Queensland election: A win’s a win and both leaders take it personally

Annastacia Palaszczuk cuts a cake with winning Labor candidates at a barbecue at Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks. Picture: AAP.

A win is a win no matter how narrow. As Paul Keating might have said for Labor, his was the sweetest victory of them all. For Annastacia Palaszczuk it is a mighty personal triumph. The Labor government overall had its problems but throughout the last three years Queenslanders saw enough of the Premier to know they liked her. She stuck to her election promises and was a person in whom they could place a degree of trust — plus there was a yawning gap in ability between her and the Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls.

She becomes the first female Premier to be re-elected for a second term. A graduate of the London School of Economics, the Premier has become a formidable force. Without her, Labor could not and would not be heading for the winner’s circle.

The people of Brisbane have embraced Labor and have rejected the LNP in a massive blow that will undoubtedly have federal implications. For Tim Nicholls every single thing about Saturday night was a personal disaster. A 7 per cent swing against the LNP almost cost him his own seat of Clayfield. Even in the regions, the LNP could make little impact. In Queensland, the LNP campaign lacked lustre and compared to that of Labor, looked awkward and amateurish.

Right around the country, federally and in the states, the Liberals are now well behind Labor in ideas, let alone in the modern machinery of election campaigns. They also seem to struggle to get enough boots on the ground which means that Liberal Party supporters and the party membership are unhappy and disgruntled. For Nicholls this is an ignominious end to what, six years ago, looked a very promising career.

Pauline Hanson and One Nation must be bitterly disappointed with winning just one seat and achieving less than 13 per cent of the vote, about half of what they were expecting. State Party Leader Steve Dickson was an early casualty in Buderim, located between Brisbane and Noosa. I always believed he would struggle in this Liberal heartland.

At least, in keeping with the man, he was making a graceful exit while Hanson was committing the unpardonable sin of election night: She could not acknowledge what everybody could see easily. One Nation was doing poorly and at that point it looked like winning even one seat was unlikely. She waffled about preferences and nominated seven seats she believed One Nation could win. At a stage where Malcolm Roberts was thousands behind, she was still claiming Ipswich was a chance for him. The mob do not like being treated as mugs.

The Greens had one goal it seemed over the past few weeks and that was to unseat Jackie Trad. Benefiting from the Premier’s decision to walk away from support for a loan to Adani, the Deputy Premier hung on. Otherwise the Greens did win one seat but their vote is always stuck at about 11 to 12 per cent and this election was therefore yet another example — with one or two exceptions — that they are a party welcomed mainly by the well-heeled who have moved in to areas once the sole domain of the working class.

It makes Richard De Natale’s bout of triumphalism after last weekend’s Northcote by-election in Victoria look hopelessly optimistic.

When the Premier announced she was withdrawing support for the NAIF loan to Adani, it was expected that Labor would be wiped out in and around Townsville. Most predicted that Labor would hold only Townsville. Instead Labor lost the seat of Townsville but held Thuringowa and Mundingburra and appears to have won the seat of Burdekin, which runs south of Townsville towards Ayr. This result will put an even bigger grin on the Premier’s face. To me it demonstrates that while Adani is a big issue in Townsville, water in this dry parched city is by far the biggest deal.

While the Premier is on the Right, the Queensland branch of the Labor Party is controlled by the Left. Joining with local former police officer Rob Schwarten, the Left and the Queensland Guard put up a decent fellow, Barry O’Rourke, who was never going to figure in leadership or ministerial discussions. They knocked over the very popular local Mayor Margaret Strelow. While I never condone ratting on the party, those who run the Queensland ALP must learn not to bluntly use the numbers against obviously popular locals regardless of their factional position. Strelow looks like winning the seat against Labor.

The Premier had supported Strelow and the party should have done likewise. With Labor endorsement, Labor would now have a very safe seat in Rockhampton with Strelow as the member.

Having power is not the end game. What you do with that power is what defines you.