected.

"Our win here is the result of more people than ever putting the Greens first," she said.

Earlier in the morning, Extinction Rebellion protesters staged a "mass slow cycle" in what will soon be Ms MacMahon's electorate, slowing down traffic from West End, across the Brisbane River and into the CBD.

"Regardless of what you think about various protest techniques, this is the result of people feeling so frustrated with the political system that doesn't listen to them anymore," Ms MacMahon said.

"People only engage in protest and civil disobedience when they're faced with a political system that is no longer meeting their needs, that is no longer listening to them."

Election night saw a break in convention, with Ms Palaszczuk delivering a victory speech before Ms Frecklington had conceded. It resulted in both speeches being delivered at the same time.

Ms Palaszczuk said Ms Frecklington’s concession call had only been made on Sunday morning, along with text messages from the Prime Minister and his deputy, Michael McCormack.