Anna Bligh last night defied predictions and gloomy opinion polls to deliver Queensland state Labor an upset fifth term victory - and a place for herself in the history books.
Ms Bligh's emphatic victory over the newly-formed Liberal-National Party, led by Lawrence Springborg, makes her the first female in Australian political history to be elected premier in her own right.
In sealing victory, she defied a string of state and territory Labor losses, cemented Queensland as the jewel in Labor's national crown and delivered a massive adrenalin boost to her good friend Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Claiming victory, an excited Ms Bligh said she was humbled and honoured.
"I will work every single day of the next term of Government to deliver better government," she said.
She said her reshaped Labor Government would double its efforts on schools, roads, jobs and hospitals.
"We in the Labor Party believe that in tough times … governments need to stand by working people; to step up, not away."
Conceding defeat, a sombre Mr Springborg paid respect to a formidable and capable opponent.
"I very much accept the mandate of the Queensland people," he said.
"I wish Ms Bligh all the best as she moves forward to meet the challenges for Queensland."
The three-time candidate said he would step down from the leadership, saying it was "never meant to be" that he would become premier.
The swing to the LNP was just over 3pc, less than half that needed to unseat the 11-year-old Labor Government and far less than that predicted by leading national opinion polls.
A jubilant federal Treasurer, Queenslander Wayne Swan, paid tribute to Ms Bligh before she had claimed victory.
"They threw everything at Anna Bligh at this election - it's a great victory for Anna," he said. "She's as tough as teak. The great thing about Anna Bligh is, when they threw everything at her, she hung in there. It was an extraordinary effort."
Independent candidate Pauline Hanson failed in her bid to take the seat of Beaudesert. Early counting looked good for Ms Hanson, a controversial federal MP between 1996 and 1998.
But as the night wore on, her votes sank, along with any hope of resurrecting a political career after a decade of trying to break back into politics at a state or federal level.
With 70pc of the vote counted, the LNP's John Bjelke-Petersen - the son of former premier Sir Joh, who ruled Queensland for two decades - was neck-and-neck in his battle to take the seat of Nanango from independent Dorothy Pratt.
One Nation's sole MP, Rosa Lee Long, was on track to lose her seat to the LNP's Shane Knuth.
Both Ms Bligh and Mr Springborg beamed for the cameras as they voted in the morning, both predicting a knife-edge result.
Jobs and economic security were central to Labor's winning campaign.
Labor claimed an LNP government would slash jobs, while federally Mr Rudd launched a pincer movement to paint the state and federal conservative parties as job-wreckers.
An exit poll conducted by Auspoll showed that the local issue of health and hospitals was a primary concern for voters, but the national issues of jobs and the economic climate also rated highly.
Queensland Greens leader and Indooroopilly MP Ronan Lee looked likely to lose his seat.
The first Queensland Greens MP, Mr Lee defected from Labor last October, citing a lack of environmental action by the Government as his reason for deserting.
The Greens polled a respectable 8.2pc across the state, but failed to pick up another seat.
Ms Bligh called the election six months early, citing the need for economic and political stability.
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