Analysis: Elite Steven Miles won the battle, but small target David Crisafulli won the war

A bold Steven Miles showed he’s built to be Premier during the campaign, and I hope David Crisafulli was taking notes, writes Cameron Milner.

To the soundtrack of Frank Sinatra’s My Way, Queenslanders once again showed when it comes to elections we do it very much our own way.

We are just so over the Greens Party for their ­extremism and won’t reward minor parties or Teals with the balance of power.

We sure as hell didn’t vote Yes to an Albanese Voice or reward without question an Albo-style small-target campaign like that delivered by David Crisafulli.

As Queenslanders we love bucking trends, proving pollsters wrong and know how to find an electoral true north using our innate skills and sense of what’s right and what’s needed from government.

Premier Miles won the campaign, but not the election.

Crisafulli will now definitely be the next premier of Queensland. He looks not to need the support of the minor parties to govern instead securing a narrow, but effective majority in his own right.

This election never felt like 2012, when Anna Bligh was detested.

And it wasn’t the LNP’s version of 1989 when Peter Beattie ran the stunning ­campaign to get Goss elected from Labor’s electoral wilderness after 32 years.

Crisafulli was disciplined, but by sticking to being small target he looks to have ­repeated exactly what Albo achieved – burning a huge majority to just flop across the line at best.

Albanese failed in Queensland with small target to win big, now his mini-me, David Crisafulli has done the same and proven the rule.

His backflip on Friday unwinding his “iron-clad guarantee” on waiting lists has rightly rankled with voters who cast their ballots on the day. They wanted much more than just a slogan or a platitude.

Crisafulli had a plan to win a campaign, never a plan to govern.

Albanese has shown just how underwhelming governing is when elected on a small target platform.

Labor will take heart they out-campaigned the LNP who still made too many rookie errors during the campaign. Labor would do well to keep Steven Miles as leader. He’s totally grown into the role and has been a good Premier for the last 10 months and a faultless campaigner and communicator these last 26 days.

Much will be written about Labor’s use of the Abortion Wedge in this campaign.

Federal Labor Minister and mean girl, Katy Gallagher called it right – when you start playing politics with abortion you risk losing the gains made by women over decades.

The US sees abortion as a binary voting issue and has massively polarised an issue which should only ever be one of a woman’s choice and a healthcare choice at that.

Steven Miles showed he is a great leader. Picture: Adam Head

Labor can’t ever complain again if the vile US anti-abortion political campaigning now comes to Queensland.

Albanese will no doubt think tonight means he’ll pick up seats in Queensland but Brisbane, with a collapsing Greens primary vote, looks the only likely gain.

Miles and Labor were actually bold with ideas like 50c public transport fares, huge subsidies for power bills and proposing free lunches to all primary kids.

Albo simply isn’t capable of that kind of courage or policy vision.

This near-death ­experience should jolt Crisafulli into dropping the timidity.

He’ll need to learn straight answers to issues like abortion and not seek to change iron-clad commitments.

Queensland is a big state with even bigger challenges. It will need a clarity of purpose and decisive leadership, as its always done.

We need to solve the housing crisis and get on with delivering the Olympics.

Labor will lick its wounds, knowing it came so close from so, so far behind, despite Albo’s best efforts, buying a $4.3m retirement home in the midst of pre-poll voting.

If it is smart it will keep its proven leader Steven Miles and it will go hunting the election in 2028 just like Beattie did in 1996 and Palaszczuk did in 2012.

Originally published as Analysis: Elite Steven Miles won the battle, but small target David Crisafulli won the war