Now Labor MPs have to deliver

THE new State Government is now formed and Labor has successfully managed to gain ground allowing the party to govern in its own right with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the helm.

In Townsville, Mundingburra and Thuringowa, the three sitting Labor candidates managed to hold on despite predictions of a swing.

While Coralee O’Rourke and Aaron Harper were quick to claim their victory ahead of official declaration by the Electoral Commission of Queensland, Townsville MP Scott Stewart had an agonising 12- day wait before his future was made certain.

The two strongest candidates in the local race were undoubtedly Mr Stewart and the formidable LNP candidate Casie Scott. It’s easy to see why it was such a close contest with just 214 votes separating the pair.

But Mr Stewart is well regarded in the community as a sincere and levelheaded MP. His humble response to his marginal victory should give locals hope that he is ready to listen and act.

Mr Stewart told the Bulletin he had been “put on notice” by the people and that he would work “twice as hard” as he did in his first term.

From today, it’s time for those MPs to get on with the job of moving the whole of this state forward.

Having majority government can have an unfortunate effect on the egos of politicians. It can lead them to believe they have the mandate to rule as they see fit. It was that reckless arrogance that crippled the Campbell Newman government.

Instead the Government has been given an enormous privilege to lead the state and it would be remiss of Labor to forget that without One Nation and the disenfranchised voters that flocked to its party, the result could have been very, very different.

Labor candidates now have to deliver and, as always, the Bulletin will hold them to account.