Queensland’s Liberal National Party (LNP) leader, David Crisafulli, has been sworn in as Premier after winning the state election over the weekend.
It ends nine years of successive Labor governments in Queensland.
While the campaign was dominated by cost of living and crime, abortion emerged as a significant issue close to polling day.
So, what can Queenslanders expect from a Crisafulli-led LNP government?
Results
The LNP defeated Labor 54-46% on a two-party preferred basis.
Counting is still underway, but the ABC and Courier Mail have projected the LNP will win around 50 seats — more than the 47 needed to form a majority government.
It’s estimated Labor has lost around 15 seats, mostly concentrated in regional areas like Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast, and Mackay.
David Crisafulli
Crisafulli was born in the North Queensland town of Ingham — where his Italian migrant grandfather had a sugar cane farm.
He worked as a journalist before being elected as a councillor in Townsville.
Crisafulli rose through the ranks of local government to become Deputy Mayor before entering state Parliament.
He also won a spaghetti-eating contest in his hometown in 1999.
In 2012, Crisafulli won the Townsville seat of Mundingburra from the Labor Party. He lost the seat at the next election in 2015, in a Labor landslide victory.
Crisafulli later won pre-selection for the safe LNP seat of Broadwater, in the Gold Coast’s northern suburbs, allowing him to re-enter Parliament at the following election.
He became Opposition Leader in November 2020, shortly after the LNP lost its third consecutive election to Labor.
Premier plans
Crisafulli and his deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie were sworn in as Premier and Deputy Premier on Monday. It’s only the second time the LNP has formed Government since it became a single political party in 2008.
After being sworn in, Crisafulli said: “The responsibility of being Premier is not something I take lightly.” He promised to “focus” on Queenslanders.
Crisafulli ran a tough-on-crime campaign, sharing social media posts about a need to tackle the “youth crime crisis” in the state.
Crisafulli and his deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie were sworn in as Premier and Deputy Premier on Monday. It’s only the second time the LNP has formed Government since it became a single political party in 2008.
After being sworn in, Crisafulli said: “The responsibility of being Premier is not something I take lightly.” He promised to “focus” on Queenslanders.
Crisafulli ran a tough-on-crime campaign, sharing social media posts about a need to tackle the “youth crime crisis” in the state.
Abortion
During the campaign, rural MP Robbie Katter, an independent, announced that he would introduce a bill to reverse abortion rights in Queensland.
Crisafulli said he had “no plans” to change the state’s abortion laws.
Katter has since reversed his pledge.
As the LNP is on track to form a majority, it won’t need to negotiate a power-sharing deal with independents.
That means a Katter-backed bill to change abortion laws would likely fail.
In the last leader’s debate of the campaign, Crisafulli said he believed in a woman’s right to choose.
However, there are some pro-life figures within the LNP, including former Family First candidate Kerri-Anne Dooley, who won the northern Brisbane seat of Redcliffe.
Family First is an anti-abortion political party that describes Australia’s laws as “extreme”.
