Annastacia Palaszczuk takes historic third time win in Queensland Election

Annastacia Palaszczuk takes historic third time win as Labor set to form a majority

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has made history, again: This time becoming the first woman to win three consecutive terms as Queensland Labor looks set to form a majority government following Saturday’s state election.

Labor received a strong, favourable swing, with the LNP’s campaign falling flat, Clive Palmer’s massive advertising spend failing to deliver the votes (he received just 0.57 per cent of the primary vote), and One Nation seeing its vote collapse to 7.1 per cent, according to Nine paper today.

Labor was projected to take 49 seats at time of publishing according to the ABC, and could pick up another three.

Taking the stage after 10pm to claim victory, Palaszczuk acknowledged the tough year Queenslanders have experienced and promised her team would “roll up our sleeves” to get back to work as quickly as possible.

“For many Queenslanders, I know it has been an incredibly tough year. It has been tough not being able to see your family and friends in other states, or even around the world, as we’ve been in the midst of a global pandemic.

“But here in Queensland we’ve all stood strong and united, and together we are on top of the pandemic, and if we continue to work together, we will stay strong.”

She said many people in Queensland have voted for Labor for the first time. “Queenslanders are tough and I get my inspiration every day from the people I meet.”

“We go through tough times and we work together… but I also know that we need to have a strong recovery plan… I give my commitment to the people of this state that my team will roll up their sleeves and we will get back to work as quickly as possible. And I’m confident we will do it with a majority Labor government.”

As The Guardian noted in its coverage, not only is Palaszczuk the first woman to win three consecutive terms, she was also the first to win from Opposition and the first to leader to have a majority female team.

And as well as facing off against a massive Clive Palmer led advertising campaign, Palaszczuk also faced a barrage of negative media from much of the Murdoch owned press in Queensland. In 2019, The Sunshine Coast Daily depicted her in crosshairs, under the headline “you’re next Anna”, following the Coalition’s win in the Federal election. Palaszczuk’s election chances were completely dismissed by the Courier Mail in the days leading up to the election, for the third election in a row.

In less good news for Queensland’s Labor, Palaszczuk’s deputy, Jackie Trad, lost her seat to the Greens, with Amy MacMahon picking up the South Brisbane seat.

Queensland Opposition leader Deb Frecklington conceded defeat, saying she”s proud of the campaign they ran and promising to stay on as LNP leader.

She congratulated Palazczuk on the victory, saying that while she doesn’t always agree with the premier, that she respects her as an opponent and as the leader of Queensland.

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