QLD election 2020: Surging Greens support a ‘huge concern’ for Labor leader Anthony Albanese

How one of Labor’s greatest victories could spell disaster for the party’s most senior statesman.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk became Australia’s first female party leader to claim a third term in government on Saturday night, catapulting her to legend status within the Labor Party.

But the one seat Labor coughed up across the wide expanses of the Sunshine State could prove to have horrific consequences ahead of a likely 2021 federal election.

The Greens party continued its surging popularity in the inner-city, with Amy MacMahon successfully unseating Labor stalwart Jackie Trad in South Brisbane.

The party also retained Maiwar, polled strongly in Cooper and McConnel, and follows strong swings at both the Brisbane council election earlier in the year and the recent poll in the ACT.

The Greens will now set its sights on other high profile inner-city members — and there would be few greater scalps than Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

His progressive electorate in Sydney’s inner-west is “absolutely” ripe to be the Greens’ next conquest, according to Griffith University political scientist Paul Williams.

RELATED: Two reasons why Palaszczuk won election

Mr Albanese will likely face a fresh surge from the Greens next year. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“The problem of inner-city, upper-middle class, white collar Labor voters haemorrhaging support to the Greens is continuing and that is Labor’s big dilemma,” Mr Williams told NCA NewsWire.

“There will be a sufficient number of preferences from the LNP that will push the Greens into first place. This is a huge concern for Labor.”

Mr Albanese faces a perfect storm ahead of a possible federal poll next year, fighting off a rising Greens party while being starved of oxygen in the media.

The coronavirus crisis has allowed sitting state and federal leaders to dominate the news cycle as they deliver crucial and daily updates on infections, deaths and policies.

“This is clearly a moment for incumbents,” Dr Williams said.

“Voters are now assessing governments in opposition and economic indicators through a COVID-19 lens and are being much more forgiving of deficit and unemployment.

“They’re giving governments a free pass for difficult economic circumstances.”

Speaking with NCA NewsWire on Sunday afternoon, Greens federal leader Adam Bandt said he was buoyed by the result in Queensland but played down these ambitions to topple Mr Albanese.

While not specifically mentioning the Opposition Leader, Mr Bandt suggested his party’s resources would be better spent targeting seats in Brisbane and Melbourne at next year’s federal election.

“In some federal electorates there are high profile members of parliament who have a strong personal following, so we’ll be putting our resources into where we think we have the best chance of wins,” he said.

“But we do think that this now puts seats in Queensland on the table in a way that people previously might not have thought.

“It now makes Queensland a very exciting place for the Greens to be campaigning.”

Mr Bandt says Queensland is ripe for growth of the Greens. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Dr Williams says Mr Morrison appears “home and hosed” to retain government if he’s able to offer a viable economic plan to steer Australia out of its first recession in nearly 30 years.

“If there was an election held yesterday, the Morrison Government would have been elected with a larger majority, there’s no doubt about that,” Dr Williams said.

RELATED: Labor’s biggest dilemma

Morrison has dominated the spotlight during the health crisis. NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Ms Palaszczuk’s dominant victory follows the recent trend of incumbent governments in the Northern Territory, ACT and New Zealand comfortably retaining power.

As a premier during the coronavirus crisis, the Queensland leader has been beamed into lounge rooms every day to provide updates.

This boosted her profile and gifted her an authoritative role, according to Griffith University political behaviour specialist Juliet Pietsch.

“Those announcements had such a big impact on the daily lives of everybody — whether they could cross borders, whether they could work, whether they could go home,” she said.

“And, good or bad, everybody had to pay attention.”

Labor, particularly Ms Palaszczuk and health minister Steven Miles, capitalised on the captive audience to reveal their own policies.

Each day, the premier would have the undivided attention of viewers to provide an overnight update on virus numbers and make direct comparisons to other countries with horrific rates of infections and deaths.

This allowed her to stay on message — constantly reminding Queensland she had kept them safe and that she’s the stronger leader.

“You don’t often have that with political policy announcements,” Ms Pietsch said. “You don’t have the alternative staring you in the face — ‘this is what we will be if you don’t agree with this policy, we will be Melbourne, or New York or wherever.’

“They continually were able to show what they were protecting Queensland from.”