Queensland Election results 2017: Palaszczuk leads by the seat of her pants

ANNASTACIA Palaszczuk is relying on a handful of electorates swinging her way in order to retain her grip on power without breaking her “no deals” commitment. 

AS IT HAPPENED: Election results and rolling coverage

The Premier was last night in the box seat to form government, claiming at least 43 of the 93 seats in the new parliament compared to the LNP’s 37.

But about 11 electorates across Queensland remained too close to call last night including Cook, Thuringowa, Rockhampton, Mundingburra, Macalister and Noosa where the LNP’s Glen Elmes looks poised to lose his seat to Independent Sandra Bolton. 

Ms Palaszczuk will need at least five of those seats to fall Labor’s way to reach the 47 seats she needs to govern in her own right.

Otherwise she faces the prospect of having to seek out a deal despite repeatedly ruling out doing a deal with any crossbenchers to form minority government should she fall short.

The Premier said she remained confident no deal would be needed last night as she addressed the party faithful at a function her Inala electorate as she compared the election to climbing Mount Everest for the second time, referencing her 2015 win.

“Tonight we are close to the peak but we are not quite there and we will not get there tonight but I remain confident that we will be able to form a majority Labor Government once all the votes are counted,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

LNP Leader Tim Nicholls suffered a swing of about four per cent against him in his electorate. Picture: AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Recriminations were already starting in the LNP after the Opposition suffered an eight per cent drop in its primary vote on its 2015 result.

Opposition frontbencher Tim Mander last night said he believed former Premier Campbell Newman had lost the LNP its second election.

LNP Leader Tim Nicholls himself suffered a swing of about four per cent against him in his electorate but was expected to hold on, albeit with a reduced margin.

He last night challenged Ms Palaszczuk to keep her word and not “do deals” in order to hold Government.

“What is abundantly clear is that tonight Queenslanders have voted to shake things up,” he said.

“The question for Annastacia Palaszczuk is will she keep her word,” he said.

He indicated he may stay on as Opposition Leader, telling the party faithful he would not give up on his push to deliver a “better Queensland”.

Whether he will remain Opposition leader after the result is unclear with a leadership ballot expected at the next party room meeting. 

One Nation was last night itself questioning what went wrong after it fell well short of matching the 11 seats it won when it burst on to Queensland’s political scene in 1998.

The party had been tipped to play kingmaker in this election it was last night struggling to get a foothold in more than one of the 61 seats it was contesting last night.

Mirani appears to be One Nation’s best chance of a seat with the party likely to claim it from Labor’s Jim Pearce.

One Nation’s state leader Steve Dickson lost his seat to the LNP as expected while former Senator Malcolm Roberts failed to re-enter politics via the Labor-held seat of Ipswich.

The party’s matriarch Pauline Hanson insisted there was still hope her party could pick up seats in the Queensland parliament, however.

Senator Hanson said she expected preferences to help the party win seats, including Mirani and potentially Cook.

“We’re going to have to look at the preference flows to One Nation and all those postal votes have to come in,” she said. “It’s a long way to go yet and I think we will win some seats. I have no doubt about it whatsoever, so I’m not disappointed with this at all.

“There is a place for One Nation here in state politics.”

Labor’s primary vote also took a dip statewide last night, dropping about two per cent.

But the party performed strongly in the southeast where it looks likely to pick up multiple seats from the LNP last night including Mount Ommaney, Mansfield, Aspley and Redlands.

Labor also looks likely to regain a foothold on the Gold Coast with its candidate Meaghan Scanlon leading the LNP’s Sid Cramp in Gaven.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad last night narrowly saw off a challenge to her seat from The Greens thanks to a decision by Mr Nicholls not to preference her last in the South Brisbane electorate.