Federal Election 2019: The Queensland results that could determine election outcome
The Adani battle has hurt Labor's chances of picking up seats in Queensland with the Sunshine State a sea of blue as the Coalition surges toward an unlikely and unexpected victory. FOLLOW IT LIVE
Caitlin Smith Tanya French Jesse Kuch and Darryl Passmore
3 min read
May 18, 2019 - 9:04PM
The Adani battle has hurt Labor's chances of picking up seats in Queensland with the Sunshine State a sea of blue as the Coalition surges toward an unlikely and unexpected victory.
The controversial Adani coal mine project appears to have influenced much of Queensland to give their votes to the Coalition where a stack of marginal seats were up for grabs.
Senior Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor has blamed the heavy spending by Clive Palmer and his party and One Nation directing preferences to the LNP.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton resisted the challenge of Labor’s Ali France and held the outer suburban seat of Dickson with a 1.3 per cent swing.
George Christensen, who was dubbed the MP for Manila for the number of days he spent visiting his fiancee in the Philippines, has been returned in Dawson without any problem.
The LNP has also claimed the Townsville seat of Herbert - won by Labor’s Cathy O’Toole in 2016 by just 37 votes - where Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party appears to have failed.
Ms O'Toole was a victim of the swing to the Coalition, losing Herbert to LNP's Phillip Thompson who benefited from a swing of 6.7 per cent.
The LNP has also retained the coastal seats of Flynn, Capricornia and Leichhardt.
Senior Labor senator Penny Wong told the ABC Queensland “is tough for us.”
She said climate change was a significant issue in the election, with the coalition talking about it in a scare campaign.
Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos said the anti-Adani convoy, which drove through Queensland half-way through the campaign, annoyed Queenslanders.
“The Bob Brown caravan which went up there to talk about stopping Adani, had locals thinking, “Hang on, you are not going to tell us how to live”,” he told the ABC.
Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie told Nine she was not surprised that Mr Christensen had been returned.“He has been backing jobs in his electorate, and that is part of the fight,” she told Nine.
Former Prime Minister and Warringah Liberal candidate Tony Abbott is greeted by supporters as he enters before conceding defeat at Manly Leagues Club in Brookvale, Sydney. Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
The trend indicates that Labor’s prevarication over Adani’s Carmichael mine and other potential coal projects in the Galilee Basin has cost the party heavily in those areas which stand to benefit from jobs the resources initiatives would generate.
New Liberal MP Angie Bell in Moncrieff at the Broad beach Bowls club. Photograph : Jason O'Brien
The LNP gained Longman from Labor and comfortably held Petrie with a substantial swing.
The two seats north of Brisbane, which include Bribie Island and the Redcliffe Peninsula – both with high retiree populations who may well be reacting to Mr Shorten’s policies on negative gearing and franking credits.
FEDERAL
2019
Queensland was billed as a key battleground, with some MPs clinging to their seat by as little as 0.1 per cent with Bonner, Herbert, Forde, Dickson, Petrie, Capricornia, Flynn and Dawson all at risk of falling.
The LNP's Ross Vasta has been swept up in the swell of support for the Coalition in southeast Queensland, winning the Brisbane seat of Bonner for the fifth time and with an increased majority.
While Mr Vasta has still not officially claimed victory, he has secured 48.5% of the primary vote, well ahead of the ALP's Jo Briskey with 32.2%.
The Greens Barbara Bell is a distant third with almost 11.8%.
Ms Briskey needed a swing of just 3.4% to take Bonner but with 70% of the votes counted, the two-party preferred count had Mr Vasta holding an unbeatable 57.23%.
Mr Vasta first won the seat in 2004, defeating former Labor minister Con Sciacca, but was defeated by Labor's Kerry Rea in 2007.
After a failed attempt to win a seat on Brisbane City Council, he re-took Bonner in 2010, achieving a 7% swing.
He was re-elected in 2013 and again in 2016 before tonight's victory.
Ms Briskey, who joined family, friends and volunteers at the Tingalpa Hotel to watch the vote count, was clearly disappointed by the result.
"It's obviously not the result we worked for, but that's politics," she said. "I'm really proud of our campaign and the team did everything we could to achieve our goals." The former CEO of national parent advocacy organisation The Parenthood said it was too soon to say what the future held for her. "I know I'm going to continue to make a difference but first I want to spend some time with my family," she said.
– Damian Bathersby
LABOR candidate for Brisbane Paul Newbury has wished the victorious Trevor Evans "the very best" but promised to go hard in three years to unseat him.
Mr Newbury said he was yet to take in the national results in full but "from what I'm seeing it's a surprise".
"When it's clear you're losing the most important thing is to lose with dignity and grace and wish your opponent well and thank all your volunteers," he said.
"I'm really now focused on my team and making sure I get around and thank them.
"I wish the victor, Trevor Evans, the very best and we will be going hard in three years time but in the meantime: well fought and all respect to him."
He said there would be a time later to analyse the booths and learn lessons from the results.
Mr Evans first won the electorate in 2016 and held it with a 6 per cent margin.
"It's looking like we've not just won the seat of Brisbane but we may have secured a modest swing towards us," he said.
"Brisbane's definitely not a seat I would ever take for granted, it's been held in Labor hands for most of its history … I was never overly confident, just cautiously optimistic."
Mr Evans said nationally, it looked like the Coalition had won more seats than it had lost, and he credited Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his campaign.
"The entire team has been incredibly disciplined and united under his leadership," he said.
He said the results "fly in the face of what the polls, betting markets and pundits were all predicting".
Mr Evans said his constituents told him they did not like Labor's tax policies and preferred Mr Morrison as Prime Minister.
The Courier-Mail asked if the Coalition retained government, if its leadership spills and scandals were a thing of the past.
"We have changed the rules around how our leadership is determined so there can be no more changes of leadership like in years gone by," he said.
Former Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls, the LNP state member for Clayfield, praised Mr Evans as "The best representative Brisbane's had for 30 years".
"I think people in Brisbane saw Trevor as a figure who could bring people together and not be divisive and he's been rewarded for that today with the results we're seeing from the booths," he said.
He said three months ago the "perception was the government was gone for all money … and the mood has changed dramatically in three months."
Mr Evans said he was "looking forward to a sleep in" and after that the campaign team would make sure all the polling booths were clean and tidy for school on Monday.
– Ellen-Maree Elliott
Brisbane ALP candidate concedes defeat
Tanya Westthorp
LABOR candidate for Brisbane Paul Newbury has wished the victorious Trevor Evans "the very best" but promised to go hard in three years to unseat him.
Mr Newbury said he was yet to take in the national results in full but "from what I'm seeing it's a surprise".
"When it's clear you're losing the most important thing is to lose with dignity and grace and wish your opponent well and thank all your volunteers," he said.
"I'm really now focused on my team and making sure I get around and thank them.
"I wish the victor, Trevor Evans, the very best and we will be going hard in three years time but in the meantime: well fought and all respect to him."
He said there would be a time later to analyse the booths and learn lessons from the results.
Mr Evans first won the electorate in 2016 and held it with a 6 per cent margin.
"It's looking like we've not just won the seat of Brisbane but we may have secured a modest swing towards us," he said.
"Brisbane's definitely not a seat I would ever take for granted, it's been held in Labor hands for most of its history … I was never overly confident, just cautiously optimistic."
Mr Evans said nationally, it looked like the Coalition had won more seats than it had lost, and he credited Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his campaign.
"The entire team has been incredibly disciplined and united under his leadership," he said.
He said the results "fly in the face of what the polls, betting markets and pundits were all predicting".
Mr Evans said his constituents told him they did not like Labor's tax policies and preferred Mr Morrison as Prime Minister.
The Courier-Mail asked if the Coalition retained government, if its leadership spills and scandals were a thing of the past.
"We have changed the rules around how our leadership is determined so there can be no more changes of leadership like in years gone by," he said.
Former Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls, the LNP state member for Clayfield, praised Mr Evans as "The best representative Brisbane's had for 30 years".
"I think people in Brisbane saw Trevor as a figure who could bring people together and not be divisive and he's been rewarded for that today with the results we're seeing from the booths," he said.
He said three months ago the "perception was the government was gone for all money … and the mood has changed dramatically in three months."
Mr Evans said he was "looking forward to a sleep in" and after that the campaign team would make sure all the polling booths were clean and tidy for school on Monday.
– Ellen-Maree Elliott
Marginal seat of Flynn now safe LNP
Tanya Westthorp
A surge in votes towards the Coalition has turned the once marginal seat of Flynn in a LNP safe haven.
Central Queenslanders have voted in favour of the LNP’s promise of bolstering mining and resource industry jobs, that will provide stable employment in the coal centric seat.
A swing of 8 per cent towards the LNP has made the once marginal seat of one per cent at the 2016 election, a safe coalition stronghold.
“On the count so far it is looking positive in a lot of areas,” LNP MP Ken O’Dowd said.
Mr O’Dowd who has been the Flynn MP since 2010 said his “pro coal” and “pro mining” campaign appealed to central Queensland voters who see the resources sector as a proven economic lifeline.
“I’ve been fighting for coal and miners jobs,” he said.
“They feel threatened of the loss of their jobs because of Shorten and Labor.”
LNP volunteer Natasha Nixon said she supports Mr O’Dowd because “he knows industry and what the people need.''
Mr O’Dowd’s blue wave victory has crushed Labor candidate Zac Beers hopes of taking the seat.
Mr Beers who ran a campaign based on industrial overhaul, claiming that Gladstone’s future was in a Labor $1.1 billion hydrogen investment scheme did not attract crucial votes.
“The LNP have made no meaningful commitment for jobs in the area,” Mr Beers said.
“The only campaign they have been running is a scare campaign around manufacturing.”
Mr Beers said Labor’s lack of committing to mining jobs and silence on the approval of the Adani mine did not contribute to the high vote loss.
Mr O’Dowd’s office said they will make an official declaration tomorrow.
– Gerard Cockburn
Chants of "Peter! Peter! Peter!" cry out from Peter Dutton's crowd as the re-elected member for Dickson arrives.
"This is the sweetest victory of all," Mr Dutton has claimed. "We've now been able to hold it for seven terms."
"I want to pay tribute tonight to the Prime Minister," Mr Dutton said.
"He was able to put pressure on Bill Shorten, which is what Bill Shorten deserved."
He thanked volunteers for their hard work in the seat, which has swung toward the government.
Mr Dutton said the Labor Party and Getup were rejected by the voters of Dickson tonight.
Speaking to a stunned press pack shortly after his victory speech, Mr Dutton slammed activist group Get Up for their conduct.
Mr Dutton, standing beside state opposition leader Deb Frecklington, said Get Up advocates were aggressive, turning even longtime non-LNP voters toward the party.
He said the organisation had been caught out during this election, and that it owed its donors an apology.
"I think they've collected money on false pretenses."
Mr Dutton, who invoked the words of former Prime Minister Paul Keating during his victory speech, also didn't mince words about the Labor leader's comments about national security. "I thought his words were disgusting throughout the campaign," he said.
-Thomas Morgan
Cathy O'Toole concedes Herbert
Tanya Westthorp
Labor's Cathy O’Toole has conceded defeat in Herbert.
The Labor MP has arrived to a cheering, relatively small crowd, at the Victoria Park Hotel in South Townsville.
Ms O’Toole said she’s phoned the LNP’s Phillip Thompson to congratulate him.
“It has been a long and tough battle,” she said.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to represent this city in the federal parliament.
Chants of "Peter! Peter! Peter!" cry out from Peter Dutton's crowd as the re-elected member for Dickson arrives.
"This is the sweetest victory of all," Mr Dutton has claimed. "We've now been able to hold it for seven terms."
"I want to pay tribute tonight to the Prime Minister," Mr Dutton said.
"He was able to put pressure on Bill Shorten, which is what Bill Shorten deserved."
He thanked volunteers for their hard work in the seat, which has swung toward the government.
Mr Dutton said the Labor Party and Getup were rejected by the voters of Dickson tonight.
Speaking to a stunned press pack shortly after his victory speech, Mr Dutton slammed activist group Get Up for their conduct.
Mr Dutton, standing beside state opposition leader Deb Frecklington, said Get Up advocates were aggressive, turning even longtime non-LNP voters toward the party.
He said the organisation had been caught out during this election, and that it owed its donors an apology.
"I think they've collected money on false pretenses."
Mr Dutton, who invoked the words of former Prime Minister Paul Keating during his victory speech, also didn't mince words about the Labor leader's comments about national security. "I thought his words were disgusting throughout the campaign," he said.
Trevor Evans has all but declared victory in Brisbane.
He said the night was not over yet but "things are looking damn good here … Nationally, things are looking pretty good too."
"We're currently looking at getting more seats than we had," he said.
He told his jubilant supporters there was another $1000 on the bar tab after a campaign where they outperformed Labor in a seat they used to command once again.
He said the counts in Western Australia would determine whether there's three more years of Coalition Government.
Mr Evans said Scott Morrison had run a campaign as close to perfect as it was possible to run in the modern age.
– Ellen-Maree Elliot
Coalition claims marginal seat of Herbert
Tanya Westthorp
The Coalition has won one of the country's most marginal seats with the LNP's Phillip Thompson claiming the seat – which had a margin of 0.02 per cent – from Labor's Cathy O'Toole. It follows a strong swing to the Coalition across much of Queensland. Mr Thompson benefited from a swing of 6.7 per cent and is sitting on 56. 7 per cent of the vote to Ms O'Toole's 43.3 per cent.
