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National

Results in key Queensland seats in the federal election

Two people enjoying a democracy sausage at Nudgee State School in the seat of Lilley.  (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)

The Sunshine State was a major factor in delivering the Morrison miracle in 2019 — a blue tide across Queensland saw the LNP win 23 seats out of 30.

Labor holds just six seats in the state and not a single one outside the south-east corner.

The ALP will be hoping to reverse some of its losses last time around, while the Coalition will be keen to keep its grip on as many seats as possible.

Glenn Kefford from the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland said the electoral battleground of Queensland was crucial to the overall result.

"Queensland is always critical. It is the jewel in the crown of the Coalition and any seats that the government loses in Queensland is going to make it difficult for them to retain power," he said.

So which seats should we be watching? Follow results from some of Queensland's key seats.

You can jump ahead to an electorate here:

Brisbane

The key seat of Brisbane is a marginal LNP seat. (AAP: Darren England)

The inner-city marginal seat of Brisbane has been billed as one of the most important in this election.

Dr Kefford pointed to the inner-city triumvirate of Brisbane, Griffith and Ryan as the seats to watch.

All three are held by the major parties — Brisbane by the LNP's Trevor Evans, Ryan by the LNP's Julian Simmonds, and Griffith by Labor's Terri Butler — but are facing an outsize challenge from Greens candidates.

The Greens and their preferences could have a major say.

"My sense is that Labor will likely pick up Brisbane," Dr Kefford said.

Brisbane, held by a marginal 4.9 per cent, covers the city's CBD and inner-city suburbs on the riverside and northside.

Flynn 

With power stations at Gladstone, Biloela and Stanwell, coal is central to parts of the Flynn electorate. (ABC News: Christoper Gillette)

Outside the south-east corner, the central Queensland seat of Flynn has attracted attention during the campaign.

The LNP's retiring member Ken O'Dowd holds the seat on a safe margin of 8.7 per cent.

Griffith

The seat of Griffith encompasses inner-city suburbs on the south side of the Brisbane River. (ABC News: Aryana Mohmood)

The marginal Labor seat of Griffith has been held by Labor's Terri Butler since the 2014 by-election on a margin of 2.9  per cent.

Dr Kefford said he backed Labor to retain the seat.

"I that it is likely that Butler will be returned and that despite all of the work that the Greens have been doing and a likely increase in their primary, I think Labor's primary is going to increase as well," he said.

Blair

Ripley Valley has been designated as a Priority Development Area by the Queensland government to accelerate growth, but that leaves landholders with fewer objection rights. (ABC News: Jemima Burt)

Labor's Shayne Neumann has held the seat, centred on Ipswich and its surrounding suburbs, since 2007.

His margin was cut back to just 1.2 per cent in 2019.

It's Queensland's second-most marginal seat and the Coalition has demonstrated it is hopeful its candidate, commercial real estate agent Sam Biggins, it will unseat Mr Neumann.

The seat has seen Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce no less than six times during the campaign.

Hinkler

An electoral storm is brewing in Queensland's seat of Hinkler.  (ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

The entry of wildcard candidate, Jack Dempsey in the very safe LNP seat of Hinkler has also made it an interesting contest.

Political scientist with Griffith University Anne Tiernan was doubtful of Mr Dempsey's chances in the race. 

Mr Pitt, the Minister for Resources and Water, holds the seat on a generous margin of 14.5 per cent.

Leichhardt

The marginal seat of Leichhardt is dominated by the Cairns population. (AAP: Brian Casey)

The sprawling marginal seat of Leichhardt stretches from Cairns up to Cape York in Far North Queensland.

This federal electorate, which has been held by the LNP's Warren Entsch since 2010,  has garnered plenty of attention during the campaign, with climate change, cost of living and damage to tourism front of mind for voters.

The LNP holds the seat on a 4.2 per cent margin.

Lilley

The marginal Labor seat of Lilley takes in Brisbane's northern suburbs.  (ABC News: Aryana Mohmood)

Professor Tiernan said the ultra-marginal seat of Lilley was no longer likely to change hands.

The prediction comes after LNP candidate Vivian Lobo's campaign was disrupted by allegations he provided false information to the Australian Electoral Commission.

"They've just had candidate trouble in Lilley which is disappointing for [the LNP's] campaign and has sort of left [Labor incumbent] Anika Wells probably pretty safe in that seat I think," Professor Tiernan said.

Labor holds the seat on a margin of 0.6 per cent.

Longman

Road accessibility is a major issue for the Longman electorate in south-east Queensland. (ABC News: Stuart Bryce)

Professor Tiernan said another marginal seat to watch is the swinging seat of Longman, which includes the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture. 

"The other one that everyone's had their eye on is Longman — it's really, really hard to know," she said.

The mainly urban electorate, which sits on a margin of 3.3 per cent, has been held by the LNP's Terry Young since 2019.

Professor Tiernan said preference flows from minor parties such as the United Australian Party will be decisive.

Ryan

The key seat of Ryan lies in Brisbane's leafy western suburbs on the northern side of the Brisbane River. (ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith)

The blue-ribbon seat of Ryan, stretching west of Brisbane's CBD, is ostensibly safe on a margin of 6.0 per cent — but it was one of the only LNP seats where the vote slipped in 2019.

The seat is currently held by the LNP's Julian Simmonds.

Dr Kefford said the electoral race in Ryan was "a bit of a cliff hanger". 

"I think Ryan is a really difficult seat to call because I think we are going to see both Labor and the Greens primary vote increase and the LNP primary to decrease," Dr Kefford said.

"That is a really tough electorate to call. I think Julian Simmonds would be feeling quite nervous."

The Senate

There are several high-profile candidates who are vying for a Queensland Senate seat.

While there's six seats up for election, it's generally understood that only three are in play — with the LNP certain to retain two and Labor certain to retain one.

One Nation leader and current Senator Pauline Hanson, Clive Palmer from the United Australia Party and former Queensland premier Campbell Newman for the Liberal Democrats all have high profiles in the state.

LNP frontbencher Amanda Stoker is fighting to retain her seat, while Labor will also be hoping to retain Anthony Chisholm's seat, with the Greens' Penny Allman-Payne also targeting left votes.

Counting for the Senate always takes longer than the House of Representatives, and it could take weeks to finalise the result.

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