A rising Labor star is marooned on the Gold Coast after a wave of support for the Liberal National Party swept through the region.
Former housing minister Meaghan Scanlon has retained the hotly contested seat of Gaven, denying the LNP a complete whitewash of the tourist strip in the Queensland election.
"This is the community I grew up in and love, so it obviously is an incredible privilege to serve as an elected member of this area," Ms Scanlon told reporters.
Gaven emerged as one of the election's tightest battles as the LNP swept to power under leader David Crisafulli, ending the Labor government's nine-year reign.
LNP candidate and former television journalist Bianca Stone conceded defeat on Wednesday after calling Ms Scanlon.
Ms Stone posted on Facebook that despite the loss she took comfort in knowing the government had changed, with Mr Crisafulli becoming Queensland's 41st premier.
"To the thousands of people in the Gaven electorate who voted for change by putting their trust in me, thank you," she said.
"I know some of you voted LNP for the first time, and we won't let you down."
Ms Stone said she was looking forward to some time off following the campaign with her family before "diving into something new".
Of the 11 seats on the Gold Coast, Labor only holds Gaven and it remains the only red seat since 2017 when Ms Scanlon was elected at 24 years old.
"I think it's really important that there is, that there's diversity of opinions on the Gold Coast, and that it's not all just dominated by one side," Ms Scanlon said.
The final votes are still being counted with nearly 80 per cent complete and five seats remaining in doubt.
Current projections show the LNP will hold 53 seats to Labor's 35 with the Greens retaining just one electorate, the Katter's Australian Party keeping three and independent Sandy Bolton retaining Noosa.
The Labor government was wiped out at the election in the regions.
The 10 seats in north Queensland were all held by Labor but now it appears just one will remain red, with former Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy retaining Cairns.
Labor MP Tom Smith also defied the odds to retain his seat, holding on to Bundaberg north of Brisbane by 876 votes.
Mr Smith won Bundaberg in 2020 by just nine votes.
As for the make-up of the opposition, former premier Steven Miles said he would wait until all seats were decided and a caucus was formed before asking to remain party leader.
"People have a right to get elected first and then elect their own leader, and that's what we'll do over the next week or so," he told ABC Radio on Monday.
Labor had governed for 30 of the last 35 years, with Mr Crisafulli becoming the LNP's first Queensland premier since Campbell Newman's 2012-2015 stint.
The full LNP cabinet will be decided and sworn in on Friday.
