Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull agreed yesterday that the fragile economy played a significant role in Labor's Queensland election win, as voters opted to stick with a leader they knew to see the state through the global financial crisis.
The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, defied public and internal party polling to secure Labor a fifth term in government at the weekend. Despite predictions of a cliffhanger, there was a swing of only 4pc against Labor, insufficient to unseat the Government.
Having failed in his third attempt to become premier, the Liberal National Party leader, Lawrence Springborg, immediately announced his resignation as leader.
The focus is now on whether the fragile unity of the LNP can hold after its election result fell short of expectations.
The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader gave sharply conflicting interpretations of the federal implications of the Queensland result.
Mr Rudd said the poll in his home state had been decided overwhelmingly on state issues and Ms Bligh's "gutsy performance".
But he drew strong parallels between Queensland and federal Labor's management of the economy and contrasted Labor's approach with the federal Liberal Party's stance: "You can't have political leaders at the national level or state level running around and saying that the recession is peripheral, that it has been hyped up, that it has been manufactured, which is what the Liberals and Nationals have been saying."
Mr Turnbull said he was disappointed, but that the result was a vast improvement on previous performances by the conservatives in Queensland.
He said there was a tendency during the early stages of a crisis for the electorate to swing behind incumbent governments.
But after this initial response voters would start to question how effectively the Government was handling the crisis.
"Over time people will say, 'Yes, we accept there is a global financial crisis, but what have you done, government of the day, to make it better?' and if people believe, as I do, that the Government has, in fact, made it worse, then they will judge them accordingly."
Ms Bligh's victory was sealed by the third of Queensland voters who apparently did not make up their minds which way to vote until the last minute.
"Things turned very quickly in the end," one Labor campaign veteran said. "When the undecided [voters] went through, they all broke for us."
Two days before polling day Labor insiders were predicting a swing of at least 6pc against the Government.
It was not until late on Friday that strategists felt confident Labor would be able to form government in its own right.
Despite the mood for change after 11 years of Labor government, voters decided not to risk an untested leader in an uncertain economic climate.
Based on counting of 70pc of the vote, Labor is expected to have 53 of the 89 seats. This represents a loss of six seats.
Seventeen Labor seats are now held with a margin of less than 5pc.
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