Exit polls indicate Annastacia Palaszczuk is set to make political history in Australia by becoming the first woman to win a second election.
Ms Palaszczuk, 48, has been Premier of Queensland since 2015, and now looks likely to retain the position following Saturday’s election.
Her Labor government is tipped to be returned to power in a tight race against LNP leader Tim Nicholls.
Exit polls indicate Annastacia Palaszczuk is set to make political history in Australia by becoming the first woman to win a second election
Early counting shows One Nation’s Queensland leader and LNP defector Steve Dickson is in danger of losing his seat in the election.
One Nation is showing promising returns in some seats, but Mr Dickson is lagging well behind the LNP and ALP in his Sunshine Coast seat of Buderim.
Former premier Peter Beattie told Sky News Mr Dickson was ‘gone’.
Ms Palaszczuk handed out how-to-vote cards in her seat of Inala with her father Henry, mother Lorelle and sister Julia.
‘[The choice] is whether they want to continue with a stable, hardworking, decent government, or do they want to put that at risk with Tim Nicholls as premier with Pauline Hanson,’ she said.
Mr Nicholls was swamped by anti-Adani protestors as he arrived with his wife Mary to vote at a church in his inner-Brisbane seat of Clayfield.
‘I’m feeling really positive, we’ve got a great message, we’re talking about cheaper power, we’re talking about jobs, and jobs for regional Queensland that Annastacia Palaszczuk doesn’t want to deliver he said.’
The big issue for the LNP is the re-emergence of One Nation which is sucking away its support from conservative voters.
Senator Pauline Hanson said she was confident the party would get a groundswell of support in the Queensland elections.
‘We’re going to win quite a few seats here in Queensland and I think that’s going to carry across to the next federal election too,’ she said.
Mr Nicholls was swamped by anti-Adani protestors as he arrived with his wife Mary to vote at a church in his inner-Brisbane seat of Clayfield
Pauline Hanson is remaining upbeat despite One Nation failing to make the impact she touted in the Queensland election.
Her party’s two biggest names – state leader Steve Dickson and former senator Malcolm Roberts – are set for defeat before half the vote is counted in their seats.
LNP defector Mr Dickson is well behind his former party in the seat of Buderim while Mr Roberts has only 28 per cent of the vote in Ipswich where Labor’s sitting MP Jennifer Howard is on track to hold.
Although Mr Dickson virtually conceded defeat at a party function, Senator Hanson was still holding hope of a miraculous turnaround.
‘I still have faith in Steve,’ she said while standing beside him in Buderim.
Supporters are seen at the campaign party house for Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson in Buderim
Senator Hanson also said preferences would flow Mr Roberts’ way in Ipswich.
‘There’s still preferences and a lot of people don’t follow the how-to-vote cards,’ she told reporters. ‘Where just going to wait and see.’
But Mr Roberts conceded defeat shortly after.
The One Nation leader at the start of the four-week campaign tipped repeating the party’s efforts in the 1998 election when they won 11 seats.
But after two hours of voting they will be hard pressed to win more than a quarter of that, let alone hold the balance of power in parliament.
Maryborough appears the only seat that will go One Nation’s way but Senator Hanson also talked up its chances in Callide, Lockyer, Burnett and Hervey Bay.
‘I think we’re looking good in some of the other seats,’ she said.
‘I think we will win some seats, there’s no doubt about that.
‘It’s going to be a long night.’