Newman gone: Labor surges in Queensland

Labor looks set to pull off a stunning victory in a cliffhanger Queensland election, after securing an "extraordinary", double-digit swing that has ended the political career of Premier Campbell Newman.

Vote counting will resume in electorates around Queensland as the state awaits a decisive election result.

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has told the party faithful she is "very hopeful" of forming government, however it could be days before a result is known.

At the close of counting late on Saturday, Labor was projected to win 43 of the 45 seats it needs to form government in the 89-seat parliament.

The LNP held 38 seats, two other seats went to Katter's Australia Party, while independent Peter Wellington retained his seat.

Up to five are still in doubt.

Votes that were cast on Saturday, as well as pre-poll and postal votes, will be counted and checked throughout Sunday.

• Pressure mounts on Tony Abbott

• Palaszczuk crowned as Labor's hero

• Palaszczuk promises to govern for all of Queensland

• Queensland Labor has a short to do list

The official deadline for postal votes is ten days after the election, but the wait for a victory is unlikely to drag out that long.

If Labor claims victory, it will be an extraordinary comeback after the party was written off three years ago.

The decimated LNP has lost its leader, Campbell Newman, who announced his retirement from politics on Saturday night when he was ousted from his Ashgrove electorate.

Scott Emerson is refusing to say if he'll be a contender to lead the LNP in Queensland.

The LNP has not yet conceded defeat after one of the most staggering turnarounds in Australian political history.

Mr Emerson, who served as Mr Newman's transport minister, is considered a prime contender to take over the leadership, after holding his Brisbane seat of Indooroopilly with more than 50 per cent of the primary vote.

But he's refusing to say if he'll throw his hat in the ring in a contest also expected to include Treasurer Tim Nicholls.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been quick to congratulate Queensland Labor for its shock showing in Queensland, and says it serves as a warning for Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

"While the final outcome is still not known, tonight's remarkable results happened against all odds," he said in a statement.

"This was truly a David and Goliath battle - and Annastacia Palaszczuk has brought Goliath to his knees."

He said the failure of Prime Minister Tony Abbott to make an appearance in Queensland during the campaign had backfired on the Newman government.

Newman became the first premier in 100 years to lose his own seat, leading his party into an electoral bloodbath with the loss of around 30 MPs.

"It's still too close to call at present but I'm very hopeful that we will be able to form government in the state," Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk told her party's supporters.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) says it is willing to cut a deal with the Labor Party to form a minority government in Queensland.

KAP won two seats in Saturday's election, while Sunshine Coast independent MP Peter Wellington was also returned in the seat of Nicklin.

The ABC's election analyst Antony Green said Labor had clearly won 43 seats, with the electorates of Whitsunday and Mansfield in doubt and too close to call.

He said the seat of Maryborough was likewise still in question, and would either go to Labor or an independent candidate.

Labor needed 45 seats for an outright majority, but Mr Green said they were the only party that could form government.

"Certainly there's no way the LNP can form government in that Parliament, they just wouldn't have the numbers," he said.

Premier Campbell Newman has made one of the toughest speeches of his political career and life after conceding his position in the seat of Ashgrove.

Counting is underway and the sitting LNP government is under serious threat from a resurgent ALP.

The outcome will also put more pressure on beleaguered Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who did not make a single appearance during the Queensland election.

Tony Abbott says there are lessons for all governments in the shock Queensland election result, including his own.

The devastating result has heaped increasing pressure on Mr Abbott, sparking further talk of a leadership challenge.

In a brief statement issued on Sunday the prime minister acknowledged the "very difficult outcome" for Mr Newman and his government.

"There are lessons in this result for all governments, including the federal one," he said.

"The LNP will be looking at them closely."

A new Galaxy poll published in News Corp Australia's Sunday newspapers shows the coalition lagging behind Labor 57 to 43 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

On a two-party preferred voting results these are the five seats that are too close to call:

MANSFIELD - Adam Obeid (ALP) 50.1% - Ian Walker (LNP) 49.9%

MARYBOROUGH - Bruce Saunders (ALP) 52.2% - Anne Maddern (LNP) 47.8%

MOUNT OMMANEY - Tarnya Smith (LNP) 50.9% - Jessica Pugh (ALP) 49.1%

REDLANDS - Matt McEachan (LNP) 50.9% - Deborah Kellie (ALP) 49.1%

WHITSUNDAY - Jason Costigan (LNP) 50.2% - Bronwyn Taha (ALP) 49.8%

The winners and losers in the Queensland election

Winners

Annastacia Palaszczuk

Won the "David and Goliath battle" on a modest, policy-light campaign to be poised to become the second female premier in Queensland's history.

Kate Jones

The former Labor environment minister won back Ashgrove, gaining revenge on Campbell Newman and effectively ending the premier's political career.

Jackie Trad

Just one of seven Labor parliamentarians after the crushing 2012 election defeat, Trad looms as a leader of the future after being their most convincing shadow minister in the campaign.

Billy Gordon and Leeane Enoch

Gordon, from the north Queensland electorate of Cook, and Enoch, in Brisbane's Algester, have become Queensland's first indigenous MPs since Eric Deeral was part of Joh Bjelke Petersen's Country Party victory in 1974.

Scott Emerson

The transport minister comfortably held his safe seat of Indooroopilly to loom as the next LNP leader. Treasurer Tim Nicholls, touted as a premier in waiting last week, will be tarred by his privatisation plans.

Losers

Campbell Newman

The former Brisbane Lord Mayor becomes the first Queensland premier in 100 years to lose his seat. Newman says he won't be back.

Jack Dempsey

The police minister was rolled in Bundaberg, suffering a massive 22.4 per cent swing, ensuring his press conference struggles are over.

David Crisafulli

Articulate, former Townsville councillor had been a young minister on the rise after winning the traditional ALP seat of Mundingburra in 2012 but was pipped by Labor's John Hathaway.

Pauline Hanson

Not to be disgraced, pushing LNP incumbent Ian Rickuss in the Darling Downs seat of Lockyer, but it was the controversial One Nation leader's last chance at electoral success.

Clive Palmer

The Palmer United Party gained three MPs, and then lost them, during the Newman Government's term in power. Their zero return on Saturday means big Clive's party appears as dead as the dinosaurs at his Coolum resort.

This is how events unfolded last night:

10:55PM

Less than 30 percent of votes remain to be counted after the majority of votes recorded a swing of nearly 12 percent toward Labor.

Out of the seats that remain, those in doubt are those of Mansfiedl, Maryborough and Whitsunday.

10:45PM

Labor Opposition leader Annastacia Palszczuk has told ALP supporters that tomorrow dawns a new era for Queensland communities after a miraculous turnaround.

"Well, I said it was going to be a David and Goliath battle and it certainly was," Palszczuk said.

"Who would have thought three years ago we would be making history tonight?

"It's still too close to call at present but I'm very hopeful that we will be able to form government in the state."

10:30PM

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the Queensland federal election is an extraordinary result for the Labor Party.

"While the final outcome is still not known, tonight's remarkable results happened against all odds," Shorten said in a statement.

"Against a party with 80 more seats in parliament. Against a party with a war chest of funding for advertising. Against a government with incumbency and a Liberal Government in Canberra.

"This was truly a David and Goliath battle - and Annastacia Palaszczuk has brought Goliath to his knees.

Shorten also blamed Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the Queensland Premier's downfall.

"Throughout regional Queensland and greater Brisbane, I heard people say they were sick of Campbell Newman and Tony Abbott's cuts and broken promises," Shorten said.

"While Campbell Newman tried to hide Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister was front and centre every day of this campaign.

"Tony Abbott and his Ministers refused to talk to Queenslanders - and the Liberal National Party has paid the price tonight."

10:10PM

Transport Minister Scott Emerson, who retained his seat of Indooroopilly, said the party would spend the next days and weeks analysing what went wrong.

"I think what we've seen tonight is we had to make tough decisions for the sake of the state and sometimes you make the decisions that are tough even if they're not in your best political interests," Mr Emerson said on Saturday.

"But the reality is what we inherited was a situation that was unsustainable and we couldn't keep having a situation in $85 billion of debt, those health payroll debacles, the massive waiting lists, the lack of maintenance on our schools.

"Unfortunately tonight some MPs have lost their seats probably because of those tough decisions but they were still the right decisions to make."

9:50PM

"My political career is over. It is over," he said, to chants from the party faithful of "no! no!"

"Tough, you're going to have to wear that one."

Mr Newman, with his wife Lisa by his side, said he was looking forward to resuming family life, after 13 years in politics, first as Brisbane lord mayor, then as premier.

"Thank you Queensland, it has been an honour, it has been a privilege."

9:40PM

Premier Campbell Newman has made one of the toughest speeches of his political career and life after conceding his position in the seat of Ashgrove.

"Kate, publicly, congratulations to you and your team this evening," Newman told the cheering LNP supporters.

"Over the last three years we've had to make some very important decisions for this state," Newman added.

"They were necessary and I do truly believe that they have put Queensland in a far better place.

"We have put the state in a far better place than the way we found it."

Newman also reflected and paid tribute to LNP MPs who lost have tonight lost their seats.

"I just say this, ladies and gentlemen: when the history of this government is written, people should look long and hard at a political team who did the hard yards and didn't bitch and moan," he said.

"They got on with the job because they knew they were doing the right thing for Queensland.

"So to all those who lost their seats, I am sensationally proud of you.

"I just wish the community knew that you were all men and women of conviction and I wish you the very best in your future careers."

9:20PM

Federal Labor MP and former deputy prime minister Wayne Swan has weighed in on Campbell Newman's loss of the Ashgrove seat.

"Ashgrove is lost and it has been lost with a massive swing considering the amount of money and resources devoted to it,"

"This has been a referendum on LNP leadership and the leadership battle is now on within the LNP to see who will lead the party."

"The question is how big is the swing."

9:10PM

Labor looks like it has regained the Brisbane seats of Algester, Yeerongpilly, Greenslopes, and Kallangur, and Cook in northern Queensland.

Greenslopes is considered a bellwether seat, going with the party that wins government since 1960.

For the LNP, Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney (Callide) and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleije (Kawana) have retained their seats.

Mr Seeney fended off a challenge from Palmer United Party candidate, John Bjelke-Petersen - the son of long-time National premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

In Lockyer, LNP MP Ian Rickuss is on 53 per cent to Pauline Hanson's 47 per cent.

8:50PM

Labor candidate Kate Jones has addressed the ALP supporters at her Ashgrove electorate after winning back the seat she lost to Campbell Newman at the 2012 election.

"When I was defeated in 2012, I retreated back into my community," Jones said.

"I retreated back into my family who raised me in Ashgrove, into the Ashgrove community.

"What I saw happening over the last three years was a Queensland going backwards. A Queensland where I didn't want to live and a Queensland where I didn't want to raise my children.

8:35PM

Liberal National Party rising hope David Crisafulli has blamed the Queensland government's inability to sell their reforms as the reason for their likely boilover defeat in Saturday's election.

Mr Crisafulli, the Community Recovery and Resilience Minister, is poised to join dozens of fellow LNP members to lose their seats as Labor is sweeping towards an extraordinary victory.

The 35-year-old former Townsville councillor backed the LNP's controversial plans to lease $37 billion worth of the state's assets to help fix an $80 billion debt, as well as their hard-line reforms to the public service and law and order.

But Mr Crisafulli says the government failed to properly explain their actions.

"Just because it's politically difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't reform," he said on Saturday night.

"That doesn't mean we didn't make mistakes.

"We haven't taken people on the journey. In many ways we've just gone in and fixed problems and then told people why they needed to be fixed after.

"You have to find a way to say why you have a problem and why you have to do something about it."

Mr Crisafulli believed that his popularity in Townsville had kept the former city councillor in the hunt to possibly hold off Labor's candidate Coralee O'Rourke and retain Mundingburra.

He labelled the 12-plus per cent swing across the state as similar to what happened to former prime minister John Howard's federal government when he struggled to sell plans for the goods and services tax.

"In many ways it mirrors the 1998 federal election when the then Howard government took GST to the people and in real terms nearly lost that election," Crisafulli said..

"It's a very similar result for us tonight."

8:25PM

Premier Campbell Newman has phoned ALP candidate Kate Jones to concede the seat of Ashgrove.

8:15PM

Former federal Labor MP Craig Emerson says the opposition under Annastacia Palaszczuk looked on track to win at least 42 seats and could even snatch a majority.

"The seats in which Labor has either won or is ahead is 42. Now 42 out of 89 is getting close to 45 which is a majority," he said.

Former Queensland Labor state secretary and Brisbane City councillor Milton Dick told Nine he believed "Annastacia Palaszczuk could be the next premier."

8PM

Former premier Peter Beattie says Labor looks set to return to government in Queensland.

The ALP now looks likely to win the LNP seats of Waterford, Ipswich, Kallangur, Capalaba, Bulimba, Lytton, Pine Rivers, and Everton - held by Housing Minister Tim Mander.

"I can't see the Labor party losing it from here," Mr Beattie said.

"This is going to be a boilover. This is extraordinary."

Premier Campbell Newman looks certain to have lost his own seat of Ashgrove and a significant number of seats have been regained by Labor, including the bellwether seats of Greenslopes and Barron Creek, and Stretton, Sunnybank.

Former deputy prime minister Wayne Swan wasn't prepared to call the election, but described the unfolding results as "an electoral earthquake".

"We have seen the biggest majority in Australian history eroded right back. There is an electoral earthquake happening," Mr Swan said.

"We don't know whether Labor has won but we know 30-odd seats have been gained by the ALP and lost by the LNP in one term."

7:40PM

Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade Tim Nicholls has conceded the seat of Ashgrove looks likely to be lost to the ALP's Kate Jones.

"On those numbers, it is certainly looking that way," the LNP Member for Clayfield said.

"I think it is a sad day... for Campbell and the work he has put into the seat of Ashgrove.

"We've still got 60 percent of the vote to go but on those numbers, it looks like it is going to be very, very hard for Campbell and the LNP in that area.

"That's reflecting, I think, realistically the swings we are starting to see come across the board."

7:30PM

There's excitement in the air at Queensland's Labor camp, but few are daring to dream just yet.

Exit polls have put Labor in the box seat for an extraordinary election triumph, despite only holding nine of 89 seats in the state's parliament.

State president Dick Williams says Labor still faced a "David and Goliath" situation like Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk had spruiked during the campaign.

"I really don't put much store in them (exit polls) - frankly, the sample's too small, the margin too great," he told AAP.

"I think we've got a hell of a long way to go before we get too excited about the result that's coming tonight."

When asked if he was confident, Mr Williams laughed and said: "No, I'm not confident, I'm never confident.

"I'm Mr Worry Wart within the party."

Mr Williams said he wouldn't be at ease until Labor had claimed enough seats to form a majority government.

Brisbane City Councillor Milton Dick also didn't read much into the exit polls, but said they reflected a mood for change he'd seen at polling booths.

Mr Dick said voters were against asset sales and the arrogant leadership of the Liberal National Party, while issues on a federal level also angered many.

"It's very clear that voters are determined to send a message to the government," the Labor councillor said.

But despite the expected responses, there's definitely more smiling and laughter in the room than would be expected from a party that wasn't even supposed to be in the running.

Ms Palaszczuk is expected to arrive at the function in Richlands once a result is known.

7:15PM

7News Brisbane reporter Geoff Breusch says it remains a subdued atmosphere at the LNP headquarters where there is a sense supporters are facing something worse than they anticipated.

"There'd been a sense in Ashgrove that things would be this bad, perhaps not a sense that things would be going more broadly in the direction they are," he said.

It comes as the latest poll in Ashgrove shows with a slight lead over Campbell Newman.

7PM:

An hour after voting closed, exit polls are showing the LNP and Premier Campbell Newman are in real trouble.

Early figures show the ALP's Kate Jones is on 48 per cent, while Mr Newman is on 38 per cent.

"What was promised in 2012 was not delivered over the next three years," Ashgrove candidate Kate Jones told 7News.

"You can't buy trust, trust is something that is earnt by keeping to your word and standing by your community.“

Here are some of the other early results from across the state:

6:55PM:

Concerned Liberal National Party supporters are continuing to slowly dribble into their Queensland election night party.

A heavy afternoon thunderstorm may have slowed their arrival, or perhaps recent exit polling has dampened their spirits.

LNP minders have told waiting journalists, photographers and camera operators that they won't be allowed into the function until about half an hour before Premier Campbell Newman speaks.

But that could be much later on Saturday night, with the count in his seat of Ashgrove and across the state looking like they will both be extremely close.

6:45PM:

Early counting shows Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney is on track to hold his seat.

EARLIER:

Queensland Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's feeling positive after casting her vote in her Brisbane seat of Inala.

But when asked if she was confident of winning the state's top job on Saturday, she said: "One step at a time. It's going to be a long day."

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Winning her seat is expected - Inala has been a safe Labor seat since its creation in 1992.

But the big challenge is for Labor to achieve a 12 per cent swing to win government.

It currently holds nine seats, while the LNP has 73.

Voters showered the Labor leader with praise as she slowly walked to the sausage sizzle after placing her vote in the ballot box at Inala State School.

"You are wonderful," one woman told her.

Ms Palaszczuk laughed but as she climbed into her car an LNP campaigner taunted her about her radio gaffe earlier this week, where she passed when asked what the GST percentage was.

Plastered along the school's fence were Labor's anti-Campbell Newman advertisements, featuring a large shot of the premier's face with the words "stop the assets sell-off".

Ms Palaszczuk succeeded her father Henry Palaszczuk after he retired at the 2006 election.

Premier Campbell Newman cast his vote alongside the constituents of Ashgrove on what's being tipped as his final day as the electorate's local member.

Newman holds the Brisbane seat by a 5.7 per cent margin but recent polling has suggested he will lose it to Labor rival Kate Jones.

Premier Campbell Newman and Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk earlier made their last pitch to voters.

While Newman highlighted his plan to build infrastructure by leasing state assets, Palaszczuk said the mandate was the reason Labor drastically lost the last election.

"We were elected to clean up a big mess," Newman told Channel Seven before voting booths opened.

"We've turned things around."

The final opinion polls suggest there will be a swing to Labor of 8-12 per cent on Saturday, meaning the opposition could pick up between 15-30 seats.

But even in a worst-case scenario, the LNP will likely hold on to around 47 seats and have the right to form government.

If that were the final outcome it would spark a mad scramble after both major parties ruled out deals with minor rivals.

There will be a particular focus on Premier Campbell Newman's seat of Ashgrove, where he's been trailing Labor's Kate Jones.

Both parties say that the seat is too close to call, but if Mr Newman loses Queensland will soon have a new premier.

The latest ReachTel poll, released on Friday, highlighted the growing discontent with Mr Newman with 35.7 per cent of respondents labelling his performance as very poor and 16.7 per cent as poor.

The other bellwether seats to watch will be are Townsville, Cairns, Mackay and Gladstone, which have been visited numerous times by both Mr Newman and Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The big promises

LIBERAL NATIONAL PARTY

INFRASTRUCTURE

- $148 million in "congestion-busting" road projects in the state's southeast

- Duplicating 17km of rail line on the Sunshine Coast to ease congestion on the line between Beerburrum and Landsborough. Worth $532 million over four years

- $150 million in funding for a new stadium complex in Townsville

- $170 million for M1-Gateways merge, extension of bus lane, 350 park-and-ride spaces

- $375 million to create a major highway in regional Queensland, to upgrade and widen existing roads to create an inland alternative to the Bruce Highway

- Extra $500 million for the regions to go towards 47 projects including the upgrade of 11 airports, a road and a truck wash down facility.

JOBS

- Jobs for Tomorrow policy to create 26,000 new training positions by offering incentives to employers. Worth $91 million.

EDUCATION

- $1 billion for 22 new schools and existing school upgrades

- $90 million innovation fund and 500 scholarships for education degrees

TOURISM

- $80 million for tourism, including a $60 million Queensland First fund to attract world-class events and $20 million to encourage visitors to see the regions

LAW AND ORDER

- $7.5 million for three new police rapid action hubs, 5400 more iPads for officers on the beat and $22 million to improve intelligence capacity.

LABOR

- Advance Queensland Policy: $50 million over three years to support research, give a tax holiday to companies involved in that research, offer 20 university scholarships per year to post-graduate students and support female researchers advance their careers

JOBS

- To reintroduce the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program

- $40 million for fresh business ideas under Business Development Fund

MINISTERIAL

- Cut the number of ministers from the current 19 to 14 and assistant ministers down from 12 to one to save the government $27 million.

INFRASTRUCTURE

- Building Our Regions Policy: $390 million over three years to fund infrastructure for regional centres, remote areas, mining communities and general transport

EDUCATION

- $9 million for 45 new guidance counsellors for state schools with over 500 students.

- Hiring 875 new teachers in the state schools, bolstering new hires to 2500, including 275 specialist high school teachers. Worth $139 million over three years.

HEALTH

- $110 million to employ 400 extra nurses over four years

- $111 million to employ 1000 graduate nurses a year for four years

ENVIRONMENT

- Scrap a $300m LNP pledge to fund the controversial rail link between the Carmichael coal mine and the Abbot Point terminal at Bowen

TOURISM

- An extra $40 million over four years to help grow Queensland's tourism industry

LAW AND ORDER

- Backflipped on promise to overturn the bikie laws. Will have a review instead.