Labor Secures Victory in Stafford By-Election
Labor has declared victory in the by-election for the Queensland state electorate of Stafford, with the LNP acknowledging that they fell short of winning the seat in Brisbane’s northern suburbs. Luke Richmond, who previously served as the state assistant secretary for Labor, is now on track to enter parliament as the next member for Stafford, having defeated the LNP’s Fiona Hammond.
Opposition Leader Steven Miles highlighted the challenges faced by Labor during the brief campaign, noting that the odds were stacked against them. He pointed out that the LNP candidate had a strong local profile, having previously served as a Brisbane city councillor.
“This is a win for Labor and a win for Luke Richmond,” Miles stated on Sunday. “What we’ve seen in Stafford is the battle lines drawn for the 2028 election.”
Miles emphasized that the new member for Stafford is a community champion who will work diligently for his electorate. The by-election was triggered following the death of former MP Jimmy Sullivan, who was found dead in his home last month.
There had been a 4.2 per cent swing against Labor after preferences, as counting continued on Sunday morning. Miles attributed this swing to the absence of One Nation from the by-election.
“We will never know what the result would have been if they had run and not directed their supporters to vote for the LNP,” he said.
Premier Expresses Humility Over Swing Toward LNP
Speaking on Sunday morning, Premier David Crisafulli expressed that he was “humbled by the results” despite the LNP not securing the seat. “The votes will continue to be counted, we will fall short, but I’m really proud of the effort,” he said.
The by-election was held after the death of former MP Jimmy Sullivan, who was found dead in his home last month. There had been a 4.1 per cent swing against Labor after preferences, as counting ended on Saturday night.
“Governments don’t usually get a swing towards them in a by-election, certainly not of this magnitude,” Mr Crisafulli said. He thanked “the electors of Stafford for choosing hope over fear” and Ms Hammond for her hard work during the four-week campaign.
“The results certainly exceeded our expectations,” Mr Crisafulli said. It was the second time the former Brisbane city councillor had contested the seat.
Criticism of Opposition Leadership
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie admitted that Ms Hammond “just won’t get there,” but described the results as a “disastrous” outcome for Labor. He referred to the results as being on a “knife-edge.”
“The results are in last night, and it’s clear that Steven Miles’s leadership is in absolute tatters,” he said on Sunday morning. “This was a swing to an incumbent government that we’ve not seen the likes of for 100 years.”
Bleijie claimed that Mr Miles was attempting to “rewrite history” by portraying the result as a positive one for Labor. “He didn’t. It was a Labor seat. He tried to make out it was going to be a tough election,” he said.
Labor has won the seat nine out of 10 times since it was created in 2001. Bleijie suggested that the results raised questions about Mr Miles’s leadership of the opposition.
“Steven Miles is out of depth in leadership, and he just cannot read the room,” he said. “[Luke Richmond’s] first vote’s not going to be in parliament … He’s going to vote for the Labor Party spill motion that inevitably will happen.”
Continued Support for Steven Miles
When asked on Sunday if he still planned to lead Labor into the next state election, Mr Miles affirmed that he did. “I have the support of the caucus,” he said.
Mr Miles was joined at the press conference by Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick, Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman, and Shadow Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace. All of them expressed their support for Mr Miles as the leader.
Mr Dick stated that Mr Miles was the best person to lead the team. “As Steven [Miles] says, a united team is the best way to beat David Crisafulli and the LNP,” he said.
