Labor claims victory in Queensland's Stafford by-election
Queensland Labor has claimed victory in the Stafford by-election in Brisbane's northern suburbs, with candidate Luke Richmond on track to become the seat's next state member. The Liberal National Party conceded it had fallen short after counting ended on Saturday night. The result follows a four-week campaign in the state electorate, which was triggered by the death of former MP Jimmy Sullivan last month.
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Richmond, described as Labor's former state assistant secretary, defeated the LNP's Fiona Hammond. In a statement overnight, Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the people of Stafford had sent the LNP a message and said Labor momentum was building. Premier David Crisafulli said on Sunday morning that he was humbled by the result, even though the LNP did not win the seat.
He said the votes would continue to be counted, but that the party would fall short. Counting had produced a 4.1% swing against Labor after preferences by the time it ended, according to the figures cited in the reporting. Crisafulli said governments do not usually get a swing towards them in a by-election of that size, and thanked the electors of Stafford for choosing hope over fear.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie also described the result as a knife-edge contest, while saying Hammond would not get there in the end. The comments from both sides suggest the result is being read as politically significant well beyond the single seat. Stafford is a state electorate in Brisbane's northern suburbs, and by-elections there can be used as a measure of voter sentiment between general elections.
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The contest has drawn attention because it comes early in the current parliamentary term and because the seat changed hands in the context of a recent death in office. Labor's claim of victory, and the LNP's concession, mean the result is now being treated as settled even as final counting continues. The by-election also carries broader implications for the two main parties in Queensland.
Miles used the result to argue that Labor momentum is building, while Bleijie said the outcome was disastrous for Labor and claimed it showed Miles's leadership was in tatters. Crisafulli, meanwhile, said the result exceeded his expectations and framed it as a strong effort by the LNP despite the loss. Those competing interpretations point to the seat being used as an early political test for both sides.
What remains unclear is the final margin once all votes are fully counted and whether any further changes will affect the scale of the swing. The immediate outcome, however, is that Richmond is expected to enter parliament as Stafford's next member. The result will now be watched for what it suggests about voter sentiment in Queensland ahead of the 2028 state election.
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