Flashback: How Gold Coasters voted in the 1995 QLD State Election as Wayne Goss held on

NOBODY knows who will this weekend’s state election and voters are ready for a long wait. But it’s not the first time a poll has been on a knife-edge. Remember how narrow this election was?

VOTERS go to the polls at today’s State Election with the polls on a knife edge.

It could go either way and voters are expecting to wait days and potentially weeks to determine who will be able to form government.

Either way, it’s a situation Queensland and Gold Coast voters are all too familiar with, having to wait until two weeks after the January 31, 2015 state election to see Annastacia Palaszczuk become Premier.

Queensland Premier Wayne Goss & wife Roisin arrive at the tally room on election night 1995.

Jump back 22 years to July 1995. It was the final year of Paul Keating’s prime ministership, Braveheart and Apollo 13 were in cinemas and Wayne Goss was fighting for his political life.

The 1995 State Election was held on July 15 that year and saw the second-term government battered by changing electoral fortunes.

The Goss Government had been in power since December 1989 when Labor was elected, ending more than 32 years of conservative rule.

Easily re-elected in 1992, the Government faced a tough battle to be re-elected to a third term and news on election night showed things were looking grim.

Labor’s hold on power was hit by swings of between 3-18 per cent in seats surrounding Brisbane with the Government expected to lose up to 13 seats, including the Gold Coast’s Currumbin and Albert seats.

Mr Goss was targeted by furious protests in the lead up to the election Picture: Ray Cash

Labor’s John Szczerbanik lost Albert to the Nationals’ Bill Baumann while Merri Rose held on in Currumbin and would ultimately remain in Parliament until her defeat nine years later.

Ultimately, the Goss Government loss nine seats and held onto power with a single-seat majority — Mundingburra, which Ken Davis won by just 16 votes.

With the huge swings having been contained to seats the Nationals already held, Labor was returned to power and continued to govern through until late 1995 when the election unexpectedly resumed.

Qld premier Wayne Goss & Opposition leader Rob Borbidge at the 1995 leaders debate.

The Court of Disputed Returns ruled on December 8 1995 that 22 military servicemen were overseas at the time of the election and therefore had been unable to vote.

The decision led to a by-election being held in February 1996 which led to Mundingburra voters electing Liberal Frank Tanti in a move Mr Goss attributed primarily to anger at the Keating Government, which was just weeks away from an end to Labor’s 13 years in power.

NSW Premier Bob Carr with QLD Premier Wayne Goss at NSW / Qld border. The pair worked together briefly.

The baseball bats may have been out for Keating but it was Goss who took the first beating, losing his majority and seeing Liz Cunningham, the independent member for Gladstone, siding with the Nationals.

Without a majority, Goss’ government resigned and Nationals leader Rob Borbidge was appointed premier.

The Nationals were back leading Queensland but it proved short-lived.

The Goss Government fell in early 1996.

The rise of One Nation, the initial unpopularity of the federal Howard Government and other factors led the conservatives to be swept from power in 1998.

One Nation came away from polling day holding 11 seats.

Labor, then-led by Peter Beattie was able to form government with the support of Nicklin MP Peter Wellington, beginning a 14-year period of rule.

No matter the result of today’s election, voters will make their choice and the public will wait again to see how the seats fall.

Wayne Goss died in 2014.