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ABC News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Labor tears down Coalition in Queensland stronghold
For election after election, Queensland has stood as a fortress for the federal Coalition. On Saturday night, Labor tore down the fortress walls, seized a slew of seats, and stunningly defeated Peter Dutton in Dickson. Ali France is the newly-elected member for Dickson. ( ABC News: Alex Brewster ) Labor had been eyeing off several seats in the sunshine state, but never really thought it would win as many as it did. At a state level, the party was feeling a bit weary after losing the Queensland election just months ago. Fast-forward to this federal poll, Labor has notched up significant swings from the north to the south of the state. Election essentials: Look back on our The government made deep incursions into long-held LNP-held territory, winning electorates such as Bonner, Forde, and Leichhardt. Labor is even tracking well in the Greens-held seats of Griffith and Brisbane. To put this result into context, this is Labor's best outcome in Queensland since Kevin Rudd's landslide election win in 2007. Labor's landslide election win in 2007 came after succesful campaigning. Election watchers weren't expecting Queensland to be a big story in this year's federal poll — and weren't paying close attention to many of the seats that have switched hands. But the state has delivered a surprising result. It has played a pivotal role by giving Anthony Albanese a very comfortable majority in his second term as prime minister. Dutton says he will take "full responsibility" for the Coalition's loss. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) Queensland captures the national spotlight again Before this election, Labor held only five of the 30 seats in Queensland. The party is now set to double its representation, at the very least. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on So strong was the Coalition's presence in Queensland, it previously held 21 of the state's 30 electorates. On the floor of the House of Representatives, Queenslanders made up roughly 40 per cent of the Coalition's MPs. Labor was always going to face a tough challenge in Queensland. The historical odds were against it. Signage and the colours of the shirts worn by political party volunteers light up King George Square outside of Brisbane City Hall. ( ABC News: Christopher Gillette ) With so few Labor seats to lose in Queensland, Mr Albanese arguably played offensive in this election campaign, visiting a number of Coalition and Greens-held electorates. He even showed up in Mr Dutton's seat of Dickson, where he stood alongside Ali France. Despite Labor winning all but two state elections in Queensland since 1986, the party often struggles to make significant inroads at federal elections. Since 2010, the Coalition has always managed to hold onto a majority of the state's federal electorates. And, in the 2022 poll, Labor even lost a seat (Griffith to the Greens) despite the party winning the overall result across the country. Nevertheless, Queensland is often a place to watch on election night. In 2007, it helped push Mr Rudd over the finish line as he led Labor to victory. Photo shows Four people on stage hold hands in triumph as the crowd takes photos Fighting back tears as he addresses supporters, Anthony Albanese flashes his often displayed Medicare card and vows to get back to work tomorrow. In 2019, it played a major role in sending then-prime minister Scott Morrison back to the Lodge and giving the Coalition a slim majority. And in 2022, Queensland caught many by surprise when it sent three Greens MPs to Canberra. In 2025, it has once again captured the national spotlight — by giving Mr Albanese a major boost to his majority and booting the opposition leader from his own seat. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
Sky News AU
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Anthony Albanese makes last-ditch plea to sway undecided voters as he denies he is playing 'mind games' with Peter Dutton
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a last-ditch effort to win over undecided voters as he denied he was trying to mess with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's mind by campaigning deep in enemy territory. Mr Albanese started election day eve in Queensland, first in the marginal LNP-held electorate of Longman before shifting to Mr Dutton's seat of Dickson. The Prime Minister had also spent time during the first full day of campaigning in Dickson, which Mr Dutton holds on a wafer-thin margin of 1.7 per cent. Asked a press conference whether he was "trying to play mind games" with Mr Dutton by visiting the seat on election eve, Mr Albanese said: "No, we're trying to win a seat". The Prime Minister further sought to differentiate himself from the Opposition Leader by highlighting how the pair's "values are very different". "We're very different people. People can see that in the approach that we have, particularly towards people who need government to be respectful and play a role for them," he said. "I think we have different values essentially, and I've never sought to gain political advantage through what are vulnerable people." Mr Albanese also criticised Mr Dutton's announcement he made early on in the campaign about his preferred prime ministerial residence should he won the election. "A very significant moment in this election campaign... is when Peter Dutton said that he wanted to live in Kirribilli House," the Prime Minister said. "It was the moment he walked away from his own constituents in Dickson, it was the moment where he showed that he'd measured up the curtains and was thinking about his position as Prime Minister that he assumed. "I've never done that. I don't take the Australian people for granted. I'm working my guts out to ensure there's a majority government tomorrow." The Prime Minister, meanwhile, said his message to undecided voters was "that in uncertain times you can be certain that Labor has a plan to build Australia's future". "And you can be certain that the Coalition have cuts and chaos, as they way that they've run this campaign," he said. The last Freshwater Strategy poll shows Labor is likely to form a minority government at Saturday's federal election. The polling conducted for The Australian Financial Review shows a 1.5-point swing towards Labor in a fortnight on a two-party preferred basis, with the government leading the Coalition by 51.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent. The figure represents a swing of 0.6 per cent since the 2022 election, and if applied across all electorates, the number of seats Labor holds would fall to 76 – the figure required to form majority government – down from 78 at the start of the campaign. However, more detailed analysis following 10,000 simulations with demographic and regional variations shows Labor could record 74 seats, the Coalition 64, and the crossbench 12. Mr Albanese again acknowledged Labor still has "a mountain to climb" but said he was "striving for majority government" by working to "maximise Labor's vote". "I don't want to lose any seats, obviously. We're on 78 at the moment. That's my objective," he said. Mr Albanese also insisted that he did not have to make any deals in the event of a hung parliament. "The truth is that you don't. Parliament can have myself or someone else to lead the country. But what I'm intending to do is to see a majority government elected tomorrow," he said.
Sky News AU
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Peter Dutton has played a game of two-up and poured beers for North Queensland punters in rowdiest campaign event yet
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was mobbed by punters at the Townsville RSL on Anzac Day, candidly playing a game of two-up and pouring beers for the rowdy crowd. Mr Dutton has so far had a subdued campaign, opting for staged events, but Friday's stop was a different story entirely. The Opposition Leader waded through the packed venue of revellers, who quickly crowded around to see what all the fuss was about. Mr Dutton was swamped by hundreds of local patrons, as he posed for photos and selfies and shook hands with veterans and active service members. One man could be heard saying 'I've already voted for you mate', whilst another endearingly stated: 'You'll win Dutto'. Mr Dutton, a former police officer was at one point stationed in Townsville, telling a local woman that he 'lived up here many years ago as a policeman' and that he 'enjoyed Townsville, it's come a long way'. He then entered a section of the RSL where a crowd of more than 100 young people were playing an enthusiastic game of two-up. The Opposition Leader, beer in hand, joined in on the game as the spinner, with his unsuccessful coin tosses booed by the crowd, who had evidently placed contrary wagers. However, Mr Dutton's last toss sent the crowd into overdrive, as the onlookers erupted into ear piercing cheers of approval. As Mr Dutton exited the crammed circle, the crowd could be heard bellowing 'shoey, shoey, shoey', encouraging the Opposition Leader to scull his full glass of XXXX from his boot. He politely declined the offer to drink the beer out of his shoe, opting to sip from the plastic cup instead. He was then ushered behind the overflowing bar, asking 'what are we pouring, the gold? as he gingerly poured schooners of XXXX for eager punters. The manager of the establishment said, 'look at that, now you've got to drink it' with another man commenting 'that's a bit flat that'. Townsville, located in the LNP-held seat of Herbert, has the highest concentration of current or former military personnel anywhere in Australia, and is the country's largest garrison city. Almost one in 10 of the 180,000-strong population served or are serving, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr Dutton also announced that a Coalition government would commit $150,000 to the 80-year celebration of Victory in the Pacific in Townsville, matching contributions from the local council and the Queensland state government. Earlier on Friday a stolen ute delayed the Townsville Anzac Day parade, forcing the march off the street. The north Queensland city's Thuringowa march was set to start at 9am but was delayed 20 minutes while organisers diverted marchers off the road and onto the footpath. Queensland Police said initial information indicated a stolen RAM utility had earlier been involved in several hit-and-run traffic crashes in Thuringowa. "As a precaution the parade was diverted onto nearby pathways instead of proceeding along the main roadway," a police spokesperson said.
