Leeanne Enoch is set to become one of two Labor Indigenous MPs elected to Queensland Parliament [on Saturday 31 January]. Ms Enoch had secured a swing of 17.5 per cent and appeared set to claim the Brisbane seat of Algester. ABC election analyst Antony Green said she would likely unseat the Liberal National Party's (LNP) [Conservatives] Anthony Shorten. Ms Enoch had secured 58.4 per cent of the vote while Mr Shorten had received 41.6 per cent. Labor's Billy Gordon has won the far northern seat of Cook.
Billy Gordon also appeared to have safely won the far north Queensland seat of Cook, achieving a 13 per cent swing in the vast electorate that spans Cape York and Torres Strait.
"It's a great day for Australian politics but a great day for the Australian Labor Party to have two Indigenous people potentially cross the line in this campaign and sitting in Parliament," he said.
Ms Enoch is a Nunukul-Nughi woman from North Stradbroke Island.
Before the election she worked with the Queensland Council of Unions on its Indigenous Working Party to develop policy and strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Ms Enoch has previously spent a decade as a high school teacher, working in schools in south-east Queensland and in London.
After leaving teaching, she worked for the Australian Red Cross for seven years as the Queensland state director.
Labor's Billy Gordon has won the far northern seat of Cook.
Mr Gordon was born in Innisfail and describes himself as a longtime local with strong ties to the far north Queensland community.
He is a father of five who has worked in a wide range of different industries and spent time in the Army Reserve.
According to his Queensland Labor online profile, Mr Gordon has worked cutting sugarcane and on banana farms, in the construction of houses in the Gulf of Carpentaria and has even been a barman at a pub in Normanton.
Door opening to indigenous politicians
Leeanne Enoch's election in Queensland 'opens door' for Indigenous politicians