Incumbent Australian leaders appear to be benefiting from their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic at the ballot box.

But also for the Liberal prime minister, elections so far this year have all gone to Labor – the Northern Territory, the ACT and now Queensland – and he appears to have wasted a week campaigning in the Sunshine State with losing LNP leader Deb Frecklington.

While voting in Queensland continues, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been swept back to power for a historic third term in government, becoming the first Australian woman political leader to secure three successive victories.

“Federally we are going to take a lot of heart from last night’s result,” Federal Labor MP and Queenslander Terri Butler told ABC television’s Insiders program.

“Incredible result from Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has been a strong leader, who has kept people safe through her resilience.”

She said there was a lot of concern in the seats of Cairns and Townsville but once the PM got involved it really strengthened Labor’s vote there.

“I think people didn’t like what they saw from the prime minister and did like what they saw from Labor,” Butler said.

Late on Saturday, Labor was on track to hold as many as 49 votes, compared with 36 for LNP in the 93-seat single-chamber parliament.

There has been bitter inter-state debate about Queensland’s handling of the pandemic, particularly closing its state borders.

Outgoing state Labor MP Kate Jones, who decided to retire from politics before the election, said the Premier was a very strong leader, who was upfront and honest with the people of Queensland.

“Certainly the sentiment about Annastacia being bullied by the Prime Minister, by Peter Dutton, by those Liberal leaders coming up to Queensland telling us how to suck eggs up here did resonate,” she told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.

“Queenslanders hate it when southerners come up north and tell us what to do.”

-AAP