Queensland: Historic Bligh victory

Anna Bligh created history on the weekend, defying every opinion poll, to win the Queensland election and earn the Labor Party a fifth consecutive term.

Labor suffered a four per cent swing across the state in Saturday's poll but it was half what the Liberal National Party required to win government.

Anna Bligh became the first female politician to be elected a premier in any Australian state.

Ms Bligh said voters had entrusted the state to her amid tough economic times and vowed "to stare the global financial crisis in the face and to bring Queensland out of it stronger, not weaker".

"You have given me a mandate to protect your jobs and build a stronger Queensland and I am ready for the task," she said.

"Queenslanders want me and my government to do better, and they want us to do better on some of the biggest areas of responsibility, and without a doubt one of those is health."

"Queenslanders, you can count on me."