Queensland’s controversial former deputy premier Jackie Trad has lost her inner-city seat of South Brisbane in the state election.

With 37 per cent of the vote counted, her Greens challenger Amy MacMahon has picked up 40 per cent of the vote.

Ms MacMahon will join Greens MP Michael Berkman — who has retained his Brisbane seat of Maiwar — as the second Greens representative to join the Queensland Parliament.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said Ms Trad cannot win in South Brisbane from second place.

“There’s no way the Greens are going to finish behind Jackie Trad,” he said.

“The Greens will win that and Jackie Trad will be defeated.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the LNP’s decision to preference the Greens in South Brisbane meant “electing a Green”.

“That’s what they intended, that’s what they’ve succeeded in — there’ll be twice as many Greens in the parliament because of that decision,” Mr Miles said.

Ms Trad did not invite the media to her election night event.

On Saturday evening, she praised her supporters on social media.

“My heart is so full because of the support I’ve received from locals, volunteers, Labor Party members, friends and of course, my beautiful family,” Ms Trad said.

“I’m so grateful to each and every person who has helped make a difference, not just to my campaign, but to our community as well.

“Together, we’ve achieved so much, for South Brisbane and for Queensland. Thank you,” Ms Trad said

A party high flier

Jackie Trad had been a key figure in the Queensland Labor Party since Annastacia Palaszczuk won office in 2015.

Her links to the party have run deep — she worked as a ministerial advisor in the Beattie and Bligh governments before winning a by-election in 2012.

Her predecessor in the seat of South Brisbane, Anna Bligh, resigned after Labor’s election drubbing by the LNP under Campbell Newman.

Ms Trad took on a heavy workload, at various times carrying ministerial portfolios including: Infrastructure, Planning, Transport, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Treasury and the role of deputy premier.

But controversy raged in 2019 when the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) was asked to examine Ms Trad’s purchase of an investment property in Woolloongabba, close to the Cross River Rail project which she was overseeing.

The CCC ultimately found “no evidence … that supported a reasonable suspicion of corrupt conduct”.

But it also stated that “failing to declare and properly manage a conflict of interest creates a corruption risk”.

The frontbencher was stripped of her Cross River Rail responsibilities.

2020 brought another watchdog probe, this time over the appointment of a school principal.

The LNP had raised concerns she improperly interfered in the selection of a principal for the new Brisbane South State Secondary College.

Ms Trad was cleared of corruption charges, but the controversy was too much in an election year and she resigned from the ministry.

A proud progressive from Labor’s left faction, Jackie Trad has cited the decriminalisation of abortion and the path to treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people as key achievements.

She also instigated major projects including Cross River Rail and the new high school at Dutton Park.

– ABC / Emma Pollard