David Crisafulli the new premier of Queensland after LNP election victory

David Crisafulli will become Queensland’s 41st premier after defeating Labor and scraping together a majority LNP government for the first time in a decade. Here’s how it happened.

David Crisafulli will become Queensland’s 41st premier after defeating Labor and scraping together a majority LNP government for the first time in a decade.

Late into the count on Saturday night the LNP was at 48 seats, but could reach as many as 50. Predictions of a landslide against Labor and Steven Miles did not eventuate, with its vote stronger than expected in Brisbane and the outer suburbs.

Mr Crisafulli will take office with a slim majority.

“Queenslanders have voted for hope over fear, they have voted for a fresh start and they have voted for a majority LNP government,” he said.

Mr Miles, who took office in December following the departure of Annastacia Palaszczuk, said he had “no regrets“ about his 10 months as premier, nor the four-week campaign he described as one of Labor’s best.

The outgoing premier pumped his first in a celebratory speech as he noted, while Labor would lose government, the LNP would struggle to form a majority. He did not congratulate Mr Crisafulli and instead repeated Labor’s campaign talking points.

“I said at the beginning of this I wasn’t going to die wondering, and I stand by that tonight,” Mr Miles said.

In contrast, Mr Crisafulli thanked Mr Miles for his service and praised the “son of a factory worker” for rising to lead Queensland.

David Crisafulli celebrates his win with his LNP supporters.

Mr Miles also hinted at staying on as opposition leader.

The size of the LNP’s majority government hangs on upset victories in Mirani, Cook, Rockhampton and Mulgrave in regional Queensland. It is also ahead in Pine Rivers.

Labor’s vote collapsed in regional Queensland, with a 9.8 per cent swing resulting in it losing Barron River, three Townsville seats and Mackay.

The loss of Mackay, and possibly Rockhampton, is the first time in a century Labor hasn’t held the two seats.

Early counting buoyed hopes within Labor it would hold minority government, but a strong pre-poll and postal-vote flow left the optimism short-lived.

The LNP’s statewide primary vote reached 41 per cent at the end of counting compared to Labor’s 32 per cent.

Predictions before the campaign of Labor losing 30 seats failed to eventuate, with Mr Miles’s highly-energetic campaign credited with clawing back support.

Premier Steven Miles at Murrumba Downs Tavern. Pics Adam Head

Crime victim Russell Field won a shock victory for the LNP in Capalaba while Labor’s transport minister Bart Mellish was defeated in Aspley.

Mr Miles’s four-week election blitz sandbagged the party’s Brisbane seats and maintained a red wall surrounding the city.

Labor held almost all of its outer-suburb seats with the exception of Aspley, Pine Rivers and Capalaba.

The feeling within the LNP was Labor had overwhelmingly won the campaign and feared it would have been in danger of losing the unlosable election if there had been one more week in the campaign.

Mr Miles’s cost of living policies including 50c fares and $1.4bn in school lunches have been credited with devastating the Greens.

The minor party has lost one seat and could lose two, leaving it with no one in the Queensland parliament since 2017.

The Greens entered the election hoping to win up to four seats, but instead suffered a collapse in support as Mr Miles moved Labor to the left.

Labor has regained South Brisbane from first-term MP Amy MacMahon.

Ms MacMahon rode a wave of anti-Jackie Trad and LNP preferences to win in 2020.

Russell Field claimed Capalaba for the LNP. Picture: Richard Walker

It is also locked in a tight fight in Maiwar with Greens MP Michael Berkman.

Labor defeated a predicted Green wave to easily hold its two inner-city electorates of McConnel and Cooper.

In McConnel, senior Labor Minister Grace Grace beat the Greens’ Holstein Wong, with help from LNP preferences.

First-term Labor MP Jonty Bush – who has moulded herself as a progressive local member – will hold Cooper.

Across southeast Queensland, Labor suffered a swing of some 5.9 per cent/

Rising star Labor minister Meaghan Scanlon held the must-watch seat of Gaven from the LNP’s television-personality-turned-candidate Bianca Stone.

In Townsville, a strong swing against Labor handed three seats, Thuringowa, Mundingburra and Townsville, to the LNP Katter’s Australian Party had hoped to win Mundingburra and Thuringowa, however a late surge in Labor’s vote pushed it to third – giving the seat to the LNP on preferences.

The LNP’s Bree James is expected to win in Barron River, north of Cairns, over ex-Labor minister Craig Crawford.

However, Tourism Minister Michael Healy beat the LNP’s Yolonde Entsch to hold Cairns.

The LNP had tipped to win almost every seat north of Maryborough.

In a shock result, however, Labor won Bundaberg – its most marginal electorate.

Party sources were privately confident its first-term MP Tom Smith would hold the regional seat, which it won in 2020 by nine votes.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith got the job done. Picture: Adam Head

Labor’s Assistant Health Minister Brittany Lauga lost Keppel to the LNP’s Nigel Hutton, supported by One Nation candidateJames Ashby.

A growing consensus of Labor Party MPs believe Mr Miles has earned the right to stay on as opposition leader.

Labor Party federal president Wayne Swan credited Mr Mile’s campaign success with the cost of living measures pioneered by the premier in the 10 months he took the job.

Mr Swan said Mr Crisafulli’s struggle to explain its position on abortion hurt the LNP.

“The exposure of their US style … Trumpist style approach to abortion,” he said.

“Literally, the LNP is riddled with anti decriminalisation members.

“Those two things exposed the small target strategy of Mr Crisafulli.”

Originally published as David Crisafulli the new premier of Queensland after LNP election victory