Labor has claimed victory in a crucial by-election, after final pre-poll indicated they were likely to hold the seat with a knife-edge from the LNP.
Luke Richmond, the party’s candidate for the seat of Stafford in Brisbane’s north, is ahead with 51.2 per cent of the vote on a two-party basis, according to the latest update from the Queensland Electoral Commission.
But the party has still suffered a 4.1 per cent swing towards the LNP.
LNP candidate Fiona Hammond, a former Brisbane City Councillor, tails Labor with 48.8 per cent of the vote on the two-party basis.
Just over 700 votes separate the pair, after preferences.
The by-election has not been called yet but Queensland Premier David Crisafulli conceded defeat while addressing party supporters in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley on Saturday night.
Mr Crisafulli said he believed they would fall “agonisingly short” but nevertheless celebrated the swing towards the government, the ABC reports.
“If you had said to me at the start of this that we will be here with a result like this, I think it is probably beyond all of our dreams,” he said.
That same night, Opposition Leader Steven Miles used the result to declare momentum was “building”.
“We have seen that momentum right here on the ground in Stafford, and tonight has drawn the battle lines for the 2028 election,” Mr Miles said in a statement.
“This campaign represents the biggest ever grassroots campaign from Queensland Labor in its history, with over 34,000 doors knocked and over 27,000 calls made.
“Based on the numbers, the LNP have gained a modest primary swing, considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds used for political advertising and the Premier’s deal with One Nation to not run, while their supporters actively endorsed the LNP candidate.”
Mr Miles acknowledged Ms Hammond for a “respectful campaign”.
The by-election was sparked following the sudden death of independent MP Jimmy Sullivan.
Mr Sullivan, 44, was found dead in his home earlier in April, with police declaring his death as non-suspicious.
Stafford is considered a safe Labor-held seat – only changing hands once in 2012 after the LNP’s landslide electoral victory.
It was again won by Labor in 2015 by Anthony Lynham, who was succeeded by Mr Sullivan in 2020.
At the time of his death, Mr Sullivan had been sitting on the crossbench after being expelled from Labor’s caucus, amid scrutiny over personal matters.
The electorate takes in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, including Stafford, Chermside and Kedron.
