Queensland election results: Labor claims 47 seats, majority

Katter’s Australian Party welcomes jet ski business owner to parliament as Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Labor claims a 47-seat majority.

Newly-elected Katter’s Australian Party member Nick Dametto. Photo: Alix Sweeney

Katter’s Australian Party has claimed a third seat in the Queensland parliament, declaring victory over the LNP in the north Queensland electorate of Hinchinbrook.

Jet ski business owner Nick Dametto has said he’s the winner of the seat, knocking out sitting LNP MP Andrew Cripps, who was the Newman government’s Mines Minister.

KAP leader Robbie Katter praised Mr Dametto’s efforts.

“Congratulations to Nick Dametto the latest Member of Parliament to join the fight for regional and rural Queensland,” he said on Twitter.

“Giving power to regional Queensland is imperative to ensuring more jobs, better infrastructure and support for all.”

Nick Dametto jet skied his way into State politics and today won the very important regional seat of Hinchinbrook #nickdametto #hinchinbrook #KAP

— Robbie Katter MP (@RobKatter3) December 6, 2017

Mr Dametto joins Mr Katter and fellow KAP MP Shane Knuth as the major force on the crossbench in the new Queensland parliament.

They will be joined by a One Nation MP Steve Andrew, Noosa independent Sandy Bolton, and most likely the first elected Greens MP, Michael Berkman.

Labor concedes seat to LNP

Labor’s candidate for the super-marginal seat of Burdekin has conceded defeat to the LNP, allowing the Opposition to climb to 39 seats.

Mike Brunker — who yesterday demanded a recount in the seat — today said there were no grounds for a recount and said he had been beaten by sitting LNP MP Dale Last.

Mike Brunker.

“Being a realist I can concede I’m not going to win the seat,” Mr Brunker, a third-generation coal miner and former mayor of Bowen, said.

“But I’m glad we made it a marginal seat.”

Labor has claimed victory in 47 seats — the magic number required for it to form a majority government in the 93-seat parliament. However, there are still internal ALP concerns about whether Labor has claimed victory in Mundingburra and Macalister too early, before all preferences had been distributed.

With Burdekin, the LNP is now on 39 seats.

There are still four seats undecided: Mundingburra (where Labor has claimed victory but sources say there is still a chance One Nation could win), Maiwar (where the Greens are poised to have their first MP elected to Queensland parliament), Hinchinbrook (where Katter’s Australian Party is firming as the likely victor) and Townsville (where Labor’s sitting MP Scott Stewart is ahead as preferences are distributed).

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk and LNP leader Tim Nicholls are not expected to make any announcements today, and Ms Palaszczuk is thought unlikely to officially declare herself the winner before the Electoral Commission of Queensland formally declares 47 seats in Labor’s favour.

Currently, only 32 of 93 seats have been formally declared by the ECQ. Labor has 17, the LNP has 14 and KAP has one.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has claimed a majority. Photo: AAP

Labor claims victory in 47 seats

Labor has claimed victory in 47 seats, the number it needs to form government in Queensland in its own right — but Annastacia Palaszczuk will not visit the Queensland Governor today.

Ms Palaszczuk’s Labor claimed victory in the Gold Coast seat of Gaven, for candidate Meaghan Scanlon, who defeated the LNP’s Sid Cramp.

However, there are concerns within the ALP that the party has moved too quickly in declaring victory in some seats, such as Mundingburra in Townsville, where there is still a possibility that One Nation could snatch an unexpected victory.

Information from scrutineers and sources from across the political spectrum have told The Australian that five seats should be still considered in doubt: Mundingburra, Townsville, Hinchinbrook, Burdekin and Maiwar.

By The Australian’s count, Labor is on 46 (already including Gaven), the LNP is on 38, Katter’s Australian Party has 2 and One Nation and an independent each have one.

Of the outstanding seats, Labor is more likely to pick up Mundingburra and Townsville, while the LNP is set to hold onto Burdekin — pending a recount — the Katter’s Australian Party should win Hinchinbrook and the Greens are expected to win Maiwar.

Labor is likely to end up on 48 seats, a two-seat majority in the state’s 93-electorate parliament.